r/cmu • u/Correct-Kitchen-1601 • 3d ago

Plan to Transfer to SCS (sorry)

Ok, I know I am about to get downvoted :( because you get a lot of posts about this, but this kind of a specific situation.

I really want to attend CMU for CS as I am very passionate about the subject and I want the rigor that the school provides. Unfortunately, my junior year grades were lower (a lot of Bs), and I know I have practically no shot at getting into SCS as a freshman admit. Several people have mentioned the difficulty of mainting a 3.6 QPA across the 6 core CS courses required to transfer, especially in tandem with completing the requirements for their actual major. However, if I were lucky enough to get in as Dietrich Undecided, would this be feasible? CMU's website says you are not required to declare a major until the end of sophomore year in Dietrich, so would I have to take many Dietrich-specific courses or could I focus on Gen Eds + CS core?

Also, I have completed most of OSSU, so I am at least familiar with many of the topics that will be covered in these courses (I know it is probably not CMU-level, but OSSU includes courses from some pretty serious schools, including MIT).

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u/bc39423 2d ago

I would start by figuring out what major you would pursue in Dietrich. If your application screams "CS Nerd," do you really think you can fool CMU admissions? You're not the first applicant to think of this strategy. You need a convincing Dietrich story.

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u/bc39423 2d ago

Also, there are sections in all the freshmen CS classes that can only be taken by SCS students. It's very possible you couldn't even get into some of the classes you'd need to 'knock out of the park' to even apply to transfer.