Find out how to write stellar CMU essays in this complete guide, including tips, FAQs, and examples!
Carnegie Mellon University is an internationally recognized educational institution in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Since CMU is competitive, many applicants look for ways to stand out in their application. That’s where the CMU supplemental essays can come in handy.
The Carnegie Mellon supplementals are crucial to your application and provide an opportunity to showcase your personality, interests, and experiences. However, writing these essays can be daunting, especially if you're unsure what the university is looking for.
We’ll walk you through the process of writing the Carnegie Mellon supplemental essays. We’ve included expert tips, examples, and FAQs to help get you started on your CMU supplemental essays and help you write something unforgettable. Let’s get started!
So, what are the Carnegie Mellon essay prompts? Let’s discuss! First of all, let’s talk about volume. In total, there are four CMU essay prompts. However, only three are required, while the fourth is optional.
Although writing multiple essays can be intimidating, think of the positives. For one, you have many more chances to stand out as a candidate. Writing multiple essays also allows you to demonstrate various facets of your personality and experiences you may not have been able to share in your application.
Here are the Carnegie Mellon supplemental essay prompts:
“Most students choose their intended major or area of study based on a passion or inspiration that’s developed over time – what passion or inspiration led you to choose this area of study? (300 words)”
Analysis of prompt #1: The first Carnegie Mellon essay prompt asks you to explain your choice of major in three hundred words or less. In other words, this is considered a “why this major” essay, a common question in the college application process.
In our college essay webinar, Kayla Kirk explains that colleges use these essays to evaluate initiative and a willingness to challenge oneself.
“The top colleges and their admissions offices are going to want to see what you’ve done to pursue your passion so far, and maybe what you’re going to do in the future with the foundation you build at this university. They want to get the sense that you are a curious individual who is already taking the initiative to challenge yourself, to explore something you might take on in a professional level in the future.”
Let’s go over some tips on how to handle this prompt.
Here’s how a response to prompt #1 might look:
Introduction: Begin by introducing your interest in your chosen major. You may choose to talk about the first time you engaged with the main subject (for example, the first book you loved if your major is English literature).
Body: Talk about how this interest grew and developed over time. How have you engaged in this passion? What have you learned from it?
Conclusion: Discuss how this interest led you to consider attending CMU for this specific major and how attending will help you move toward your ultimate goal and plans for the future.
“Many students pursue college for a specific degree, career opportunity or personal goal. Whichever it may be, learning will be critical to achieve your ultimate goal. As you think ahead to the process of learning during your college years, how will you define a successful college experience? (300 words)”
Analysis of prompt #2: With this essay prompt, CMU is trying to understand what you hope to take with you from your education. A successful college experience is subjective, so there’s no correct answer. Ultimately, this is the place to outline what you intend to achieve during your college years and after.
This prompt might be seen as an intellectual curiosity prompt. Admissions expert Darryl Tiggle discusses how to answer this type of prompt in our webinar.
“Intellectual curiosity goes beyond what you want to study, what you want to major in. It really speaks to how you want to grow as a scholar… Intellectual curiosity talks about what you want to do with your mind and your intellect and what your passions are… Talk about what excites you and what you really want to learn.”
Here are some tips to help you get started:
Here’s what your structure could potentially look like for this prompt:
Introduction: Open with a hook that sets up the theme. What are the things you’re looking for in a college experience? Challenge? Community? Opportunity? Start there.
Body: Discuss why you seek these things in a college experience and, if you choose, mention how CMU can help you obtain them. Tie in anecdotes from your past and dreams about the future.
Conclusion: End by returning to the theme you set up at the beginning. You can do this through metaphor, imagery, or a variety of other literary devices.
“Consider your application as a whole. What do you personally want to emphasize about your application for the admission committee’s consideration? Highlight something that’s important to you or something you haven’t had a chance to share. Tell us, don’t show us (no websites please). (300 words)”
Analysis of prompt #3: The third CMU essay prompt is an excellent place to pop in one more achievement you’re really proud of or haven’t been able to share yet. Consider what you’ve shared so far and if there’s anything else you’d like to tell the admissions committee. Many applicants use this space to write about an extracurricular interest.
Use these tips to help you approach your essay:
Here’s an example of what your outline could look like:
Introduction: Choose something that is truly meaningful to you. This could be an achievement, an experience, a community that you belong to--the list goes on. You should select something that suits your application narrative and adds something new to your application.
Body: You can go into detail now about why your chosen subject matters to you and how it has influenced your life. Think about how it might also influence your future goals and endeavors at CMU.
Conclusion: Here’s where you need to answer, “So what?” With your final words, make the admissions committee see why you care about your chosen topic. By the end of this essay, they should know more about who you are at your core.
“When it comes to deciding whether to submit standardized test scores, occasionally applicants want us to better understand the individual context of their decision. If you’d like to take advantage of this opportunity, please share any information about your decision here. This is an optional question for those who may want to provide additional context for consideration. (150 words)”
For the optional fourth prompt, you need to first figure out if you should write this optional essay at all. This prompt targets students who have chosen not to submit SAT or ACT scores. If you have chosen not to submit scores, you should absolutely explain your decision through this essay. If not, there’s no need to write the essay.
If you do decide that you need to write this essay, here’s what you might say:
Introduction: Begin by stating the circumstances that influenced your decision not to submit SAT/ACT scores. Don’t over-explain; keep it simple and straightforward.
Body: Here is where you might discuss the specifics of why you made this decision. Remember not to make excuses or try to invoke pity. Provide an explanation and nothing more.
Conclusion: You can choose to end by talking about what you might have done differently or how you plan to demonstrate academic achievement at CMU. Don’t go overboard, and remember to stay humble, but your ending should make the admissions committee feel confident that you can handle academic rigor despite a lack of test scores.
For more tips on how to write an incredible essay, try taking a look at our college admission cheat sheets! You can find downloadable guides on personal statements as well as all the other aspects of the application process.
If you still have no idea where to start with your Carnegie Mellon essays, don’t worry. Take a look at some of these examples, written by real, admitted students, to give you inspiration!
Prompt: “Many students pursue college for a specific degree, career opportunity or personal goal. Whichever it may be, learning will be critical to achieve your ultimate goal. As you think ahead to the process of learning during your college years, how will you define a successful college experience? (300 words)”
Read through this sample essay for some inspiration:
“When I was younger, I faced a lot of negative emotions including anxiety and low self-esteem. For a long time, I felt alone and as if no one understood how I felt. My self confidence was at an all-time low when I started taking psychology. All of a sudden the negative emotions I was feeling started making sense. I was suddenly able to understand how people were wired and why others treated me a certain way. I was able to feel empathy for my aggressors after understanding that those who treated me negatively often faced struggles of their own. Most importantly, I felt as though something out there finally understood me. Because psychology offered insight into my own behavior and helped me to understand others, I was eventually able to overcome my insecurities.
In the future, I would like to help others do the same. No matter where I end up, understanding why people behave a certain way and being more considerate and empathetic for others will only help me thrive. Mental health is a growing issue in our society. The world we live in is a confusing place filled with pain, but psychology provides a way to determine the cause of this suffering and how to change it. I never want anyone to feel the isolation and sorrow I felt when I was younger. I want to help others become compassionate and unconditionally loving not just toward others, but to themselves. Even if I only make a small change in the world and affect just one person’s life, I would like to pursue that.”
In this example, the writer uses a clear timeline of events to convey the story of how they became interested in their major. What the student has done especially well here is demonstrate a developed passion and deeper meaning to their choice of program.
Your story doesn’t have to start in childhood – for many applicants, it doesn’t! Whatever your story, just ensure your devotion to the study of your subject is apparent and your story is concise, easy to read, and moving.
This essay also does a great job of showing authenticity and vulnerability. In our personal statement mistakes webinar, consultant Arianna gives some tips on staying authentic.
“Try and really dig deep in your personal statement. It is therapeutic; it is you really thinking over your life and your progression, and it’s okay to take time to do that. So, really outline and try to think outside of the box. Don’t just come up with things that you think admissions officers want you to say.”
Prompt 2: “Many students pursue college for a specific degree, career opportunity or personal goal. Whichever it may be, learning will be critical to achieve your ultimate goal. As you think ahead to the process of learning during your college years, how will you define a successful college experience? (300 words)”
This essay provides a great example of how to answer this prompt:
“My main goal in college is to attain a specific degree so I may pursue a stable career I’m happy with. However, the manner in which I achieve this is imperative since I will spend a considerable portion of my early adulthood in college. This is why I want to attend an institution that will teach me what to learn, how to learn, and why I should learn.
When I leave college and enter the real world, I don’t want to stop learning about how the world works or how I can improve upon myself. I believe that to give up the pursuit of knowledge is to give up hope for true happiness. I don’t want to die knowing I could’ve achieved more through my time on earth but chose not to, especially considering the people in less fortunate circumstances who would’ve taken full advantage of the opportunities I was presented. I have a sense of duty to improve myself in some way each day so in the future, I may apply the lessons I’ve learned and experiences I’ve gained to make a positive impact on this world. I fervently believe that true education prepares students for the outside world by emphasizing this mindset.
Therefore, a successful college experience to me is one that facilitates this kind of growth by providing bountiful opportunities for me to pursue my goals and even open my eyes to activities I never thought of attempting. This sort of environment is one that must be achieved through the collaborative effort of faculty and peers alike. I believe Carnegie Mellon-with its vast undergraduate and graduate majors, research programs, student organizations, and diverse campus culture-accomplishes this well.”
In this essay example from an accepted Carnegie Mellon student, the writer focuses on their passion for the pursuit of education and why learning is important to them. This is an excellent approach; it indicates that this student wants to soak up as much of the CMU learning experience as possible rather than simply get a degree and move on.
This Carnegie Mellon essay briefly mentions what the school has to offer, why they’re attracted to it, and how attending will help them fulfill their goals.
Prompt #3: “Consider your application as a whole. What do you personally want to emphasize about your application for the admission committee’s consideration? Highlight something that’s important to you or something you haven’t had a chance to share. Tell us, don’t show us (no websites please). (300 words)”
Check out this sample essay to help you respond to prompt #3:
“Haunted romanticism, ravaged gaze, desperation bordering on lunacy, Saturn Devouring His Son first caught my attention as a bored nine-year-old wandering around a museum, and once again as a high-school student, after catching a glimpse of it in a textbook.
Because after looking at angelic frescos after more Church frescos, I could not stop myself from flipping back to the tiny printing of this unholy piece. I sought to discover the story behind it—what caused this artist to create something so raw and naked, in the age of staid royal family portraits?
I became immersed in unraveling each bit of the story, how Goya had long transitioned from a royal painter, to a harsh, but veiled critic of society, the desolation that occurred during the French occupation of Spain, the corruption of Charles IV— who was really only a puppet ruler to Godoy. I learned how kingdoms rose and fell—and rose again, how art is unafraid to capture the seditious attitudes of the common people, and how it has endured to teach us of past mistakes.
I fell in love with dissecting the messages from the past, and discovering how we still have not listened to them.”
In this example from a similar Yale prompt, the writer chose to delve into their appreciation for visiting art museums beyond the classroom and discovering their curiosity for art history.
The essay is particularly effective because it doesn't just list the paintings they admire but instead delves into the meanings and significance behind each piece.
The key to a successful extracurricular essay is to showcase your enthusiasm for the activity. To transport the reader into your world, it can be helpful to include sensory details that create a vivid picture of your experiences.
Consider including descriptions of the smells, sights, and emotions that surround your extracurricular interest. By doing so, you can help your reader feel as though they’re there with you, experiencing the activity alongside you.
If you found it helpful to look at sample essays, good news! You can check out our college essay example database down below for tons of great essay examples.
Here are our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about how to write each Carnegie Mellon supplemental essay.
Supplemental essays are an important part of the application process for Carnegie Mellon University. They allow applicants to showcase their unique qualities, achievements, and perspectives that may not be evident from other parts of their application.
The CMU essay requirements vary depending on the program you are applying for. For most applicants, there are three required essays and one optional essay.
Each CMU essay must be 300 words or fewer, while the fourth optional essay word limit is 150 words or fewer.
Yes, all Carnegie Mellon applicants must write supplemental essays, including transfer and international students.
You may be able to recycle content to an extent based on the essay you’ve previously written. For example, your description of why you want to pursue a particular major may not change, but the school-specific details you add will.
Writing strong CMU essays is a critical part of your application. These essays provide an opportunity to showcase what makes you a fantastic CMU candidate. They also provide a platform to discuss personal achievements that may not be evident in other parts of your application.
Because the CMU essays are relatively short, it's important to be concise while sharing your stories. It's also crucial to ensure that your essays are cohesive, flow smoothly, and make a strong case for you as a candidate.
By following our tips, you’ll be able to craft memorable essays and increase your chances of standing out to the admissions committee at Carnegie Mellon University. Good luck!
