yoh_rrg Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 I was looking for a post for others applying to Carnegie Mellon and haven't seen one, but since I just submitted my app I figured maybe some other folks have too! I applied to the Data Analytics track-- I've already been accepted to UChicago's MSCAPP, but since I heard CMU offers a lot more funding I think it might actually be my top choice. (I thought the MSCAPP was, but I their funding offer was seriously underwhelming when compared to their high cost of attendance.) Specifically, I'm curious if anyone else completed the video interview thing? I opted not to since I felt like the rest of my application was pretty strong I really didn't want to risk messing that part up and throwing myself under the bus! I'd be interested to hear from anyone who did try it and might share what they thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revolutionary Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 How much is CMU's program cost and how much aid do they give? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoh_rrg Posted January 7, 2018 Author Share Posted January 7, 2018 CMU's tuition page and while the fact that they give more aid is just something I've read on this site, I also spoke with someone in admissions who confirmed that I would be eligible for a half tuition scholarship based on my previous work experience with one of their "partners." I don't know how much aid they give overall but it's definitely more generous than the other quant-heavy programs I've been looking at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctrlaltondelete Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Current CMU Heinz Data Analytics student. Most of my cohort have received scholarships from 30 - 100% of tuition. You are also able to negotiate your aid, depending on your circumstances. I got an additional 5% bump when I talked about other funding offers I received. If cost is a concern, Heinz might be a good place to think about. I was also accepted into the Chicago MSCAPP, but with almost no funding. Pittsburgh is also a lot cheaper than Chicago. Also I didn't do a video and was still accepted, so I'm sure you have a very good shot at getting a good funding offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byc123456 Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 8 hours ago, ctrlaltondelete said: Current CMU Heinz Data Analytics student. Most of my cohort have received scholarships from 30 - 100% of tuition. You are also able to negotiate your aid, depending on your circumstances. I got an additional 5% bump when I talked about other funding offers I received. If cost is a concern, Heinz might be a good place to think about. I was also accepted into the Chicago MSCAPP, but with almost no funding. Pittsburgh is also a lot cheaper than Chicago. Also I didn't do a video and was still accepted, so I'm sure you have a very good shot at getting a good funding offer. Hi, I am applying for DA track this year. But I'm not sure if my background is competitive enough for it. I'm an urban planning major with certain quantitative experience. do most Data Analytics students come from math/statistics/computer science backgrounds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctrlaltondelete Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 3 hours ago, byc123456 said: Hi, I am applying for DA track this year. But I'm not sure if my background is competitive enough for it. I'm an urban planning major with certain quantitative experience. do most Data Analytics students come from math/statistics/computer science backgrounds? There's around 20 people in the 2019 DA cohort and only 4 have had any previous experience in any kind of coding environment. So it's not a requirement. It's a pretty diverse group of people. One was a sports coach. A few straight from undergrad. A couple were from PeaceCorps. I think as long as you show an aptitude for analytical thinking (probably through the GRE), you won't have any issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoh_rrg Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 13 hours ago, ctrlaltondelete said: Current CMU Heinz Data Analytics student. Most of my cohort have received scholarships from 30 - 100% of tuition. You are also able to negotiate your aid, depending on your circumstances. I got an additional 5% bump when I talked about other funding offers I received. If cost is a concern, Heinz might be a good place to think about. I was also accepted into the Chicago MSCAPP, but with almost no funding. Pittsburgh is also a lot cheaper than Chicago. Also I didn't do a video and was still accepted, so I'm sure you have a very good shot at getting a good funding offer. Hey thanks for your response-- I was really nervous about applying to that track after attending a webinar where the one person representing it seemed to have a strong IT background, so this makes me feel like a better contender for data analytics. And yeah the cost of living is another factor to consider. From a cost and potential for funding perspective, Heinz just seems to beat out Harris, but I'll have to wait and see if I am offered admission to know for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdmm3 Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 Applying to MSPPM - Pittsburgh track here. Still have not received the video interview link. I'd like to know the type of questions they make if someone has already made it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesvsteel Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 On 1/10/2018 at 5:58 PM, hdmm3 said: Applying to MSPPM - Pittsburgh track here. Still have not received the video interview link. I'd like to know the type of questions they make if someone has already made it. Same here, my thought was that they send it out once they've received all of your recommendations and verified other app materials. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pozole Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 On 1/10/2018 at 2:58 PM, hdmm3 said: Applying to MSPPM - Pittsburgh track here. Still have not received the video interview link. I'd like to know the type of questions they make if someone has already made it. Hey - just completed my video interview! I submitted my app on Jan 1 and received the video interview email from Kira on Jan 11. My questions were something like this: 1) How have you been preparing academically and professionally in applying for graduate school at Heinz? 2) Talk about a time you had to multi-task and how you handled it/what did you do, and 3) What is the most complex problem/challenge (?) you've ever had to tackle and how to did you approach it or bring a fresh perspective to solve it... Something along those lines! The practice questions were more fun: If you could be any animal, which would you choose and why? and Would you rather write, paint, or compose music and why? The system is pretty straight forward, though I wasn't able to play back my final recorded responses to the three "real" assessment questions. Hope this helps, and good luck! Jamesvsteel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buff_hamster Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Also curious about the MSCAPP vs. MSPPM DA discussion. I went into the application cycle thinking MSCAPP was my top choice given the strong faculty and the real depth their curriculum reaches, but their aid offer was pretty low and I'm not sure I want to sign on to that level of indebtedness. If Heinz comes back with a much better financial aid offer, that could easily swing my preference. Anyone have any thoughts on the substantive curricular differences between the two programs? It seems like the MSCAPP is much more rigorous, but I'm not sure whether that's actually the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anacris Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 My video interview questions were something like: 1) Tell us the most interesting thing about you that we won't discover elsewhere in your application, 2) It is normal to have different opinions and difficulties when working in teams. Tell us about a time when you had a conflict with a workmate and what you did about it; and 3) What is the most creative thing you have done in a past position? What was the result?. 20 seconds for preparation and 1-minute responses for every question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayaos Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Are you guys talking about MISM BIDA track??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesvsteel Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 6 hours ago, jayaos said: Are you guys talking about MISM BIDA track??? There's an optional video interview of three questions I think for all Heinz applicants, I just got my link for my MSPPM - Pittsburgh application Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayaos Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 4 hours ago, Jamesvsteel said: There's an optional video interview of three questions I think for all Heinz applicants, I just got my link for my MSPPM - Pittsburgh application Oh I ve received link too I think I am going to complete that today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jml82 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) Hey all! I applied to the MSPPM Pittsburgh track and I received the video interview email a couple days ago. I'm in the same boat as yoh_rrg -- I feel my application is pretty strong as is, and I'm considering whether or not to do the interview. On one hand, I don't want to hurt my chances by not doing it but on the other hand, interviewing isn't my strong suit and I haven't had a lot of time to prepare for it with my recent hectic schedule, so I don't want to hurt by chances by doing it! Does anyone -- either prospective or current students -- have a sense of how the video interview factors into the admissions decisions? Edited January 31, 2018 by jml82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesvsteel Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 15 hours ago, jml82 said: Hey all! I applied to the MSPPM Pittsburgh track and I received the video interview email a couple days ago. I'm in the same boat as yoh_rrg -- I feel my application is pretty strong as is, and I'm considering whether or not to do the interview. On one hand, I don't want to hurt my chances by not doing it but on the other hand, interviewing isn't my strong suit and I haven't had a lot of time to prepare for it with my recent hectic schedule, so I don't want to hurt by chances by doing it! Does anyone -- either prospective or current students -- have a sense of how the video interview factors into the admissions decisions? I listened to some of the webinars and they recommend doing the interview, but if it's optional than obviously they're prepared to admit students who don't do it. I think it just gives them a better sense of who the person is off-paper if that makes sense. It's also not really an interview, I think it's just three questions that you have to answer extemporaneously as if it were an interview, but I don't think it's like a Skype call or anything. I'm probably doing mine tomorrow or Saturday. I'm pretty nervous about it too but I thought, it can't hurt I don't think so why not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_Process Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 I would guess relatively less weight would be placed on the interview when compared for example, to the statement of purpose. The structure of the interview allows only 20 seconds to prepare a minute response, which makes it seem more like an exercise to see how an applicant thinks on their feet rather than a way to gain substantial insight into their abilities or motivations. Personally, I did it yesterday, and one of my 3 questions was, "If you could have dinner with any 2 people, living or not, who would they be and why?" My other 2 actually came from the pool of those listed in other comments above. Best of luck if you choose to take it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jml82 Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Thanks for the input! I ended up opting not to do it. Good luck to everyone! Now if February could just hurry up so we can find out admissions decisions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabethrs Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 I also applied to the Heinz DA track and was accepted into the Harris MSCAPP program with some funding. Those are definitely my top choices, so unless I get into WWS, it'll probably be dependent on funding. I have to say I appreciate the dedication of the Harris admissions staff, and the fact that we find out months before any other school often makes them top of mind... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesvsteel Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Do you guys think it's too late to do the option video interview? I accidentally let the week slip by and forgot to conduct my interview within 7 days of receiving the invitation. It is now day 9, but perhaps they have not fully reviewed my app yet and it could still do me some good. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabethrs Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Might as well! I did it because it was recommended, even though it was awkward. In some webinar they mentioned that if they had two similar applicants but one had done a video interview, they would likely admit that candidate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lackey Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 20 minutes ago, Jamesvsteel said: Do you guys think it's too late to do the option video interview? I accidentally let the week slip by and forgot to conduct my interview within 7 days of receiving the invitation. It is now day 9, but perhaps they have not fully reviewed my app yet and it could still do me some good. Thoughts? That's a lot of schools, good luck! I hope you get in somewhere this month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesvsteel Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 2 hours ago, lackey said: That's a lot of schools, good luck! I hope you get in somewhere this month. Thanks, three of them are the same institutions but I'm applying for their concurrent degrees for which you have to do a separate app for each program. I also added MSU and WSU considerably after the fact just as fall backs since I currently live in Michigan. Fingers crossed for all of them though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anmanya Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 Hi all. Even though I submitted my application well in time, I still haven't received the video link. Probably because it still shows on my portal that they haven't received my transcript. I'm an international student and I had asked WES to send in my transcripts but it seems they haven't been received by Heinz. Until and unless my application is complete, I won't be able to access the link. I did contact them and I received a generic email stating I should wait till 28th Feb before contacting them about my documents. It's just that I feel that it's too late already. What do you guys think I should do? Isn't it too late already? I have a feeling my application won't even get reviewed because of this :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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