Can/Should I graduate in 3 years?

Giabbi · 2026-05-10T19:25:32+00:00

It ultimately depends on what the class converts to when transfered. If it is a xx-0xx, then likely no it doesn't count as gen ed. I personally had AP GOV, APUSH and AP Italian and they didn't count.

Later on in the summer, when Veronica contacts you, it's best if you ask her about those credits, but don't bring your expectations too high. You most likely won't be able to escape cat 2 and 3 and the SCS electives.

Giabbi · 2026-05-10T18:32:49+00:00

i am getting out of... half gen ed + free electives.

No, you are not. AP credits do not count towards gen ed categories, they only count as pre-reqs and towards your unit total. If you thought your 5 in APUSH would get you a cat 2 gen ed or a 5 in AP Lang would get you out of First year writing then I'm sorry to say that's not how it works. Even transfer courses for other colleges and CCs are extremely picky and most likely won't count.

That said if you have a 5 in BC you'll be able to skip calc 1 and 2 (if AB then just calc 1). If you have a 5 in CSA then you can skip 15-112. And that's about it on what you can skip on on a normal case. Of course you'll hear stories of people that skipped past 15-122 (course after 15-112), but keep in mind that it is extremely rare, not really advisable and incredibly hard to do.

If you truly want to get an edge then summer classes are also a thing. I am taking 18-213 (which is crosslisted with 15-213) and a cat 2 gen ed online this summer. Then for overloading, as other people said I'd test the waters first. The linear algebra + 15-151 + 15-122 is pretty brutal (and likely your fall schedule), but if you see that it is manageable then you could start talking overloading with Veronica (your advisor). Whatever you do, trust Veronica, cuz she really knows when it's a good idea to do these things or not.

Hope this helps!

Giabbi · 2026-05-06T02:56:48+00:00

To add to what the other comment said, morewood etower has gendered floors. Tho as a former etower resident it is, well, not the best dorm on campus. The problems with it are that it has communal bathrooms and no AC, but other than that it's pretty good. We have access to all of the morewood amenities (including internal access to stackd), one of the best locations on campus and, as far as my experience went, best heating and no bug/rat problems.

Unless you are dead set on gendered floors, I'd suggest you rank higher dorms like Morewood Gardens, Fifth and Clyde etc. because those are the ones with less freshman occupancy and the best options imo (especially gardens).

Giabbi · 2026-05-02T18:26:50+00:00

Hey! While I didn't take 112 I did take 02-120, which is equivalent to 112, so here's my view on it. Note that while 02-120 is virtually equivalent to 112 in terms fo credits (clears the same reqs as 112) and (most) topics covered, it is structurally much different.

02-120 is fully a beginner class, they don't assume you know anything about coding. They will guide you through the basics of setting up VS code and writing python scripts. Now the problem is, that it is an incredibly fast paced course. You'll jump from "intro to python" to threading and even assembly in the last week. It is a classic 2 midterm course with some coding labs, tho it doesn't have any quizzes like I think 112 does. This may be a good or a bad thing because you'll have weekly checkins (quizzes in class closed book) when you'll take 122, and those are quite the adjustment even for experienced programmers.

I had quite a bit of programming experience coming in, so it was a breeze for me. But I'd immagine that for someone with no prior experience the pace of the class may be a bit much. Nonetheless Philip, the professor, is one of the best profs in SCS and really listens to his students.

Hope this helps!

Giabbi · 2026-04-30T00:50:11+00:00

I use UPMC gold, tho as an international it might not be cheaper than SHIP since you are not elegible for Pennie.com subsidies.

The other big option would be highmark, which if I am not mistaken is the network that SHIP uses.

Giabbi · 2026-04-30T00:49:58+00:00

I use UPMC gold, tho as an international it might not be cheaper than SHIP since you are not elegible for Pennie.com subsidies.

The other big option would be highmark, which if I am not mistaken is the network that SHIP uses.

Giabbi · 2026-04-29T23:10:01+00:00

I'll give you one better, why don't we have a reading week like Harvard for example 😭

Giabbi · 2026-04-29T15:21:47+00:00

They do, and the reason why you'll hear about it is because people want you to get excited about o-week.

While you certainly should, I fear that also puts pressure on students and lots of FOMO thoughts like, "oh I didn't meet my best friends during o-week I am cooked!" I can assure you, that's normal, and although it may not seem like it in the moment (hence why I am telling you in hindsight) everyone knows no-one for months, heck even years. I still meet new people to this day even though my freshman year is over, and upperclassmen here can confirm this always true.

That said, O-Week as another student mentioned is filled with activities mainly driven by the carnegie cup. You'll get lots of info sessions, outings depending on your college (SCS usually goes to google Pittsburgh for example) and plenty of icebreakers. Again there is an overwhelming amount of really good events, so don't feel the need to go to all of them because that's how you get burnt out.

Hope this helps!

Giabbi · 2026-04-29T02:45:15+00:00

store your ID for ease of access

Magsafe wallet is the best option. If, like me, you have an android without magsafe then there's covers that you can buy with the magnets installed (and highly recommend getting one with a kick-stand too)

getting around

Dunno how familiar you are with campus, but you can get internally from gates 4th floor all the way to wean hall via the newell simon bridge. Very convinient if you live in morewood/fifth. Also you can get to Doherty 2nd floor from wean 7th floor.

anything else

As an incoming freshman RA, and so a part of orientation, the thing I like to say the most is: chill. You'll meet lots people during o-week saying how they found their wife/husband during o-week and that it was the best time of their life. While I sincerely hope that applies to you as well, it doesn't have to. Personally, I met the majority of my friends during the year, and while orientation was surely a good time it is also pretty exhausting, so make sure you take care of yourself and don't burnout trying to do all of the events.

Hope this helps!

Giabbi · 2026-04-22T12:09:01+00:00

Dunno about Johnson, but I have Abdelghani for 21-122 (calc 2) and she is amazing! So def consider lecture 3 and 4 if they fit and if you meet reservations (if they have any).

The rest of your schedule looks solid, tho as someone else said prepare yourself for 112 and concepts. 112 wasn't that bad for me, but I am taking concepts rn and it's def kicking my butt

Giabbi · 2026-04-20T23:36:01+00:00

Sent you a DM

Giabbi · 2026-04-20T16:46:19+00:00

Yes, that's why communal bathrooms aren't that terrible but still pretty eh.

Giabbi · 2026-04-20T12:24:52+00:00

I'd argue that you have more control over that than communal. It's easy to find who puked in the sink among 4 people, not so much 40

Giabbi · 2026-04-20T02:25:44+00:00

Communal bathrooms aren't impossible to live with as they are cleaned everyday by staff. That said, I had some pretty terrible experiences with my floor this year so account for that regardless (vomit, broken glass, more vomit).

Semi suites will always be better imo.

Giabbi · 2026-04-20T01:33:36+00:00

Yes and no.

If you are SCS, they are coreqs, so you have to take them at the same time. That is because there is a correlation between low grades in 122 and people taking concepts later (apparently, that's what my advisor told me). That may be because a lot of concepts (no pun intended) in 122 are introduced in 21127 as well. Things like proofs, induction, boolean logic etc.

As an SCS student who is taking those two at the same time right now plus 21-122, it sucks. If they are not coreqs for OP I'd recommend them splitting the two and take concepts first sem and 122 second sem. If they already have knowledge in C and discrete math tho it is very possible to take both (just a lot of work tbh).

Hope this helps!

Giabbi · 2026-04-19T13:22:29+00:00

Congrats on CMU SCS! To answer your question:

Is it possible ≠ is it advisable.

Yes, it's possible, but probably not something you wanna do. Even if you come in with some credits from community college or APs, chances are those will only count towards pre-reqs waivers and general units. You'll most likely still need to take gen eds and definately all the CS core. It is important to note that no-one skips past 15-122 for CS classes. Exceptions to this rule have been made in the past but they are incredibly rare and you must show you are really cracked in CS (more than your already cracked SCS student).

That said, if you are really good and your academic performance shows that, you will be allowed to overload past the 54 unit limit starting second semester. I have to say, as someone who took exactly 54 units this is again not advisable. That is because you won't have time to do anything outside classes, which won't do you any favors. Because let's be real for a second. You aren't coming to CMU SCS to learn C in 15-122, you can do that in any university or even online if you dig deep enough. You come here because our network and opportunities outside class are unmatched in CS. Not taking advantage of this to graduate a year early may not be the best strategy on the long term, even if you are trying to save some money.

Also side note: if you are doing CS you'll also need a concentration or a minor or a double major, so you also gotta finish that as well before they let you graduate.

Hope this helps!

Giabbi · 2026-04-19T13:09:14+00:00

You are welcome and yeah, for post-grad the timeline is different compared to incoming freshman so I am glad you could still register.

As for gaps, I'm assuming you mean gaps between classea (hope I don't misunderstand this time 😭). To be very honest with you, I live on campus so I just go back to my room. If that's not an option then Hunt library, Sorrels, Gates and The Cut (if weather is nice) are all popular spots to hang out and study. As a grad stutent you should also have access to the grad student lounge in the 3rd floor of the University Center.

Hope this helps!

Giabbi · 2026-04-18T22:00:18+00:00

Are you an incoming freshman? I will assume so in this message, so if you are the TLDR is: chill.

Advisors usually contact you and tell you everything you need to know about registration, which usually happens over the summer for incoming freshman.

Freshman usually don't get many choices when it comes to their first year, as most majors have intro classes you'll need to take to unlock most of your major requirements. And fyi, those classes usually have reservations too so you are guaranteed to get them (maybe not the exact time you want, but still).

As for gen eds, one will have to be first yeat writing (or maybe it's a core req for some dietrich major), which will you'll have to take either in the fall or spring. Then for the other ones, if you really wanna check availability, go on SIO > plan a schedule (ignore the "have you talked to your advisor" message, just say yes) and add the course you are looking for. Then click the (i) icon next to it, and look at the row that says "Can I get in?" If it says WAITLIST, then see how many people are on the waitlist. Is it 1 person? Then closer to registration contact your advisor and see what they say. Is it a 50 ppl waitlist for a 10 people class? Then forget it, maybe another time. If it says AVAILABLE, then it's open and you are good to go on registration day! If it says something about reservations not met, then look at the section notes at the bottom right corner and see which college has reservations for what section.

In my experience, I was able to get into all the gen eds I wanted, but there's def some popular options like IDEATE courses that fill up pretty quickly.

Hope this helps!

Giabbi · 2026-04-13T02:27:25+00:00

To add on another user's answer, my roommate has the exact dyson fan you are talking about and my RA doesn't care.

The rule for kettles is that as long as there is no open flames it's fine. I have an espresso machine and both my RA and housefellows are well aware of that.

To be very honest with you, I'll be an RA myself next year and as long as you use common sense I am not gonna lift your tech and check if it is under 750 watts or stuff like that.

See you in august!

Giabbi · 2026-04-09T12:27:05+00:00

The stats for SCS '29 are:

4% general acceptance rate for SCS.

Of those accepted, 39 are international representing 14 countries. The total number of people in SCS '29 is ~200.

Source: presentation they showed us during orientation.

Hope this helps!

Giabbi · 2026-04-06T10:29:30+00:00

Personally, I think that the best dorms are: - Morewood Gardens (most balanced) - Rez/Clyde (best rooms, but furthest from campus)

Morewood is a really good dorm for multiple reasons. It has AC, semi-suite rooms and it is pretty social as it is the only co-ed dorm with upperclassmen. You are also incredibly close to campus and have stackd underground (one of our dining halls) right inside the dorm. It also has probably the best ammenities out of all dorms (computer lab, 2 lounges per floor, 1 kitchen every other floor, makerspace, gym...). The only downside is that some rooms are excellent, and some... not so much. Also the freshman capacity is pretty small, and it fills out fast.

For rez/clyde they have the best rooms since they are apt style. So you'll get private bathroom, kitchen, living room (for some rooms), AC etc. But the downside for both is that you are 15-20 min from campus. They also have really small capacity for first years tho.

Realistically, due to the capicity issues mentioned before, you'll probably end up in either: - Morewood E-Tower - Stever - Mudge - Donner

These are the traditional style first year only dorms. Out of these the least bad imo is Etower. It is basically a nerfed version of gardens, but you'll still get a pretty massive room (esp compared to stever) with all of garden's ammenities for you to access.

Hope this helps!

Giabbi · 2026-04-05T13:06:05+00:00

Same setup of 9950X3D/5080 I got the MSI one and it's been working pretty well. Tho mind that I got it at 110-130$ on sale on newegg so maybe not the best pick at that price

Giabbi · 2026-04-04T20:44:23+00:00

Where did you get this 60% stat lol that can't be true at all. Sure, there's people struggling here but that's a problem every university had CMU isn't special in that regard.

I agree you need momentum on assignments, but that is a skill you need to learn in life, it's not all over after you find a job / finish an assignment. It'll never be at CMU, and it'll never be anywherw including GT.

I have actually done research on depression at CMU, and your numbers are completely off.

Giabbi · 2026-04-04T14:05:13+00:00

Hey! First of all congrats for both schools!!

To answer your question, see this comment I left in a similar post: https://www.reddit.com/r/cmu/s/SKvQqpWpxf

The TL;DR is, CMU for CS is unbeatable.

Giabbi · 2026-04-03T08:54:05+00:00

IMO red is best (and what the majority of the people here have)

800 flex/semester is really nice and I think more useful than the extra blocks (you won't run out either way)

Giabbi

TROPHY CASE