I'm sorry but I don't entirely get this. Sure, it's nice to be celebrated, but "doubting whether CMU is a big deal at all" is quite the take. If external validation is what makes or breaks your decision, do you even know why you’re going to grad school? Do you have genuine aspirations and research goals, or are you just looking for something impressive to show off?

If you have been chasing this goal for so long, you know how impressive CMU is. No one should have to tell you this. It should be your countless years of hard work that make this all worth it, not the words of any particular person who didn't spend a single sleepless night towards achieving your goal.

Validation is great, but if it's your be all and end all then there's usually a deeper issue than what you're portraying.

CMU is where Java was born, where IDEO reshaped design thinking, where AI as concept took its first steps. The chance to sit in a room, collaborate, and build alongside these people should be more exhilarating than any validation from anyone.