How can I approach the Carnegie Mellon essays using College Essay Guy tips?

College Essay Guy’s advice, especially the brainstorming exercises and essay structures like "montage" and "narrative," can definitely help with Carnegie Mellon’s supplemental essays, even though the CMU prompts are specific.

For the classic "Why Carnegie Mellon?" prompt, you usually want to balance personal narrative with specific details about what draws you to CMU. College Essay Guy recommends using a hybrid approach—start with a personal anecdote or realization (a mini "narrative") that connects directly to your interests, then pivot into concrete examples of how CMU fits those interests (being clear and direct here).

For example, if you’re applying to computer science because you spent a summer building an app that helps your school community, you might begin with a moment: “As I watched my classmates use the app I built to organize the school festival, I realized how technology could improve real lives.” Then you directly link to how you see yourself using CMU’s resources (like TechNights, classes under Professor X, participation in the CMU Learning Lab) to take this interest further.

For the "Why major?" or "How have you prepared for this major?" prompts, College Essay Guy's "montage" technique can work if you have several influences or experiences that led you to your intended field. String together key moments—maybe you learned C++ from your brother, taught yourself Python, joined robotics club, then did a summer camp. Just be sure you’re still answering the specific prompt.

Many people find that creating a bullet-pointed list of experiences—just like College Essay Guy suggests for brainstorming—helps before outlining the essay. Then, choose the strongest ones and see if they fit into a narrative arc (start to finish) or if a montage structure (thematic connections between experiences) works better for you.

The key is to be both personal and specific: anchor your experiences to CMU’s programs, clubs, culture, or classes. A genuine voice means focusing on what excites you about CMU and your field—don’t force overblown language or insert facts that you think will impress, but aren’t really meaningful to you.

Many students who adapted College Essay Guy’s methods to their CMU essays found success by starting their brainstorms with his exercises (like the "I am... / I value... / I love..." prompts) to figure out which stories to tell, then mapping those stories to CMU’s questions. Just make sure every detail in your supplemental essays directly answers the prompt.

If you want inspiration: imagine someone describing how their childhood love for puzzles evolved into a fascination with algorithms, leading to an impactful summer experience, then finish by explaining why they specifically want to engage with the CMU community—naming labs or classes that connect to that narrative. That’s a great blend of personal storytelling and CMU specificity!

In summary: absolutely use College Essay Guy’s brainstorming and outlining tips, but tailor their application so your essays reflect both a personal journey and a crystal-clear reason why CMU is the right next step.