Carnegie Mellon

Pre-College Overview

Access the official Pre-College 2008 site here.

For over 3 decades, the Pre-College Program has provided high-school age students the opportunity to experience college life at a major university prior to their entrance to Carnegie Mellon or another institution. Currently, the program draws over 450 students to a six-week program each summer. Students may participate in one of the following programs:

• Arts (Pre-College Fine Arts Program) & survey courses in either Architecture, Art, Design, Drama or Music;
• Academics (Pre-College Advanced Placement/Early Action ) & two CMU courses covering a full semester's material in mathematics, sciences, computer programming, or the humanities and social sciences.
• The National Gaming Academy

The mission of the Pre-College Student Affairs program is to provide students with a safe, comfortable, and challenging environment that enriches their academic and artistic endeavors in a program designed to meet the specific needs of high-school age students.

A defining component of the Pre-College student experience includes students active involvement in the campus and residential community. In order to guarantee that every student's living experience is the best that it can be, the university engages the talents of both professional and student staff to live and work within the residential community.

The student staff is comprised of 5 Head Counselors and 25 Counselors who are highly motivated and successful students at Carnegie Mellon. Each performs a number of important functions for the residents. They coordinate programs to encourage interaction among residential students which enhance personal growth. They encourage residents to connect to the numerous on-campus resources. activities  and services. The student staff is very well-trained to respond to emergencies and to enforce policies in the event that a violation of a community standard should occur.

In addition, there is professional member of the Division of Student Affairs who serves as the director of Pre-College Student Affairs. Additionally there are two to three assistant directors who supervise the student staff and ensure that the needs of the residents are met. The senior staff works closely with and partners with the faculty and the admissions office to provide students the absolute highest level of support possible during their stay on campus.