This is a useless statistic. Sorry.

Frequently, I receive e-mail and AIM messages from prospective students of Carnegie Mellon University who find me through my web site. These people obsess over their credentials to the point where they no longer are representative of themselves. For example, people see the "average" SAT score as a minimum, and will waste thousands of their parents' dollars on books and courses to artifically inflate their score. Colleges see through this bullshit: if you have shitty grades, shitty recommendations, and a 1500 SAT score, that don't mean jack.

What's more, Carnegie Mellon has six different schools. Each one has its own admissions criteria, and each has its own priorities. For example, if you're going into the College of Fine Arts, the SAT is a formality. Your portfolio or audition is your ticket in. If you're applying to more competitive schools like the School of Computer Science or Carnegie Institute of Technology, then the median SAT score rises to around 1300. It's also helpful to note that these are median scores: half the incoming class has less than these scores, but is otherwise smart enough to make it here. I've seen people with 1600 SATs drive themselves insane with excessive work, and I've seen people with 1200 SATs work their asses off and do just fine. To collapse an entire university down to a couple of four-digit numbers is downright silly.

For the love of God, please don't put too much faith in these lists. Talk to your guidance counselor about getting into college -- even though they spout no small amount of bullshit themselves, they can still provide valuable insight when prodded appropriately. Hell, my counselor was the first to tell me about Carnegie Mellon, and I love it here. :)