<p>A lot of my mom's friends have been absolutely horrified that I am considering Harvey Mudd... they think that I'm going to die of lung cancer or something because of the pollution in the LA area. Is the pollution really that bad? (I'm coming from Colorado here, clear skies and no smog :))</p>
<p>It's no Boulder as to clear skies. I have asthma and the air doesn't bother me. Some days are absolutely clear and pristine. Last fall when there were fires NE in the mountains, the air was filled with the smell of smoke, but just for a while.</p>
<p>Unless your the type who's really sensitive to that sort of stuff, you'll get used to it in under a week, if you have to at all.</p>
<p>ScoutMom is right about those few weeks with the fires. It's not really a major issue though. Like no lung cancer or anything :)</p>
<p>The air is better than it was 20 years ago. That said, kids growing up in the area do show less lung capacity than kids growing up in cleaner air areas. One good thing for students, the air is a lot cleaner Oct. to May than June to Sept. It you are an adult with normal lung function you should be fine. If you have asthma already there might be issues some days, but not too many during the school year.</p>
<p>miru-
I too made the take from the Boulder area out to Claremont.</p>
<p>Yes--if you decide to go to Mudd--and show up in Claremont in late August when the smog is typically at its worst you will probably be a shock to wake up and find a brown curtain made the mountains disappear in front of your very eyes. That tends not to happen in Boulder except for snow days. =)</p>
<p>People who live in or around LA became desensitized to the fact that the air quality is quite poor. (The pollution levels in the LA basin are perennially the highest in the US.) So, if you say someone say "it is not a problem", well...I wouldn't go nearly that far. That being said, the winter is usually very clear and the spring time too. Usually the hot months, Aug-Sep-Oct are the worst.
I am not in a medically sensitive group (e.g., no asthma), but I will say I did always notice a difference between Claremont and back home--in the former I always felt a little tickle, little "coughy mcphlegm," as my friends used to say.</p>
<p>The long and short of it: yeah, there's smog, a lot of it--much more than the rarified air of Boulder--and that was the thing I really didn't like about Socal. But I wouldn't let it be a major factor in your decision.</p>