Ok, I was recently admitted to both MIT and HMC, and I am having a really hard time deciding which school would be best for me. I want to eventually be a professor of mathematics, so I am planning on attending graduate school after my undergraduate education. Since I am looking to be a professor, would Harvey Mudd, a small LAC, be the better option for me? Also, is it easier to get into a top tier math program coming out of a brand-name school like MIT? What are your thoughts.
Also, I have not heard back from Stanford or Princeton quite yet. I know it’s dumb to think hypothetically, but if Princeton and Stanford were both options for me, would either of those schools be a better fit for me?
One last thing! I am an AB Duke finalist and possibly a Presidential Scholar Program finalist at HMC. Sorry for all the info!
Either school would be terrific. The question now is, where to you feel like you fit in the best. Two completely different climates… one in a city, one in a suburban neighborhood. One big, one small. I’d make a pros and cons list about the details now. Compare housing, on campus life, etc.
Thanks for the link. It appears to me that for my situation, HMC would be the better choice, since it is better at getting students into graduate schools.
Take a look at the math course offerings as well as the general education requirements at each school to see which schools’ offerings and curricula best fit your interests. Both Harvey Mudd and MIT have very heavy core and general education requirements (e.g. you need all three of biology, chemistry, and physics, plus extensive humanities and social studies).
If you have AP and college credit in math, MIT is more likely to give you advanced placement. At Harvey Mudd, you will have to take calculus, etc. again, but with a heavily theory and proof oriented treatment (this is optional at MIT).
I have a Mudder, but would honestly say that either will do very well at getting you into grad school. Have you visited both? You should… you will probably have a very clear idea after doing so.
Congratulations, you obviously have outstanding qualifications, and have excellent choices, with perhaps more to come. Harvey Mudd, being an undergraduate college emphasizes teaching, and there are several examples of how Mudd’s math department excels. In 2006, American Mathematical Society awarded its first “Award for an Exemplary Program or Achievement in a Mathematics Department” to Harvey Mudd. In 2003, The Henry L Alder Award, given by the Mathematical Association of America to a beginning faculty member, has been won by five HMC professors since 2003, no other school has more than one awardee. So, Mudd’s math department is well-regarded by its peers.
On another note, a mudd prof trying to learn of the issues faced by HS teachers and students, spent his sabbatical teaching math in a HS in a large urban school district. He published a very honest and insightful article: “Adventures in Teaching: A Professor Goes to High School to Learn about Teaching Math”. This is probably not your end goal, but provides another example of the emphasis of teaching.
Along with teaching, you will need to conduct research to become a University prof, so you have to consider how best to achieve admission to grad school. But professors at Mudd do also conduct research, so you should have exposure to research to help you make.
The other schools on your list have excellent departments, too (others can chime in about their qualities), so it becomes a matter of where you feel most energized.
If I were in your shoes and planning to go to grad school, I’d pick Mudd because of its smaller size and focus on undergrad education, and then plan to apply to MIT/Princeton/etc for grad.
If you have the opportunity to visit both schools, as others have suggested, that would be ideal and probably help you decide.
I am quietly thinking HMC over MIT. Very intimate, very nurturing. I know some of the HMC math faculty. Real sweethearts. MIT is big and impersonal - especially in the first few years. Great graduate school. I think the difficulty will come if you get into Princeton. It is quite small, although nothing tiny such as HMC. You can always do Princeton for graduate school – arguably the finest math department in the world. (Some will argue, especially if they are faculty or students at one of the competitors, such as Chicago, Harvard, Stanford.)
Finally, and this may be what tips it…you have the whole group of Claremont Colleges for cross registration opportunities. Pomona is as good as anywhere, especially in the sciences. HMC + other Claremonts = Princeton? I think so. And the beauty and climate are paradise-like.
I’m a Pomona student. I’d personally pick Mudd (over MIT and Caltech) in a heartbeat. The atmosphere is really supportive. The students are friendly and collaborative. And one particularly distinctive feature is how caring and accessible the professors are- probably the most of any of the 5 Claremont Colleges and more than just about any other college in the country. There are so many research opportunities and the academics are superb. Pomona also has phenomenal mathematics (it’s the most popular major), and the math community is 7C- no limits are placed onto where you can take which math class, there are over 100 math courses, and you can take graduate level courses at CGU.
Plus the consortium is an incredible asset that will enable you to get a robust college experience.
I have math friends from both schools who are at places like Stanford, MIT, and Princeton for graduate school. Mudd especially is extremely prestigious for science graduate schools.
I’ll put in my vote for Mudd too --of course, I am biased (I have one at Mudd and one at Scripps)
All the reasons stated including small size, caring professors, the consortium, a great community, collaborative environment, and of course, great weather…
Of course, you should try to make it to admitted students day to decide for yourself what is best for you. It sounds like you have some great choices.
I think the name-brand @ MIT is pretty huge, and helps if you ever decide you don’t just want to stay the academic way.
Also, there’s more math research going on @ MIT, so if you want to do a research projects at MIT, it helps.
Another thing is if you want to hangout with math genius friends, MIT probably beats Mudd (there’s just so many more IMO gold medallist etc… there).
On the other hand, the downside of the MIT math department is the teaching quality is really left to be desired. There’s only a handful of math professors at MIT I would say are decent lecturers. You’ll probably be learning a lot more from your peers. I don’t know anything about Harvey mudd for math instruction…
(I have one at Mudd and one at Scripps)