<p>I'm now deciding between Rice (with 20k/year merit) and Mudd (with 10/year aid, but keep in mind it's 10k/ year more expensive total as well). I plan on majoring in engineering, possibly double majoring in economics.</p>
<p>I really enjoyed the campus and facilities at Rice, but from what I saw and hear, Harvey Mudd has a better engineering department in terms of the actual teachers (only undergraduate-focussed and more hard-core.) Also, the Claremont colleges host excellent economics opportunities (even though I probably wouldn't double at Mudd.)</p>
<p>One problem I've had is that Mudd is very small, and Rice isn't too well known where I live (in the East) either; therefore very few people can draw accurate comparisons. Can anyone here clarify? Thanks!</p>
<p>P.S. I am still considering Cornell to an extent, but have been disappointed by Cornell Days- The school just didn't fit me well.</p>
<p>My brother's about to be a graduate of Mudd and I'm an alumna of Rice... I can't figure out whether or not I should weigh in, or stay out of it. I'll be unbiased (but I'm gonna throw in the fact that he's about to go to Rice for his MS/PhD program in electrical engineering, so Rice ultimately prevails... ha-HA).</p>
<p>They're both terrific programs, and you can't go wrong with either. Both are obscurely known by the general population and really well known in academia, particularly in engineering. BOTH are definitely geared towards undergraduates... Mudd because it <em>has</em> no graduate students, Rice because it very seriously <em>focuses</em> on its undergrads. Stellar faculty at both, where most of the teachers just love teaching. My brother and I had very similar experiences with amazing professors who really, really cared about their students. Likewise, both my brother and I have had total bummers of teaching professors before... You're not immune anywhere. Everybody really knows everyone's business at Mudd, but that's not entirely untrue for Rice, either... It's pretty small as well. Rice has a strong econ program, also, so you'd be okay at either for your economics interests.</p>
<p>It's really, really going to come down to fit and price. Mudd is a VERY different environment than Rice... Is it possible for you to visit Mudd at all? How hard would it be for you to swing the superhigh tuition/room/board at Mudd?</p>
<p>P.S. My brother and I do agree: don't go to Cornell. ;)</p>
<p>When you start losing sleep because you are studying against one of the smartest undergraduate populations in the US...easy doesn't seem that bad.</p>
<p>At Mudd, you never 'have' sleep to lose; you give it up when you sign up (for engineering at least). And if you go to Mudd, dont ever plan on double majoring in anything with engineering. </p>
<p>Hmm, if Rice is only 20k per year total and you already admit that you like it, then I dont think you could go wrong with that option. Rice would give you an excellent education, and it wouldnt be unnecessarily difficult. Plus, Mudd is a very <em>unique</em> place- one you either love or you hate- and if you havent visited yet it could be an expensive gamble (most do love it though). </p>
<p>And based on what aibarr is saying, Rice could be potentially magnetic. I am doing summer research at Rice Quantum Institute over the summer. dericious</p>
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And based on what aibarr is saying, Rice could be potentially magnetic.
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<p>...and <em>magical</em>.</p>
<p>OP, you haven't mentioned what kind of engineering you're considering going into. As a caveat, I've had some difficulty convincing my structural engineering companies to recruit at Mudd (seriously, I've had hour-long conversations with heads of HR departments selling Mudd to them and telling them that they're nuts not to send people to the HMC career fairs... and then have ended up representing my companies at the career fairs...) because of the general "engineering" degree. Annoying, since my electrical engineering brother knows more about dynamic testing of bridges than I do, and has actually DONE echo hammer testing... Guess what my grad structures research was in (at 'top program' UIUC, no less)? ...embarassing.</p>
<p>I think civil's the only field you'd <em>possibly</em> have an issue finding a job in, though, and that would really only be if you didn't have a masters. You'd have <em>no</em> issues getting into an engineering grad school from Mudd, and in most cases, you'd have <em>no</em> issues finding a job... but I thought I'd mention it.</p>
<p>You really can't go out to Claremont to take a look, eh? =\ That would probably really help you make a decision... Here, let's try it this way... How do you feel about setting things on fire? And, as a follow-up question, how do you feel about setting <em>everything</em> on fire...?</p>
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Plus, Mudd is a very <em>unique</em> place- one you either love or you hate- and if you havent visited yet it could be an expensive gamble (most do love it though).
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<p>Really? A lot of people I know here have a love/hate relationship with Mudd.</p>
<p>Here, let's try it this way... How do you feel about setting things on fire? And, as a follow-up question, how do you feel about setting <em>everything</em> on fire...?</p>
<p>Another important one: Do you like dressing up like a paladin before making love to your significant other?</p>
<p>Rice is a more balanced school. Harvey is more like Olin or a smaller MIT. </p>
<p>It depends what do you want from your undergraduate career? I personally would favor a balanced school like Rice because its way too early for anyone to know for sure what they want to do in the future. Undergraduate life is all about exploration.</p>
<p>". . . studying against one of the smartest undergraduate populations"</p>
<p>That is a very good summary of the difference. At Rice you would be studying with, not against, one of the smartest undergraduate populations. Note that 25% of all Rice undergrads have a SAT 1 math score above 780. I believe that about 15% of Rice undergrads are engineering majors. Chances are most of those are above the 75% percentile.</p>
That is a very good summary of the difference. At Rice you would be studying with, not against, one of the smartest undergraduate populations.
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<p>Let me assure you that teamwork, cooperation and helping each other out is a hallmark of HMC student life. We are truly collaborative, not competitive. So you would also be studying with, not against, at this place.</p>
<p>I've witnessed that collaboration rather than competition is the rule at both schools. I've also witnessed that students at both schools are absolutely brilliant. Their engineers and scientists are trained in different ways. Both ways are effective. I wouldn't say either is better or worse than the other.</p>