I am really grateful to have been admitted to both Mudd and CMU SCS, but I am currently a bit torn between my two options. My biggest consideration and concern is the overall strength in Math/CS programs and atmosphere of the learning environment or community. The total costs for both universities are roughly similar so money is fortunately not the most important deciding factor.
I live in California so the proximity to home and family makes Harvey Mudd a more convenient option. The nice weather and Claremont neighborhood are also aspects that attract me to the overall vibe of Mudd and the Claremont colleges as a whole. I really like the small, tight knit community and relationship between peers and professors offered at Mudd which provide me with research opportunities and resources (like their Clinic) that I may not have optimal access to in a larger university. Mudd also offers a joint Math & CS major that I am very willing to pursue in the future. For additional context and consideration, I received Mudd’s RIF Scholarship for math.
For CMU, their SCS program has an amazing rank (first on US news I believe) so their strength in academics pertaining to CS and similar majors is undebatable. From what I have seen and heard, CMU has excellent, top tier connections to large tech companies and is especially good for students who want to get into quant finance (a future pathway I am considering). Companies also prioritize internship and job offers to grads from universities like CMU that have a name brand for CS attached so that has been a really attractive factor that I have been considering. On the other hand, I dislike the school’s location in Pittsburgh (cold weather mainly) and am worried about finding a proper work-life balance as a CS student in their rigorous program.
Harvey Mudd has a great reputation with employers. You will not run out of challenges there. It is absolutely a terrific choice to follow your gut on this one.
Both are great. Since cost is similar/not an important factor in your decision, go with the one that better fits your preferences academically, environmentally, and socially.
Besides what you already know, I just want to point out a couple of other differences: 1) Harvey Mudd has more stringent (and prescribed) gen ed requirements than CMU, especially in the sciences; and 2) CMU offers many more graduate level CS courses than HMC. As other posters have said, either school is a very good choice.
Visiting may be key to your decision. Prior to sending in applications, our S toured the top 5 colleges on his CS college wish list: Stanford, MIT, Cal, CMU, and HMU. After the tours HMU came off his list entirely. He didn’t even apply.
I think his tour happened the day after some peculiar dorm activity that he found over the top.
As 1NJParent pointed out, Mudd has an extremely rigorous core curriculum with heavier requirements in the lab sciences than a CS major would need to take at CMU. There’s a lot of support and camaraderie, since the entire Mudd cohort takes these classes together, but you have to want that STEM breadth and depth. If the core curriculum appeals to you, then HMC is a fantastic choice. CMU is obviously top-notch and will allow you to focus more heavily on CS from the outset. Does taking Bio, Chem, Physics, and Engineering Design (read about E4 and the famous hammer project in the machine shop It’s hammer time! | Admission | Harvey Mudd College) sound rewarding to you, or would you rather spend the majority of your time on CS and related math from day one?
Here is a summary of CMU SCS requirements for a BS in Comp Sci - either a minor or a concentration is required. The AI and Computational Biology degrees are a little different. Computational Finance is an intercollege major/minor between Tepper and SCS.
SUMMARY OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
Area
Courses
Units
Computer Science (core courses, constrained electives, and SCS electives)