<p>Out of the three, I can only apply to two.</p>
<p>Convince me why I need to apply to Harvey Mudd.
:D</p>
<p>I was contemplating between Harvey Mudd and Columbia too (for ED)
Eventually I chose Harvey Mudd, and I applied ED there</p>
<p>Why can you only apply to two? If the reason is finance, some schools have waivers. If parents have set the limit, do remind them that it is good to keep our doors open… your interests may evolve or aid/scholarship may sway decisions.</p>
<p>I’m actually applying to 8, but I decided I needed to pick 2 out of these 3.</p>
<p>The limit is finances, I’m not eligible for waivers.</p>
<p>It’s good you have other schools too 
Mudd, Rice and Columbia I think are all tough schools to get into. </p>
<p>Add information about your major/interests and things you liked and disliked about your other six choices (especially for schools you have visited). Then I bet there will be some folks that can add some insights.</p>
<p>All of these 3 schools are excellent, yet are quite different from each other. You should pick the 2 you apply to based on what they offer compared to what you are looking for.</p>
<p>And, If you are smart enough to get into any of these schools, I would venture that you are smart enough to figure out the best matches for you!</p>
<p>Do some research into the programs you are interested in – see what you like about them. Columbia might appeal to broader tastes. If you’re dead set on engineering, and like Harvey Mudd’s program, you’ll probably get a great education there.</p>
<p>Mudd has only Engineering, Science and Math majors
[url=<a href=“http://www.hmc.edu/academicsclinicresearch/majors1.html]Majors[/url”>http://www.hmc.edu/academicsclinicresearch/majors1.html]Majors[/url</a>]</p>
<p>If you are not certainly that you’ll love at least one of those majors… skip Mudd. It sounds like you can’t survive there unless passionate about your studies.</p>
<p>I’ve had a long conversation with my friend in Columbia yesterday, since I am also applying Columbia.
There are some noticeable differences
Both schools have very hefty core classes, but they work in quite a different way.
In Harvey Mudd, you are encouraged to place out of classes, but you cannot place out for Columbia core classes. My friend says that even students going to Juliard (that INSANE fine arts school) with the Columbia/Juliard program can’t place out of the core class on music. In Harvey Mudd, besides the science core classes, you have a large variety of choices for the humanities requirement. For example, you don’t have to take history if you want to take music instead. In Columbia, you HAVE to take a certain semester of english, certain semester of history, certain semester of language, and certain semester of music.
In terms of science classes, (since we are comparing with Harvey Mudd) you are going to have large lecture-based classes. Also, this surprised me, but there will be no lab classes proceeding in parallel with your science classes(at least in the core), and they do it AFTER you finish the class. And if you want to do engineering, you will start taking actual engineering classes later than harvey mudd.
And something worth looking into is, if you have a certain major you want to pursue, research the professors teaching those majors. Columbia for example has Brian Greene for Physics. Quite an amazing person.</p>
<p>“For example, you don’t have to take history if you want to take music instead. In Columbia, you HAVE to take a certain semester of english, certain semester of history, certain semester of language, and certain semester of music.”</p>
<p>Forgive my poor writing. I think I had a bit much to drink…haha…
The correction I’d like to make is this:
Harvey Mudd DOES require a certain number of its hum/ss/arts classes be of a specific distribution. Let’s say you are going for a music concentration… you must still take 2 social science and 2 humanities courses in addition to those in your concentration… possibly more. Of all the HSS courses taken, 5 must be HMC courses and there is a bunch of other stuff… you can’t just take 11 music classes and think you’re done.</p>
<p>Whoa, dizzy…</p>
<p>oh. didn’t know that completely.
and hope you have fun drinking. haha</p>
<p>
I wouldn’t say it’s encouraged… each year quite a few people skip some math and maybe 25-30 people skip the first CS course, but in other departments it’s uncommon.</p>
<p>hmmm
I’ll probably be asking more about this after and if I get in to HMC, but what about physics?
I know you have to take quantum physics (in which I have somewhat experience) but what about mech and e&m and other general physics. I’m saying this cuz physics is one of my main subject, possibly even majoring. I got 5s on AP Physics B and both C, and took a college class that covers E&M, Optics, Modern Physics at Stanford. (which is where I learned about quantum physics and relativity a little bit, such as Baryon, Leptons, etc)</p>
<p>“I’ll probably be asking more about this after and if I get in to HMC, but what about physics?”</p>
<p>You can try to pass out, but don’t count on it. You’ll be surprised how many students at HMC are as well prepared as you. You’ll have a leg up on some material but these courses are a lot more serious than other colleges. HMC recognizes that most everyone has gone the extra mile to take the most advanced classes possible… so the only edge you may have would be from the class you took at Stanford. Even then, however, I have to wonder how in depth you went if a single class covered E&M, Optics (which really is just E&M), and Modern Physics. </p>
<p>Drinking was… interesting. Red red wine…</p>
<p>I will simply say Rice & Columbia. This is not based on any knowledge of a school being better in this or that department, but because they offer more traditional majors in addition to those that a specialized school like Harvey Mudd may offer. The advantage of this is that if you end up being dissapointed or disillusioned with what you thought were your interests, you could switch to another non related department or another major and not find yourself having to apply to transfer out of the school. I think many will say with Harvey Mudd you can just major at another claremont school since you’re allowed to take classes on other campuses without having to transfer out, but I’m sure the technicalities of doing that aren’t as easy as 1, 2, 3. You’d still have to take Harvey Mudd classes. I think getting stuck at a specific specialized school could be a plus or a negative. For me it was a negative when I realized my dissapointment in what I thought would be my dream major and dream career afterward.</p>
<p>So how is a 17 year old to be sure that wonderful/specialized Mudd is not too specialized for him or her? </p>
<p>My son is RD. so we won’t know for a long time his status. But it seems like we should be pondering these things now, since there is so little time after acceptions/rejections arrive. He thinks Mudd is great, but the prior post had some valid points.</p>
<p>I definitely heard of a number of people becoming disillusioned of their route after they came to HMC. Also, heard many of the same things for Caltech (they are quite similar in many ways)
I’d definitely say be careful. AND, I highly discourage pre-med, pre-law or stuff like that. I don’t go to HMC right now, so I can’t say from experience, but I read TONS of stuff discouraging students who want to pursue those in Mudd.</p>
<p>"So how is a 17 year old to be sure that wonderful/specialized Mudd is not too specialized for him or her? "</p>
<p>If your son knows that he wants to go into science/engineering/math then Mudd is probably one of the LEAST specialized places one can go for undergrad. If your son has doubts as to whether science/engineering/math is his thing, I’d highly suggest looking elsewhere.</p>
<p>The best way I can put it is this: The type of person that excels at Mudd knows before attending that this is what they want to do. </p>
<p>For those students, they understand that in order to superb in a subject a solid foundation is needed and corners cannot be cut. That is why the core is so wildly successful at producing generalized scientists/engineers that can go on to do much.</p>
<p>I hope that didn’t come across as too brash. That was not my intent…</p>
<p>rocketDA - Thanks for your helpful comments. Not brash at all. </p>
<p>My son actually does think he knows that Mudd is what he wants to do. He feels strongly he wants engineering (or maybe math or physics). </p>
<p>I’m the skeptic. l’ll be looking for ways to know that his intuition is right, even though he has not yet endured the rigors of Mudd. At a high school level, he has sought the toughest paths (IB - 4HL and 2SL, and we had to talk him out of adding Bio as a 3rd just-for-fun science this year; lots of band classes and other music endeavors). He has done very well. But college is a whole different ballgame, especially at a school like Mudd.</p>
<p>I think he’ll be fine in Mudd, personally. :)</p>