Help clarify my perception of Mudd

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvey Mudd College
1

<p>Okay so I have some general questions that could perhaps ease my transition a bit. I have decided to break my questions into related categories. I decided to go all out seeing as how dead this subforum is. Thanks in advance for your replies ^^.</p>

<p>Food:
-Where is the nearest all-you-can-east sushi place around Mudd? I know of Blue Fin, and like them very much, but it is not all you can eat so it cant satisfy my occasional urge to suck down 7-10 dragon rolls for under 25$
-Is there a Farmer Boy around? Carl’s Jr.? IN-N-OUT? These are my favorite 3 cheap-but-good burger joins.
-As for campus eating, which meal plan holds the most merit for somebody who will occasionally cook for themselves when the mood strikes?
-Is there an Applebees around? If not, is there a place where I can get REALLY GOOD boneless buffalo wings – they are by far my favorite food, and Applebees is certainly up there with the best of those.</p>

<p>Girls:
Any general comments could help here but….
What are some of the reoccurring elements throughout the female portion of the student body? Are they nerdy and/or Asian generally? Are they interested in dating or is school their top priority (I didn’t apply to Caltech for a reason)? Are they quiet/innocent or more easy to approach? And do they find intelligence attractive, and if not would a funny ex-soccer star with a nice ass be sufficient?<br>
And on a side note: 42% FTW!! I couldn’t have picked a better year to enter. </p>

<p>Parties:
Every professor at UCR aggress with one thing: Mudd throws the best parties. But, with that in mind, how difficult would it be to get some non 5C friends into a party. Would they need to bring girls with them? </p>

<p>Annoying Ex-girlfriend:
Okay, my first of 2 girlfriends happens to be a student at Pitzer. She more-or-less helped destroy my life after I dumped her senior year. In addition to money, her suicide-threatening, stalker-like behavior was the reason I didn’t go to Mudd for year 1. Now, while trying to talk me into going, last year the Dean told me if necessary he would talk with the professors about sending her a false direction if she ever came looking, but that seemed like unnecessary at the time. But, even so, what is the likelihood of me running into her on a regular basis. How difficult is it to avoid someone at the 5Cs?</p>

<p>Academics:
Okay with my credit evaluation coming underway, it looks like I will come in with 40-45 HMC credits (seems crap from 132.5 UC units, but whatever), which seems pretty good for 1 year of study. I passed out of Math 11-14, physics mech + wave (but not the first term seminar thing, damn), chem, as well as HSS1 and one general SS requirement. And if it matters, I will be a physics major that will likely take the Mathematical Physics Program. I will send in my AP Stats score to knock off 62, leaving 61,63,64.
-With that in mind, how difficult would it be to be to pass out of those last 3, or at least 61. I want to take Math 55 in the fall, as well as the Putnam Seminar.
-with THAT in mind, is the Putnam Seminar restricted to really good math people, or would somebody just interested in it be able to join? I got a 5 on the AIME with no studying/preparation and a very crappy math program at my public HS; I was the first person from my school to ever PASS the AP Stats exam in like 5 years. I never cared before, but am starting to enjoy such things, and will most likely be good at it with training (like I am with chess, soccer, DDR, Rubik’s Cube, Go and well…other things)
-How many credits would be good for a first term student? I am looking at doing about 17, but I also might be doing work study and will be doing research. Would I be hanging myself by my schedule?
-Rank these core classes from most stressful to least:
CS5
BIO52
Engineering 59
-Which History of Science class is most interesting and/or easiest?
-Do you think it would be possible for a transfer student to study abroad?</p>

<p>Clubs/Activities:
-One of the things I have fallen in love with at UCR is a program by the name of Corazon de Vida? Once per month we hop on a bus with supplies (both of which we pay for) and go down to various orphanages in Mexico to help out. It varies from playing soccer to setting up computers and cooking. How hard would this be to bring to the 5Cs? I view it as a long shot, but still it could be worth pursuing.
-Do any of these clubs exist – Chess, Go, Rubik’s Cube? I would assume an anime one exists, but I think it would be too nerdy even for my tastes. I enjoy some of it, but dont view it as the end-all of things. </p>

<p>Money:
Whom do I kill for raising the tuition 2 grand?</p>

2

<p>"clarify Mudd?" lol...</p>

<p>All I can say is about the girls...</p>

<p>I am an aspiring Mudder and, while very academic, I am not Asian and I am not too nerdy. I still like fun, parties, sports, and other things outside of math.</p>

3

<p>ah, but certain issues arise between specific opinion and general consensus when certain details deviate heavily from the norm.</p>

<p>Are you really a 13 year old rising junior?</p>

4

<p>I'll answer a few of your academic questions, and when I have time maybe I'll come back to some of the others.</p>

<p>First, the physics department at Mudd is excellent and I think you'll enjoy your choice of a physics major.</p>

<p>As far as passing out of 61, 63, 64, I really don't have any idea, as I have not tried this. The website <a href="http://www.math.hmc.edu/placement/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.math.hmc.edu/placement/&lt;/a> can give you details on math placement and includes sample exams. However, these are just three half-semester courses, and with your transfer credits, it looks like you have 2+ semesters taken care of. (You need 128 credits to graduate.) So, unless you're trying to speed through and graduate early, it may be useful just to take the classes at Mudd.</p>

<p>From what I gather, the Putnam seminar (<a href="http://www.math.hmc.edu/math191/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.math.hmc.edu/math191/&lt;/a&gt;) is a pretty casual "class" and it is certainly not reserved only for super-geniuses. There are a lot of Mudders who participate in the tests every year, and it's not just crazy math majors -- plenty of "normal" people give it a shot.</p>

<p>Regarding credits, as I said, you need 128 to graduate, though it could be a bit more to satisfy the core, humanaties, and major requirements. That being said, a typical Mudder takes around 15-17 credits a semester, so you should be fine as long as you're ready to work (no pass/fail luxury for you, I assume). But I would also say that unless you find classes that you have to take, or that are too interesting to miss, it may be good to take a lighter load. There will be a lot to get used to -- people to meet, a town to explore, etc. and the freshmen get pass/fail to help them from stressing out too badly. You certainly don't want to spend all of your time slaving over work in your room.</p>

<p>Both CS 5 and Bio 52 have been changed recently, and I don't personally have experience with the new versions of these classes. So I'll tell you how it WAS, and you'll just have to find out how it is! E59 ("Stems") in my experience is the most difficult of the three. There are lots of computationally-intensive homework assignments and this seems to be one of the more complained-about (difficulty-wise) core classes. Bio 52 is kind of a mixed up survey of all of the different areas of biology -- molecular, cellular, genetics, etc. so it involves a good deal of memorization. When I took it, there was only a very light workload, but from what I hear it's been made much more rigorous. Finally, students' attitudes about CS 5 seem to depend heavily on them. For me and many computer-savvy people (note: I had no programming experience), the class was a breeze, but for others, it was much harder. Still, I'd say CS 5 didn't trouble people terribly much. As with Bio 52, CS 5 has also been updated, and it sounds like it's quite a bit more rigorous now.</p>

<p>I don't know about History of Science classes, but my guess is that there will only be one or two offered each semester, so your choices may be restricted depending on scheduling possibilities. Maybe someone else who has taken the classes will have some input.</p>

<p>Finally, study abroad. You come to Harvey Mudd missing a year and you want to LEAVE again? Unacceptable! Actually, it sounds like you're doing fine in terms of credits, so I don't see any reason why you couldn't study abroad. If you have questions about it, ask Dean Cave and he'll fix you right up :-P It's definitely good to plan ahead of time for study abroad. The physics department generally only offers each course once each year, so you may want to take some course(s) ahead of time, or at least know what you'd be delaying.</p>

<p>I hope this helps you. If I get a chance, I'll come back to answer some of the other questions.</p>

5

<p>I'd say that you can get the food you want (Carl's Jr, In-N-Out, Applebee's) very easily if you have a car, but these places are not quite within walking distance. And I think you should get either 8 or 12 meal plan - you decide how many times a week you will want to go eat at the Hoch or at one of the Claremont Colleges.</p>

<p>I'll also come back to answer more of your questions later.</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
Annoying Ex-girlfriend:
Okay, my first of 2 girlfriends happens to be a student at Pitzer. She more-or-less helped destroy my life after I dumped her senior year. In addition to money, her suicide-threatening, stalker-like behavior was the reason I didn’t go to Mudd for year 1. Now, while trying to talk me into going, last year the Dean told me if necessary he would talk with the professors about sending her a false direction if she ever came looking, but that seemed like unnecessary at the time. But, even so, what is the likelihood of me running into her on a regular basis. How difficult is it to avoid someone at the 5Cs?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>If you stay on the Mudd campus, there is close to zero chance. If you are fairly social (which you seem to be) and venture off campus, it is almost certain that you will see her at least once in the next few years. I know this because I'm friends with a few people from off campus and I would see them randomly several times (or people that I knew from my Pomona class) at parties and dining halls and just walking around. </p>

<p>Like other Mudders previously said, I'll get to the rest of these later. Damn, us Mudders are busy.</p>

7

<p>Food:
-Where is the nearest all-you-can-east sushi place around Mudd? I know of Blue Fin, and like them very much, but it is not all you can eat so it cant satisfy my occasional urge to suck down 7-10 dragon rolls for under 25$</p>

<br>


<br>

<p>-Is there an Applebees around? If not, is there a place where I can get REALLY GOOD boneless buffalo wings – they are by far my favorite food, and Applebees is certainly up there with the best of those.</p>

<br>


<br>

<p>Girls:
Any general comments could help here but….
What are some of the reoccurring elements throughout the female portion of the student body? </p>

<br>


<br>

<p>Are they nerdy and/or Asian generally?</p>

<br>


<br>

<p>Are they interested in dating or is school their top priority (I didn’t apply to Caltech for a reason)?</p>

<br>


<br>

<p>Are they quiet/innocent or more easy to approach? And do they find intelligence attractive, and if not would a funny ex-soccer star with a nice ass be sufficient? </p>

<br>


<br>

<p>And on a side note: 42% FTW!! I couldn’t have picked a better year to enter. </p>

<br>


<br>

<p>Annoying Ex-girlfriend:
Okay, my first of 2 girlfriends happens to be a student at Pitzer. She more-or-less helped destroy my life after I dumped her senior year. In addition to money, her suicide-threatening, stalker-like behavior was the reason I didn’t go to Mudd for year 1. Now, while trying to talk me into going, last year the Dean told me if necessary he would talk with the professors about sending her a false direction if she ever came looking, but that seemed like unnecessary at the time. But, even so, what is the likelihood of me running into her on a regular basis. How difficult is it to avoid someone at the 5Cs?</p>

<br>


<br>

<p>Academics:
Okay with my credit evaluation coming underway, it looks like I will come in with 40-45 HMC credits (seems crap from 132.5 UC units, but whatever), which seems pretty good for 1 year of study. I passed out of Math 11-14, physics mech + wave (but not the first term seminar thing, damn), chem, as well as HSS1 and one general SS requirement. And if it matters, I will be a physics major that will likely take the Mathematical Physics Program. I will send in my AP Stats score to knock off 62, leaving 61,63,64.
-With that in mind, how difficult would it be to be to pass out of those last 3, or at least 61. I want to take Math 55 in the fall, as well as the Putnam Seminar. </p>

<br>


<br>

<p>-with THAT in mind, is the Putnam Seminar restricted to really good math people, or would somebody just interested in it be able to join? I got a 5 on the AIME with no studying/preparation and a very crappy math program at my public HS; I was the first person from my school to ever PASS the AP Stats exam in like 5 years. I never cared before, but am starting to enjoy such things, and will most likely be good at it with training (like I am with chess, soccer, DDR, Rubik’s Cube, Go and well…other things) </p>

<br>


<br>

<p>-Rank these core classes from most stressful to least:
CS5
BIO52
Engineering 59</p>

<br>


<br>

<p>-Which History of Science class is most interesting and/or easiest?</p>

<br>


<br>

<p>Clubs/Activities:
-One of the things I have fallen in love with at UCR is a program by the name of Corazon de Vida? Once per month we hop on a bus with supplies (both of which we pay for) and go down to various orphanages in Mexico to help out. It varies from playing soccer to setting up computers and cooking. How hard would this be to bring to the 5Cs? I view it as a long shot, but still it could be worth pursuing.</p>

<br>


<br>

<p>-Do any of these clubs exist – Chess, Go, Rubik’s Cube? I would assume an anime one exists, but I think it would be too nerdy even for my tastes. I enjoy some of it, but dont view it as the end-all of things. </p>

<br>


<br>

8

<p>That was one long-@ss post on my part.</p>

9

<p>DS recalls reading somewhere that 71 folks participated in Putnam last year...and only about 1/3 were math majors. We also heard at the campus tour that "whenever 8 or more Mudders gather..." one can get funding for a project/activity. My DH called it the "Mudd Minyan."</p>

10

<p>Well, first - thanks a lot for the responses, especially Rocket's which seemed to cover almost every base.</p>

<p>Anyways, I have a few more questions, mostly academic:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>How difficult is Physics 23 (the first semester SR/QM intro thing? Would it be a lot of extra work when you tack it onto Physics 51? (which I read has 23 as a prereq - crap) I took a physics seminar in which I did a presentation on M-theory, but it didnt count (was hoping it would since 23 seems like a questionable class, with material I would cover later on in 52)</p></li>
<li><p>How do you normally tackle the Humanities requirements? Is it 2 per semester? Can you knock some out in any way?</p></li>
<li><p>Rocket you told me to not take Bio 2nd semester. Does that imply I get NP/P/HP first semester as well? I didnt think I did but its something I havent quite asked.</p></li>
<li><p>Pranks: spontaneous or usually well planned ahead of time? Are they all as crazy as turning a bed into a steamboat or are those irregular? </p></li>
<li><p>Whats a good GPA to have at Mudd if you were planning to go to MIT or an equivalent for grad school? I should have a couple publications (solo) by the end of graduation (plus clinic), but just in case I might need to blunt-force my way with raw stats and only a 2nd name on 1-2 papers. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>Now onto randomly placed question</p>

<ul>
<li>nearest DDR/ITG machine? </li>
<li>What are some of the best dishes served by the 5Cs? I hear Mudd has awesome steaks but thats it.</li>
<li>Is there a place where I can get Harvey Mudd boxers? I've been dying for those.</li>
<li>Are any of you going to be participating (or have in the past) in that pre-orientation hiking thing? If so, what do you think about it?</li>
<li>Are there any big poker things that go on at Mudd? I love hold'em and put it down as my special talent on my application. </li>
<li>And finally, did I miss anything important by not being there freshman year?</li>
</ul>

<p>General/extra comments:
-Sushi Cruise is all-you-can-eat and has smexy ratings and prices. Can't wait. Thanks
- Go is an ancient Chinese board game that rivals the 'fun' of chess
- Funniest picture I have ever seen in my life:
<a href="http://sidewayspony.com/images/trough/production/2007/jun/04/27651_orig_297809_1180959649069.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://sidewayspony.com/images/trough/production/2007/jun/04/27651_orig_297809_1180959649069.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

11

<p>Physics 23 is in my opinion not as mathematical as most physics courses and thus relies a lot more on physical intuition. That is not to say it is not mathematical - there is quite a bit of algebra and complex numbers - but it does not play a significant role in the course compared to 51 or 24. For some this makes it harder (like me), but for some it makes it easier. But it's definitely not all covered in 52, and it shouldn't be skipped on the assumption that it's all covered there, because it's not.</p>

<p>Usually it's either 1 or 2 hums per semester. Some people take hums during the summer, others procrastinate and during a few semesters of their upperclassman years take 3-4 hums per semester. </p>

<p>Bio 52 is not pass fail.</p>

<p>Pranks seem to a large degree to be planned out (at least the good ones I've seen). But I don't know, maybe some people do it more spontaneously.</p>

<p>I myself am not quite sure of what kind of GPA you need for grad school. It largely depends on the type of physics you want to go into (generally, theorists require a higher GPA than experimentalists because there are far fewer positions and funding for them), on the particular school, and on your other variables (recs, research, GREs, etc...). I'd aim for a 3.5 at least, but talk to the profs as they will know more than I do.</p>

<p>I'll answer more later.</p>

12

<p>Physics: Physics 23 is a pretty solid course, though it's only 2 credits (most are 3). It introduces a lot of things that are necessary for further courses, and not just in physics: complex math, wave behavior, interference, and probably lots more. Ideally, I'd say it would be best to take it separately, but if you want to be a physics major, and I'm assuming you want to graduate after 3 more years, you may want to take both 23 and 51 this fall, so you aren't behind. The typical schedule can be found at <a href="http://www.physics.hmc.edu/program.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.physics.hmc.edu/program.php&lt;/a>. Ask your advisor, if you have one yet, or e-mail one of the physics professors and they'll help you decide on the best plan.</p>

<p>Humanities: For your humanities requirement, you need to complete a total of at least 12 courses. You need Hum 1 (sounds like you passed out of this), four courses in your "concentration" area, a distribution requirement, six (? not sure - this has changed and depends on circumstances) courses on campus. All in all, the typical freshman takes 2 humanities courses, leaving 10 for the next 6 semesters, or 1-2 each semester.</p>

<p>Biology: Rocket was probably recommending against biology 2nd semester because that's when the freshmen future bio majors generally take the course. Honestly, I don't think it's a terribly big deal. There are plenty of bio and non-bio majors both semesters, so you should take it whenever it fits best. Also, as tiyusufaly said, Bio 52 is never pass/fail, since it is a core class.</p>

<p>Steak: Every Sunday night, Harvey Mudd's dining hall has "Steak Night," and they serve steak, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, etc. It's very popular with the other Claremont colleges, but not with HMC students, at least my friends. It gets old quick, since they serve exactly the same food each week.</p>

<p>Pre-O: Pre-O is great. This year they're going to Yosemite National Park. Do they invite transfer students? If so, do it!</p>

<p>Poker: You'll probably have no problem finding people to play poker with. There are a couple of events each year with card games... Reno Night at orientation, and a few student/suite/dorm themed parties.</p>

13

<p>Even if open to transfers, the pre-orientation hike is filling up fast, if it hasn't filled already. They apparently have room for 30. My son mailed his stuff in about two weeks ago and was number 25.</p>