<p>Hello Everyone,</p>
<p>I know that Pomona has a good computer science program, but to what schools does it compare to? I have absolutely no experience with computer science, but considering that it's a thriving field, it's an option that I'm considering. I know that Pomona is stronger in the humanities, but do Computer Science majors land good jobs? Can the close-knit classes help me learn the subject easier even if I don't have any experience?</p>
<p>It’s excellent and extremely underrated. While HMC gets a lot of kudos for its CS program, few realize that it’s joint with Pomona. The community is strong and the facilities are top notch. Lots of connections with top tech companies like Google and Microsoft. Tech majors do extremely well after graduating, with a starting median starting salary of 95000. </p>
<p><a href=“http://pomona.edu/administration/career-development/files/where-grads-go-2013.pdf[/url]”>http://pomona.edu/administration/career-development/files/where-grads-go-2013.pdf</a></p>
<p>I’m a former CS major and I can confirm that the department is very good. In some respects it’s better than HMC’s; Pomona’s introductory track, while still certainly challenging, is less likely to kill you. The introductory class is terrific (I TA’d it for several semesters) and will do you fine even if you go in with zero knowledge whatsoever. I was in the same position and had no problems picking it up. Our CS grads tend to be successful, as nw mentioned. I can’t speak to close-knit classes because I quit pretty early on in the scheme of things. What I CAN tell you is that I’m looking at the list of Pomona CS classes right now and none of them have less than 20 students enrolled, so don’t expect too much one-on-one with the professor. (Okay, I know big universities have giant CS classes so 20 sounds small, but for comparison two of my music classes next semester have five and six people in them respectively.) I can answer ridiculously specific questions if you have any.</p>
<p>That’s comforting to know, as my kid is one of those taking it this semester with zero experience!</p>
<p>From what I understand, a Pomona student can choose to take the first three CS classes at either Mudd or Pomona, but all three courses must be taken at the same school. Mudd’s classes tend to be harder, but are definitely quality. Students are considered to be employable after completing the third course. Students at both Mudd and Pomona take upper division classes at either campus, depending on where they’re offered. I think I should point out that Mudd’s CS department, and possibly Pomona’s too, is a bit over-enrolled for the number of faculty. That means that a lot of students have a hard time getting into upper-division classes because there aren’t quite enough spots. Everyone can take those classes eventually, but maybe not during the semester that they want.</p>
<p>Can you take all CS classes at Harvey Mudd? lol</p>
<p>You probably could, but overenrollment could be an issue. Many CS majors at Mudd have to take one or two upper-division classes at Pomona because some are offered at different campuses on different semesters. I think I’ve heard that upper-division classes are about the same quality/difficulty on both campuses, but I’m not sure.</p>