<p>So im absolutely obsesseed with math and science!! especially physics, and mudd has some of the best programs in the country for what i want. id like a VERY small school, and the fact that mudd is in cali is a small plus. Plus, i just like the overall "feel" i get from whats on the HMC website. but i am a little bit scared.....cuz.... I HATE HUMANITIES! i seirously think id shoot myself if i ever have to take another fricken english class!!! i know ill have to take something no matter where i go, but id like to reduce the humanities as much as possible. HMC has like 1/3 of the curriculum as humanities. to me, this is repulsive. were ne mudders in my boat when they were applying? ne of you really like math/science, but hated humanities and decided to go newayz? is it it bad as it seems? for me, would the superb math/science education outweight the humanities requirement, or should i look elsewhere for my undergrad education?</p>
<p>I just applied to HMC, so I don't know how valid my answer is, considering i don't actually GO there. But from what I hear, there is quite a bit of freedom as to what humanities courses you can take. So you take econ classes (that's not really english...) or film classes or music. That's just the way I understand it, but I may be wrong.</p>
<p>there is a solid level of freedom in which humanities courses you take. The only "English" class you have to take is Hum1, which is Pass/fail anyways. And even so you get a limited selection of what subject matter that class focuses on. </p>
<p>while you might dislike hums as a whole, I am sure there is at least one subject area you like. If not.....you can take courses off-campus.</p>
<p>Right off the bat: HMC is not looking for students who are extremely narrow and focused just on math, science and engineering. There's a reason we like to call ourselves a liberal arts college. While there is a definite technical focus, students are expected to have an understanding of themselves and their fellow humans. Whether or not the humanities and social sciences experience here succeeds in that mission is up for debate. But the point remains that we are not looking for people who are narrow minded.</p>
<p>That said, I would advise you not to close your mind to us just because of the additional emphasis on non-technical study. Perhaps you think you hate arts, humanities and social sciences because you haven't had the right classes or teachers. College is a time for intellectual growth, and part of that maturity involves learning to appreciate subjects which you may not appreciate at this point in your academic career. And even though you love math, science and engineering passionately, most people would find that studying only technical material can leave them a bit weary and longing for some curricular diversity. That's part of the reason that almost all technical schools, not just HMC, require some form of arts, humanities and social sciences. </p>
<p>Regardless of which university you choose to attend, I ask you not to avoid studying some non-technical subjects; they are an invaluable asset to a technical college education, and can help you look at your own subjects in many different lights. The value of that is not to be underestimated.</p>
<p>I find linguistics and the classics very interesting. Could I take a lot of linguistics, latin, and greek courses only to fill up the humanities requirement? In fact, I like them so much I wouldn't mind minoring in them if I had the time. I guess if I could have all my humaniites in those subjects iit wouldnt be too bad, but would I be obligated to "spread around" the humanities, or can I just focus on those?</p>
<p>You would be required to take two courses in "social sciences" (such as econ, politics, management, etc...) and two courses in "humanities" (such as history, philosophy, etc...). Then you can make linguistics/classics your concentration, and you would be required to take at least four courses in that subject. While fulfilling these "distribution" and "concentration" requirements, you would have to ensure that you take at least 5-6 of your humanities, arts, social sciences courses at Harvey Mudd.</p>
<p>Yes, the requirements are stringent and annoying. You would not be able to get away with taking all your courses in one discipline.</p>
<p>ouch...that really sucks</p>
<p>i was planning hopefully on like less than 5 humanities in all of college so the fact that i have to take a minimum of 5 just at HMC is really scary</p>
<p>o well, ive applied newayz, becuase besides the humanities thing, its got everything i want/need in a school</p>
<p>if/when i get accepted, ill decide then</p>
<p>thanks for your input</p>
<p>I think you'll find college courses in general are more interesting and challenging, so hopefully the humanities req.s won't be so bad. Also, from browsing the course catalog, it seems like a lot of qualifying classes are interdisciplinary like history of science or science & technology in society.</p>
<p>Did you apply early decision or regular?</p>
<p>I applied regular.</p>