<p>Another suggestion that we took to heart after reading it here -- go eat in the student cafeteria. Lots of folks have said that people love to talk to prospies, and one can get a gut-level (pun intended) feeling about that part of the college experience.</p>
<p>I was going to chime in a vote for Harvey Mudd, and decided, no, let the kids who have researched Mudd have a better opportunity to get in.</p>
<p>right--plus I actually want my son closer to home, so I don't need to add more CA schools! Thanks, tho, now I've become a believer in Mudd!!</p>
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Mathmom--what did you all think, comparing the 3, and where did yours decide to go?
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Mathson pronounced them all fine, but both he and his younger brother enjoyed Caltech the most. They liked the honor code, the pranks, the fact that there were no multiple choice tests and the pizza. (Best lunch food of any campus I've been to - I had grilled salmon made to order.) I thought Mathson would have fit right in there. I thought for out-of-state Berkeley was not worth it. Too many big classes, too many impacted majors, no guaranteed housing past freshman year. I didn't see my son as being ready for that kind of independence. I liked it though. Might be better for grad school. I loathed Stanford. Younger son hated it too. It just seems to country-clubby to me, and too separated from the town. That's my prejudice though - Mathson did apply and it would probably have been his second or third choice if he'd been accepted. (MIT was his first choice - he didn't get in there either.) In the end he was choosing between Harvard and Carnegie Mellon - and Carnegie Mellon's computer science department completely wowed him over. They've got some incredibly charismatic professors who do the presentations, and because they are a stand alone school - they do those presentations - unlike most of the other schools we visited. He's very happy there.</p>
<p>Great to know, thanks very much. CM and MIT are on my son's list, too, with CM as more realistic. Very glad to hear yours is happy there.</p>
<p>Two questions, Mathmom, if you get back here, what are "impacted majors?" Also, the only negative thing I've heard about CM (besides the weather) is that students have to pick their field early and it's difficult to change later. DS loves comp sci and also loves physics--he could do both hopefully?--and is there room for other non-tech classes like political science? Thanks much.</p>
<p>Oh sorried "impacted" is the word they use for overcrowded. It means that you have to apply for the major and if your grades aren't good enough they won't let you in. </p>
<p>CMU is a bit different. I'd say it's more pre-professionally oriented than most colleges. That has good and bad aspects. You apply to different schools, and so you start off with the assumption that your major will be one of the ones that school offers. Kids do switch majors and schools - but some schools are harder to switch into because of course requirements. The School of Computer Science is one of the hardest to get into, but is therefore also not generally as hard to switch out of. SCS also requires every kid to have a minor, so you could easily do a physics minor. (That's what Mathson is on track to do now - subject to change of course - he's a freshman.) CMU has some breadth requirements, but if you've taken APs and gotten 5s you can get out of an awful lot of them. There should definitely be room in his schedule for fun courses as well. On the plus side they have excellent job placement. Because it's a school not a department there seems to be an extra level of attention to the students. They bring in interesting speakers (like Bill Gates this week.) For a focussed kid it's a great place.</p>
<p>Good info--thanks. I'm looking forward to us checking it out--so much closer than CA, too. Our sons sound alot alike--I'd love to chat again about CM as we get closer to looking at it, probably in the spring or early fall. Not being that familiar with sites like this, would I just start a new thread and hope you see it or how does that work? Thanks!</p>
<p>If you click on her name, you can send her a private message. Or, just add a note to this thread to bump it to the top of the new messages in Parents discussion.</p>
<p>By the way, there are a lot of fun features here, if you start clicking on the buttons and exploring. Last week, we had a lesson on smilie faces.... :)</p>
<p>Private message or new thread would be fine. I'll probably know more the longer that my kid is at CMU. Check out the college boards to - some CMU students answer questions there, they really know more than I do.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks.</p>
<p>too not to </p>
<p>waited too long to edit...</p>
<p>by college boards I mean: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/carnegie-mellon-university/%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/carnegie-mellon-university/</a></p>
<p>Yes, got it, I just figured that out and I need to look at that for other schools, too, thanks.</p>
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Two questions, Mathmom, if you get back here, what are "impacted majors?" Also, the only negative thing I've heard about CM (besides the weather) is that students have to pick their field early and it's difficult to change later. DS loves comp sci and also loves physics--he could do both hopefully?--and is there room for other non-tech classes like political science? Thanks much.
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</p>
<p>I was a physics minor at CMU and there were a pretty decent number of CS students in my physics classes. I think most CS kids tend to do their minor in math at CMU because the curriculum overlaps so much, but if he's interested in physics there shouldn't be a problem.</p>
<p>Also, I'm one of the CMU alumni that posts on the CMU board here pretty frequently, so I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.</p>
<p>Okay, great, thanks very much.</p>