<p>Not to seem harsh, mathboy98, but I’m basing my view on a couple of decades (well, almost three now…yikes…I feel old!) of experience - knowing and working with MIT students, graduates, professors and other staff.
That being said, MIT is a great place for the right person.
Some more thoughts on atmosphere - MIT is really in the thick of things. It’s a bustling place, in a bustling setting. Boston’s small but strong theater district , the BSO, lots of fine museums are all right at hand. The several other very good and sizable colleges provide a BIG mass of students. Kenmore and Harvard Square are great places to hang out. And if you like sports, Boston has that too. (Although the less said about the Sox right now , the better…)
Harvey Mudd is a quieter setting. It’s peaceful and quite lovely (at least in the spring), with a small town in walking distance for low-key shopping and lots of restaurants. LA is accessible, but it takes some planning to get there. Harvey Mudd has access to beaches - again - it takes a bit of work. (And, yes, Boston has the Cape, but it’s dang cold during the school year.)</p>
<p>^ Beach is about 45 minutes away if you know when to go. I don’t know what you mean by planning, but it is an easy weekend excursion option. </p>
<p>LA definitely would take more planning, but if you’d like an area that’s more touristy to hang out at, just head to the beach. HB has a great night life, I’ve lived here all my life and love it.</p>
<p>Mit!!! !!!</p>
<p>For a physics major from the east coast … it’s still a toss up here at our house</p>
<p>I think MIT is a little harder to get into, but they are both very strong schools. (Interesting side note - my son’s MIT alumni interviewer said he got rejected from Mudd).</p>
<p>My son didn’t end up at Mudd mainly due to financial reason. He did love the fact that it was focused on undergrad. In fact, after his second visit to MIT when school was in session, he decided it was not a good fit. (Just as well - he was rejected from MIT. That was no big deal. Not getting the Mudd scholarship was a much bigger blow to him.) </p>
<p>The Claremont Consortium is a wonderful thing. At the time we were making college decisions, I was not convinced that he would have been able to have time to take good advantage of the ECs, music etc. Perhaps he would have.</p>
<p>To the OP… have you made your decision after attending ASP and CPW…
wish we made it out to ASP but DS couldn’t afford to take the additional days off from school… so now it might come down to a coin toss…
(the citrus tours at CPW had a major influence on him)</p>