<p>So sorry to hear you’ve been unhappy in your first year at MIT. The first year of college is a big adjustment and can be rough anywhere; next year might turn out better for you.</p>
<p>As the mom of a Mudder-to-be, I can tell you that I’ve observed a pretty strong sense of community at Mudd, and that I think a student would have to work hard at getting “lost” there. It’s a much smaller college – the entering class is about 10% the size of MIT’s. When my son visited, he was invited on the spur of the moment to eat lunch with a group of students and a prof. Round table, plenty of conversational give and take, and they were very welcoming. This seems to be the norm there. When he sat in on a Physics class, the prof declared it “sidewalk physics day” – he sent the students out in groups to work on problem sets with sidewalk chalk (easier to do in sunny CA than in MA, I imagine). By the end of pre-frosh weekend, he already had a group of pals in one of the dorms and plans to spend time in their man-cave next year. By the way, he’s kind of an introvert. Mudders reach out.</p>
<p>The faculty members who spoke with us parents said that they work there because they love teaching and working with Mudders. The career services administrator told about going to (what I considered to be) extraordinary lengths to make sure good jobs were available to graduating Mudders in the economic downturn. She even arranged a (very popular) 2- or 3-day financial planning workshop to help these very young graduates understand what to do with their very high entry-level salaries. Bottom line, I’m confident that HMC really cares.</p>
<p>Let’s see, what else. Girls. There’s an all-girls’ college (Scripps) right across the street from Mudd. You can take some of your classes there. No kidding. Ditto the other three Claremont colleges (Pitzer, Pomona, Claremont Mckenna), each of which has its own personality and academic focus. But I gather that Scripps is very popular with, ah, roughly 60-70% of the Mudd student body.</p>
<p>I have less to say about Caltech at this time. My son visited there before and after HMC. On the first visit, he loooooved Caltech; it was his clear first choice. On the second visit, he still liked Tech, but he’d just been to Mudd and was head over heels in love with Mudd. After talking with several more Techers, he decided that Caltech would be a great place to be a grad student. And Caltech seniors told him that Tech would rather send its seniors to grad school elsewhere than keep them for another few years (which does make sense from an academic perspective). In the end, he didn’t apply to Caltech, partly because he received his acceptance from Mudd in the ED round.</p>
<p>Techers were friendly and very pleasant, but not in the super-outgoing way of Mudders. Perhaps they’re more reticent in mixed company but they loosen up around other Techers.</p>
<p>You asked about your ECs as an admission factor. Caltech emphasizes that your application must demonstrate a “passion” for math and science. Doesn’t mean you have to have been on your school’s FIRST robotics team, IMO awards, Intel/Siemens finalist, whatever. There are plenty of Techers who don’t have all that jazz on their resumes, but they were able to convince the admission committee (which includes current Techers, by the way) that they truly, madly, deeply love math and science. Which is pretty important for success at a place like that – being crazy about the subject gives you the stamina to pull multiple all-nighters on problem sets when you know your UC counterparts are probably out carousing at a concert or something.</p>
<p>Neither Caltech nor Mudd emphasizes sports in admissions, but plenty of students at each place participate in sports. Both make it pretty easy to participate (D3, intramural) once you’re there. At Tech, the admissions dude said that you can practically walk on and off the basketball team; the coaches understand what comes first. Techers joke that their football team hasn’t been defeated since 1993 (the last year they fielded a team). Seems like they play most sports with great enthusiasm, but not so much with the expectation of actually winning a game. Anyway, sports on your resume will demonstrate that you’re a multi-dimensional person, making sports a plus but neither essential nor hugely advantageous.</p>
<p>Back to Mudd for a moment. In addition to the math/science thing, Mudd emphasizes writing skills in admissions and in the curriculum. Essays are very important. They actually look at SAT/ACT writing scores. The interview (if you request one) is also important. They want to know that you’re going to fit in well with the mission and personality of the place. Having some sort of quirky skill or trait seems almost a requirement at Mudd.</p>
<p>Academically and culturally, we found the two places seemed to have more similarities than differences. Tech has a slight edge on median test scores, but the difference between 780 and 800 is pretty marginal. 
Both places tout their Honor Code systems (24-hour access to facilities, proctored exams, you can leave your dorm room unlocked, that sort of stuff), multi-dimensional students (with plenty of talents and quirks), and Humanities requirements (it’s about a third of the curriculum at Mudd, not that much less at Tech). Both places have demanding workloads and look for “passionate” students. Both have dorms (“hovses” at Tech) with distinct personalities and esprit de corps.</p>
<p>Other differences. Many others have said that Mudd’s campus is “ugly” – we don’t see it that way (it’s got all those trees, and we love trees!), but Caltech’s campus is definitely prettier. Claremont has much more of a “college town” atmosphere than Pasadena. Caltech has grad students; Mudd doesn’t (whether this is positive or negative is up to you). Caltech has more big-name grant-funded research projects (e.g., JPL); Mudd has more socially embedded research/work activities (aka Clinic). Both offer summer research opportunities; the nature of those opportunities may vary. People who don’t know any better hear “Caltech” and think “Calpoly.” People who don’t know any better hear “Harvey Mudd” and think “Harvard Med.”</p>
<p>The two student bodies have a minor rivalry that reflects their similarities and differences. Some Techers call HMC “Caltech East,” and some Mudders call Caltech “Harvey Mudd West.” The rivalry is probably more emphatic on Mudd’s side than on Tech’s, as Mudd is a younger school and has less name recognition. But a Tech admissions dude actually said something snippy about Mudd in a presentation; that surprised me.</p>
<p>All in all, it sounds to me like either place would strike you as more personal and comfortable than where you are now. From your description of your background and your record at MIT, it seems clear that you’d be competitive for admission. Of the two, it would probably come down to personal preference and post-graduation goals… and, of course, which one offers a transfer admission.</p>
<p>Good luck with whatever you decide!</p>