Two questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvey Mudd College
1

<p>HMC seems like a great place. The classes are wonderful, the professors are great, etc. But after visiting, I still have two questions that keep popping up in my head.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Is it too small? Is it the kind of college that is great for underclassmen, but by the time kids get to be juniors and seniors, they are feeling hemmed in?</p></li>
<li><p>A professor I talked to (very briefly) admitted that HMC does not have a lot of success getting students into med school. Is that really the case, and if so, why?</p></li>
</ol>

2

<p>I don’t think it’s too small. There are the five colleges to explore, after all.
Med school is a difficult question. HM does not have grade inflation (as you may well know from your visit). Many medical schools set an absolute bar based on grades, and I think that may be the problem for Mudders. That being said, when I googled on Mudd and med school, I found this:
<a href=“http://oxcam.gpp.nih.gov/prospectiveStudents/documents/DANPENNINGTON.pdf[/url]”>http://oxcam.gpp.nih.gov/prospectiveStudents/documents/DANPENNINGTON.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<ol>
<li><p>I agree that the integration with the 5Cs reduce the smallness (can’t think of a better way to phrase it) I am happy just staying on Mudd :stuck_out_tongue: but lots of my friends do 5C activities. I’ve also taken classes at Pitzer.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, because GPA is the primary consideration in getting into med school.</p></li>
</ol>

4

<p>I agree with nemom. Med schools admit by the numbers (GPA and MCAT score) with a minimal GPA allowance for the most rigorous colleges, which is not enough to compensate for the grade deflation at Mudd. Look on the HMC career services web site or contact them with your questions. I hear maybe a couple of grads go to med school each year straight from Mudd; one with a perfect 4.0 got into a funded MD/PhD program a couple of years ago. But this is incredibly rare. Mudd is not a pre-med destination–the fields of interest of many of the students are unrelated to medicine. Mudd grads could eventually go to med school through a more involved route–say, by getting higher grades in a graduate program, and then applying. Obviously there are much easier ways to get into med school (like going to a state U). </p>

<p>The grade deflation is the biggest downside to Mudd, IMO.</p>

5

<p>My junior son doesn’t seem hemmed in at all. He is happy as a clam. But I also agree that if med school is your goal, Mudd is a hard way to do it.</p>