UC Berkeley, Harvey Mudd, vs Cornell U.

Colleges & Universities A-Z Cornell University
21

<p>Smaller is better. Mudd and Cooper Union are excellent schools. So is Cornell. But the teaching at the smaller colleges is usually superior. I’m a Cornell and Berkeley grad, by the way.</p>

22

<p>“Actually what’s needed is to go to the registrar’s list of what they actually offered last semester, rather than what is plopped in a catalog. At another school I’m familiar with not everything that was in the catalog was actually offered, except maybe every other year or sporadically.”</p>

<p>Wow, you are in a world of hurt when you find out that Mudders have access to 2500 courses each semester at the 5C’s…and we only have 6000 student total at the 5C’s.</p>

<p><a href=“Portal”>https://portal.claremontmckenna.edu/ics/Public_Course_Schedule/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Read and weep.</p>

23

<p>“There are some things you an extrapolate about via knowledge of some general principles, but their are many other subareas with bodies of specific knowledge that have to be taught to be known.”</p>

<p>Yeah…and NO.</p>

<p>You are so incredibly wrong about this. With a rigorous basis, you can construct just about any level of work. This isn’t high school… Mudd’s tests (especially in engineering) don’t simply reiterate the homework but require different approach such that you must forge new understanding WHILE taking the test. You will see problems that you have never seen before - and it is THIS practice that makes Mudders so astute in applying basics to complex fields to yield advanced results.</p>

<p>So, you are telling me that somewhere along the way, I just happened to pick up knowledge of how to design rocket engines, scramjets, adaptive (genetic) algorithms, FEM codes, and such without taking particular classes in each field?</p>

<p>The answer is that I was/am interested in these things and it became apparent how the theory (from a STEMS standpoint) applied to these fields through the “basic” engineering/science/math education. With such a recognition, I’m able to perform to a high analytic and design level.</p>

<p>Mudd teaches people how to be independent thinkers… or at least that is one of the goals of the engineering department. If you can have a good technical (hell, superb) foundation, a mind that isn’t afraid to forge new connections is a mind that will make advances.</p>

24

<p>“Its worse to go to a school where all the other majors have time to party.”</p>

<p>Too bad Mudds part of the claremont consortium and is right across the street from the likes of pitzer and claremont…good schools but they party hard fo shoooo</p>

25

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<p>Definitely doesn’t apply to Cornell. I had absolutely no problem whatsoever seeing profs one on one. All my engineering profs were very engaged in their lectures and office hours. They were active in almost every single aspect of the course. Comparing prof involvment in my smaller classes to that in my larger classes, I’d say there was no difference.</p>

<p>Also, about liberal arts for engineers, engineers (assuming no AP credits) take 8 liberal arts courses. The great part: Other than the writing seminars, almost every single liberal arts course can be taken pass/fail. That way, you can take an incredibly interesting course and not be worried about your grade. It all significantly reduces the time you spend on that course b/c all you have to do is pass.</p>