<p>I chose one, but I am kind of second guessing myself. Which one is better for an aspiring engineer. Put yourslef in my shoes and choose.</p>
<p>I would choose … ummm probably UC Berkss =)</p>
<p>I would definitely choose Harvey Mudd, a lot of opportunities for hands on experiences, smaller class sizes, many course opportunities with the Claremont consortium, challenging curriculum</p>
<p>Both are wonderful places for engineers, can’t go wrong with either. But they are very different: if you like big, more urban places, Harvey Mudd will seem very tiny; if you feel intimidated by big classes and tons of people, Cal will seem scary. Go with your gut and cultural preference. And congrats on getting into both these schools.</p>
<p>Harvey Mudd is near LA so you aren’t too far from a city, Claremont is a suburb of LA</p>
<p>The only comment I will make is that it is silly (albeit normal) to be second-guessing yourself at this point. Both are great schools, and you simply could not have gone wrong. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/674812-comparing-harvey-mudd-berkeley.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/674812-comparing-harvey-mudd-berkeley.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvey-mudd-college/180011-berkeley-v-harvey-mudd.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvey-mudd-college/180011-berkeley-v-harvey-mudd.html</a></p>
<p>I think I would choose Berkeley but H Mudd is still amazing…that is tough</p>
<p>If you want to specialize in a particular branch of engineering, then you’ll be better off at Cal. </p>
<p>HMC does not have separate specialty engineering departments (e.g. mechanical, electrical, chemical, etc.). Instead, there is only one (relatively small) engineering department offering a “general engineering” major. Most likely, there will be no more than 3 or 4 professors for each of the major engineering sub-areas (in some areas, there may be even one professor only !). </p>
<p>Part of Mudd’s engineering faculty consists of younger assistant/associate professors who are still active on research and publish quite a few papers on their own, but many of the profs you will encounter will be older guys (sometimes retired from industry) who have become de facto “professional teachers” and no longer follow cutting-edge research or emerging trends in their respective areas (see the faculty listing [here]( <a href=“http://www.eng.hmc.edu/EngWebsite/index.php?page=People.php”>http://www.eng.hmc.edu/EngWebsite/index.php?page=People.php</a>)) . That is BTW another major reason to choose Cal over Mudd.</p>
<p>Frequently Asked Questions</p>
<p>Why does Harvey Mudd only offer a general engineering major?
Harvey Mudd College believes that its broad engineering program is most likely to produce engineers capable of adapting a changing technology to expanding human needs. Within this context, an engineering major may choose to emphasize a particular engineering specialty by choosing appropriate elective courses and Engineering Clinic projects.</p>
<p>Can I still specialize in an area or engineering?
Yes, through the elective courses and your Clinic project, you can focus on a specific area with in engineering. It is also possible to take courses above and beyond the requirements for graduation. </p>
<p>Will I have many electives within the major?
Within the engineering major, you will have three upper division electives, and you may choose what clinic project you would like to work on. Again, you can select to take courses above and beyond the requirements for graduation. </p>
<p>How much time will I spend doing homework?
In short, a lot. The amount of homework you do will vary from class to class, but the homework load will typically be between 4 and 10 hours for a class. </p>
<p>Will I have time for other activities?
Yes! Even though Mudd has a rigorous academic program, you will always find (and sometimes make) time to do something other than study. I could try to list all the activities here, but that would take a while… </p>
<p>How big are the classes?
The typical class size for an engineering class is 15-20 students. The only larger lecture-based courses in the engineering major are E-101 and E-102. E-53 is a lecture based course, but it also has recitation which is taught by your professor and has the regular 15-20 students. </p>
<p>Will I be able to get into the classes I need?
Yes. Rarely is an engineering student not able to take an engineering course he/she needs. In fact, the only problems typically occur due to schedule conflicts or full classes for sophomores, and these instances are few and far between. </p>
<p>Who teaches the classes?
All courses taught at HMC are taught by Professors. You will never see a “TA” or any other student teacher. This goes for recitation and labs as well. </p>
<p>What kind of hands-on experience will I get?
Tons. Classes such as E-8 Clinic have a hands-on element to them. Other courses such as E-80 are entirely a lab-based course and you will spend countless hours in lab. </p>
<p>What is the Engineering Clinic Program?
The Engineering Clinic Program brings together teams of students with faculty advisors to work on carefully selected industry-sponsored projects. Coordination with industrial liaisons ensures that the project experience corresponds as closely as possible to that encountered in actual practice. The students plan and execute their projects; coaching, monitoring, and evaluation is provided by the professors. The questions they face are the sort that professional engineers must face regularly, and the solutions they devise must be satisfactory in practice as well as in theory. The projects themselves cover a wide range of technical arenas.</p>
<p>Harvey Mudd for me.</p>
<p>Harvey Mudd</p>
<p>Another for Harvey Mudd, if you like the type of community and atmosphere it provides. I love it, personally.</p>
<p>Go to Mudd.</p>
<p>Go for Berkeley. It’s a famous school not just in the US but throughout the world. A Berkeley engineering degree will wow people in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia and Africa. You cannot say the same thing for Mudd. Plus Berkeley is fun. The student orgs and activities are active and vibrant. Berkeley is beautiful. The students are well-rounded and extremely smart. Meanwhile, I have this opinion that Mudd is boring and dull. Not to mention the people there are less attractive. I got into Mudd and did not take the offer, and didn’t get into Berkeley, as an international. But if I got into Berkeley, I would have most likely gone there.</p>
<p>the question here is: do you want to learn or do you want the name of a school? If I had to pick, I would choose the better learning environment instead of a school that I could brag about to all of my friends and family</p>
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<p>Well, I don’t think that’s the right question here. I believe both schools provide excellent education almost equally. </p>
<p>OP, unless you’re Asian, you should go for Berkeley. It has a better environment. Better social campus scene. More people to interact. Better facilities. Better faculty roster. And, more prestigious, not just in the US, but all over the world.</p>
<p>I’m sorry RML for not phrasing that right </p>
<p>I’m just tired of people picking a school because of the “name/prestige” attached to the school. The point of college is to get a good education, not to get a diploma from a reputable college.</p>
<p>^ I agree. But most, if not all, prestigious schools do provide excellent standard of education. They wouldn’t become prestigious if they don’t provide top-quality education in the first place. </p>
<p>In my opinion, all the top 25 universities or so and top 20 LACs or so of USNews are offering top-quality education. When choosing amongst them, try to look at other factors such as social scene on campus, school tradition, location, weather, facilities, costs, specific academic strength or friendliness of students and staff.</p>
<p>Harvey Mudd all the way! I can’t believe you’re even asking. :D</p>
<p>If you are in math& sciences, MIT, CalTech, and Harvey Mudd are the best colleges you could dream of going to. CONGRATULATIONS on getting in, you must be super smart!!! :)</p>
<p>PS: I just reread and it says you already chose- I hope you chose HMC. My sister goes there and it really is an academically challenging but AMAZING school. Most percentage of students who pursue PhD!!!</p>
<p>@RML:</p>
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<p>Better environment!? Have you even been to HMC?
HMC has great social campus scene, too, especially since it’s smaller people get to know each other more. And don’t get me started on HMC facilities and faculty.</p>
<p>As for prestigiousness, everyone who knows what HMC IS will tell OP to go to HMC. In the engineering world a B.A. from HMC is like a gold medal.</p>