<p>Just as question says... what are your thoughts on Harvey Mudd (in biology)? What do you think of the educational life, social life, location, etc.</p>
<p>Would it be kind of stupid for someone to attend Pomona and major in science instead of attending Harvey Mudd for science?</p>
<p>Harvey Mudd has the highest rate of sending students on to Ph.d.s in biology of any college in the country. The usual suspects -- JHU, Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, U-Wisc.Madison, etc. -- don't break the top 10.</p>
<p>But Pomona is no small potatoes either. They have a brand new science center and, of course, is a bit larger than Mudd. Also a bit more balanced male and female (though I doubt that matters - Scripps is across the street from Mudd.) If you are really, really sure you are committed to the sciences, you might lean toward Mudd; but if not totally sure, Pomona might be a better option.</p>
<p>How do you think it is compared to Caltech? They're both sciency schools, but one reason I don't want to go to Caltech is because of their EXTREMELY difficult coarseload. I also wasn't fond of lack of balance in the number of females and males. Also, (to be completely truthful), Caltech seemed a little bit too geeky for me, and I thought maybe Harvey Mudd would offer a more well-rounded student body because of it's proximity with Pomona, and the fact we can take courses there.</p>
<p>But how would a degree in sciences at Harvey Mudd compare with one from Pomona?</p>
<p>Both are excellent schools and are extremely well respected in academia. The 5 colleges have a lot of benefits. Harvey Mudd will still be a little on the geeky side but maybe not quite as much as Caltech. Pomona is my favorite of the three- they do a great job in de-stressing students despite the rigor of classes. Noone seems overwhelmed and they have a 50/50 ratio. I can't comment on how they compare but a degree in sciences from Pomona is going to get you where you want to go.</p>
<p>It might be worth your while to take a look at this:</p>
<p><a href="http://web.reed.edu/ir/phd.html%5B/url%5D">http://web.reed.edu/ir/phd.html</a></p>
<p>As you will see, Mudd has top 10 rankings in quite a few of the science listings, Pomona not a single one. Pomona, however, is often listed in the humanities and social sciences. Mudd will also gain by proximity to Scripps (in some of the humanities areas - Scripps is the equal of Pomona).</p>
<p>But you can't go wrong with either.</p>
<p>My take on Harvey Mudd is that it is Caltech Jr. or maybe Caltech's little brother. It was founded by a Pomona alum to sort create their own little Caltech there in Claremont. It's "sciency" but, tempered by the other Claremont schools, it's not quite as sciency as Caltech. Mudd is geeky, but not quite as geeky as Caltech.</p>
<p>Mudd provides a solid science education and is excellent for engineering. It has a tough grading policy, which might hurt you if you are pre-med. Unlike Pomona, Mudd's architecture is not very inspiring. Overall, I'd sum it up Mudd as an excellent school with an unfortunate name.</p>
<p>ABout the name, Harvard should be grateful that its founder's name was not John Mudd.</p>
<p>Well, the founder of Yale was Thomas Dummer. It was named after Yale in a failed effort to get Elihu Yale to give them some loot from the India trade - failed, too. They should be called "Dummies" instead of "Yalies".</p>
<p>Didn't know that about Yale, mini. . .</p>
<p>how hard is mudd to get into? compared to the ivies and other benchmark schools.</p>
<p>I think u need to get a 1400 or above to be accepted.</p>
<p>Mini -</p>
<p>That just goes to show you that the Yale people were a lot more prescient about the importance of place names than were the Mudd people. As good as it is, I think it is safe to say that a place called Mudd College will never become a Yale.</p>
<p>My dad had a HMC student work in his lab last summer, and he said that she was one of the most brilliant people he's ever met. He was very impressed with her.</p>
<p>"Mini -</p>
<p>That just goes to show you that the Yale people were a lot more prescient about the importance of place names than were the Mudd people. As good as it is, I think it is safe to say that a place called Mudd College will never become a Yale."</p>
<p>Actually, probably just lucky. I haven't found any evidence of yet that the word "dummies" was ever part of 18th Century vernacular.</p>
<p>(Are there "Harvardians?")</p>
<p>Actually, I think they are called "Harvard-itos".</p>
<p>Mudd students are brilliant in the maths and sciences, simply put. Though they do have a reputation for being a unique bunch (as do those at any tech-oriented school), I believe they are tempered by their proximity to the other schools. The Mudd course load is HEAVY...I believe they need to take an average of 5 1/2 classes a semester just to graduate (the other Claremonts require 4 a semester across the board, I'm pretty sure). Grading is tough, but first semester is pass/fail only, and grad schools KNOW that grading is tough. Mudd and CalTech have a pretty strong rivalry, but also, being such strong schools in a similar area, they have relationships with one another. It's important to know that Mudd is, technically, a liberal arts college. They have a pretty hefty humanities requirement compared to other tech schools. So, at Mudd, you take the basic tech requirements...the math, the physics, the chem...plus an average of more than one humanities course per semester. In terms of workload, students at the other 4Cs bow down to Mudd.</p>
<p>A student at any Claremont college may take Mudd math and science courses (with the exception of required intro courses...freshman chemistry, for example). Mudd students may also take their courses elsewhere (I know a Mudd sophomore who's taking what he calls the hardest math class he's ever had at Scripps). Mudd and Pomona may cross-enroll with one another for the sciences, but must receive permission to take science classes from Scripps/Pitzer/CMC (because these three schools share a Joint Science program). Permission's not usually hard to get in terms of cross-registration, special access to classes, etc.</p>
<p>It would not at all be stupid for someone to attend Pomona instead of Mudd just to major in science. There are math/science majors at all of the colleges. Mudd has an ENTIRELY different atmosphere than Pomona...ENTIRELY. Mudd is very, very math/science intensive, Pomona provides a more mixed environment, Mudd sets up a <em>LOT</em> of recruitment/internship/lecture opportunities (which are open to students from all 5Cs, generally, but pretty geared toward Mudd), etc. In terms of class requirements, Mudd has more math/science reqs (even if you're just interested in biology), Pomona has more wide-reaching requirements, and less general (check their website, perhaps, for information about the PAC requirements). </p>
<p>If you're looking at both of these schools, VISIT-VISIT-VISIT. Both are excellent schools. Mudd students major in math and science, period (with a double major or minor in another area, maybe). You won't go to Mudd and change your mind to major outside of these, whereas you would have more flexibility at another college. This is mainly just b/c of all the math/science reqs at Mudd...if you change your mind, you're still going to be taking a huge load of math/science classes for a good while. Also, the social life at both colleges is very different (although overlapping, thanks to the consortium), and the campus feel, architecture, etc. is VERY different. Mudd, to put it simply, is not known for its aesthetic appeal. Mudd students tend to be quirky, good-humored, and intensely sleep-deprived. Also, Mudd and Pomona are at opposite ends of the consortium. The relationship between all the 5Cs is amazing, but these two schools probably have the least amount of interaction (students are spoiled by small campuses...at a large university, the trek would be comparable to that from the dorms to the academic buildings, but it's a long walk in terms of Claremont). They're both amazing schools, and have a lot of overlap and shared resources, but they are very, very different.</p>
<p>Bottom line: If you're not sure you're interested in a math/science intensive school, there is no shame at all at enrolling at one of the other 5Cs. The atmospheres between Mudd and Pomona are <em>VERY</em> different...visiting would be hugely beneficial.</p>
<p>I got off on quite a lot of tangents there. I actually meant only to reply to the post regarding SAT scores. I know Mudd students who received much lower SAT scores...1100-ish. One nice thing about Mudd is that they are very specialized, and they'll look very seriously at your SAT2 scores, your class choices, your performances in related classes, etc., not just overall score. They understand that not everyone tests well. Also, Mudd is a very intense school...they want people who really want them, and a 1400 SAT score is not a prerequisite for that condition.</p>
<p>A higher SAT score will of course give you a boost, but at such a competitive school, it's not a guarantee. Similarly, a lower score will not enhance your application, but if you show strong performance in other relevant areas of your application and a strong interest in the school, it won't automatically discount you.</p>
<p>How about GPA? Mine is low compared to my test scores, which I'm not worried about. My school doesn't use the 4 point GPA scale, but I calculated it at about 3.35 for all highschool. Last year was around 3.8 however. I'm taking a heavy courseload and my school is very well known for its academics. All my "bad" grades were from frosh and soph years and I made a major change from soph to junior year. I heard Mudd might be more realistic than an ivy because they pay so much attention to each application. my SAT is 1460, writing 790, physics 780, math IIC 800. I want to major in physics.</p>
<p>According to PR. </p>
<p>Education Quality: HMC 98 Caltech 84</p>
<p>Student615 - Thanks for your great reply! That really made me understand the differences between the schools a bit more. Thanks for your help!</p>