What: campus tour. Our guides were very informative and we really enjoyed the tour. Even though it was spring break, we were able to see various spaces and buildings and pass the dorms. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get lunch in the dining hall since it was closed for the break. read more

Harvey Mudd College - The Makerspace with our tour guides - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Claremont, California

See all

So I attended a job fair at Harvey Mudd College and, let me tell you--this school is where geniuses casually walk around in hoodies like it's no big deal. I swear one student coded a neural network while waiting in line for a sandwich. As a recruiter, I showed up fully expecting to be the one with answers, but these students asked questions that made me briefly consider going back to school--or joining a witness protection program. One kid said, "Let's talk about edge computing," and I said, "Sure, let me just... Google that real quick under the table." The campus is gorgeous, the staff were super welcoming, and best of all: THE PARKING. Sweet, glorious parking. I found a spot faster than I find Wi-Fi at a Starbucks. I didn't have to circle like a stressed-out vulture or invent a new yoga pose to squeeze into a spot built for tricycles. 10/10 would park there recreationally. Honestly, if brains were a currency, this place is Fort Knox. The students are smart, the vibes are good, and the event was organized with the kind of efficiency that makes you wonder if someone time-traveled to make it happen. Would I go again? Absolutely. Would I prepare harder next time? Also yes--maybe with flashcards and a stress ball. Harvey Mudd: come for the job fair, stay because you accidentally enrolled in a quantum mechanics class just by making eye contact with a student. read more

This is an incredible school! This is where I would want to go if I was entering college now. They have an incredible reputation and the facilities, culture, teachers, support for students and President Kwale are world class. Their new buildings look great. Lucky kids! read more

See all

My rating is based on how the campus looked. Some of the buildings looked really nice with many outside areas to sit. Some sitting areas really nice due to the vegetation or the seats themselves with a matching table. What I dislike the most was the dorm area. I've never seen multiple raggedy looking couches!! They looked disgustingly dirty as if they were ready for the city to come and pick them up! These couches were right outside of the dorms in plain sight. It just looked really, really bad. I can't imagine students really want to sit in those things! What I like is that I noticed you couldn't enter some of the buildings unless you have a badge. read more

Harvey Mudd College - Sitting on a bench enjoying the view. - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Claremont, California

See all

Unimpressed so far... Here for a college visit wandered around campus looking for signage or an info map. The only physical map is hidden off the street immediately outside the Admissions Office almost like they don't want people to find it. There is a map on the website so good idea to printout as there is no guest Wi-Fi on campus. read more

Harvey Mudd College - The only map of the Harvey Mudd Campus hidden away from the street... Almost like they don't care or want people to find it - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Claremont, California

Came here to visit my cousin. Pretty nice campus. It's very small but all the people seem pretty laid back but it does have a certain "look" to it. After all, many are science or computer-oriented here. The school is also next to the Claremont Colleges like Scripps, Pitzer, and Claremont McKenna. We hung out mainly in his dorm in Adler and it was a bit different than the dorms I lived in during my college years. The dorms were more like a suite with 7 rooms and a common living space with 2 large bathrooms. Though I have no idea why the showers in there were so big! Not sure what kind of college life they expected the kids to have there... The activity room was pretty cool. It serves as a gym and has 2 full basketball courts. Other entertainment equipment include a billards table, ping pong, fooseball, and an air hockey table. All the equipment can be rented for free with a student ID. Overall, it was nice to visit the campus. There are lots of grass and it's fairly close to the mountains. It's also nice that there are many other colleges in the area so you're not restricted to just HMC students. read more

Harvey Mudd College - Icee machines in dining Hall! - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Claremont, California

See all

My previous review was written in a joking manner. It is true in some aspect, but only for those that look for a pure STEM learning experience. Here I want to point out that it is such a privilege to access all the HSA resources from the other 6Cs. I don't think other universities give you the spare units for, if not banning you from, taking all these "random" courses (unless you do a minor or another major). In my four years at Mudd, I took voice and piano from Scripps, drawing and manga study from Pomona, organ from CGU, etc. I am lucky to have the chance to take those classes, as they enable me to see things from multiple perspectives. read more

The greatest college you've never heard of. Loved to hate it while I was there, miss it more than you can imagine after graduating. Spent countless nights up until 5 AM in a (complimentary) coffee-induced panic about grades and unfinished homework assignments, but was never alone while it happened, and loved every second of it. With a year between me and my time at Mudd, I can now look back at nights spent shedding tears over incomprehensible Systems Engineering problem sets fondly, I can even romanticize those 24-hour long take home exams that were only 3 questions long and _still_ impossible to complete. I might even admit to missing the homework assignments that sucked up my entire weekend, took 20 pieces of paper to complete and reduced my dorm-room-floor to a maze of scratch paper, used coffee cups and open textbooks. More than all of that, I'll admit I miss the people, of course. HMC is tiny; under 800 undergrads total, but that small community is a very tight-knit one that watches out for its own. Whether it be issues with grades, drinking, general adjustment or anything else, your deans, proctors ("RAs") and fellow students not only know about it, but are quick to provide a torrent of help. Should you be open to accepting that help, (and you really should be), you'll make it out alive. Deciding to come to Mudd for college was a massive transition for me - moving across the country, alone, not knowing anyone - but I never regret it for a second. I learned a lot (in and out of the classroom), made unbeatable friends, and now always have a place to stay when I visit the west coast (which I try to do often, if only for the Meixcan food). I can't recommend Harvey Mudd enough, but I will warn you; it's not easy and it's not for everyone. The admissions counselors will repeat this to you endlessly, and they really do mean it. If you want an easy ride to med school, don't come here. If you can't handle a challenge, don't come here. If you really value sleep, don't come here. If you can't tolerate barefoot and stinky boys (and sometimes girls) wearing capes to class while carrying swords, you might want to rethink your decision. That's not to imply that all Mudders are nerds, I met some genuinely cool people here, there are even jocks, stoners, hipsters, cheerleaders, preps - all of those typical stereotypes, Mudd's got 'em! It's just the nerds, they stand out (mostly because they don't shower and sometimes that no-time-to-shower-because-they're-playing-video-games-stench stings your nose so hard you swear your nose hairs are burning right off). If you want Greek life, the closest thing to a fratmosphere you'll get on the 5C's is North Dorm and all of Claremont McKenna college, but in terms of traditional greek life, it's sparing. The on-campus parties can still get pretty elaborate and range from a dorm-courtyard filled with foam, bikini-clad coeds and about 300 lost flip flops to a black-light-illuminated-pool-party (where the students assemble a full wooden deck and a waterfall which flows from the second story every year - not to mention the whole flooding-the-dorm-courtyard-with-three-feet-of-water thing). These outdoor parties benefit from the higher student body counts at the adjacent schools, year-round temperate weather and a pizza budget which allows the students to purchase food with student government funds for the purpose of sobering up after too many cups of purple drank. The girl-to-guy ratio was 1:4 while I was there, but it's improved steadily since then. That being said, girls; the odds are good, but the goods are odd. My love for Harvey Mudd College may be a little bit of Stockholm Syndrome, but you really can't beat the education HMC gives you. If you do decide to go to Mudd, make friends with your professors, they're awesome. Participate in things that are non-academic - you'll value your experience there so much more if it's not just a string of sleepless nights doing homework (and trust me, it can turn into that). If you're struggling, ask for help, no one will think less of you for it, trust me. read more

Harvey Mudd kicked my butt, took my money, and robbed me of any delusions that I was smart. It's one of the most academically demanding undergrad institutions in the country and if you're not up to the challenge, it's very easy to become overwhelmed. Not only is the coursework enormous, the grading can be harsh. It's certainly a rude awakening for high school students who are used to getting straight A's. The college is extremely focused, offering Bachelor of Science degrees in only 6 fields (biology, chemistry, math, computer science, engineering, and physics). And the classes are usually around 20 students or less. The social environment is also unusual. The gender ratio is heavy on the males, and the non-academic activities of many of the students can be a little peculiar. Half the student body seems to either juggle, or unicycle, or both... simultaneously. If the list of things you're looking for includes an "exciting college experience", Mudd probably isn't the school for you. On the other hand, if conversations over dinner about the implications of the second law of thermodynamics on the Matrix universe sound like your idea of a good time, then Mudd may be your school. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad to get out when I finally graduated. But after having been out of school for a few years, I realize and I appreciate how much easier it is for Mudd graduates to find work and how much better prepared they are for their jobs. Mudd certainly kicks your butt, but it's a good sort of butt-kicking. read more

Overall, HMC is the best engineering/math/science college that I know. Rigor: HMC is a good place if you want to work hard and really earn your degree. The program is sort of like "academic boot camp" so you should expect to work many nights and weekends, but if you're disciplined, there will be still be some time for fun. As a student, I played music in groups and I spent almost every school break on hiking trips, which were heavily subsidized and supported by HMC and the 5Cs. Teaching: The professors are generally very good at teaching (unlike large research universities) and they are also accessible. It is common for students to visit professors' offices and get one-on-one help. In comparison, at big universities, students are often lucky if a professor sets up a few hours per week of office hours. Research: HMC research is not as cutting-edge like a research university such as Caltech or MIT, but here undergraduate students actually get to participate meaningfully in research. That makes HMC exceptionally good as preparing future academic or industry researchers -- in my opinion, better than research universities themselves. Location: HMC has a good location, depending on your inclination. Off-campus Claremont is not very exciting but students spend most of their time at the 5Cs anyway. LA has lots of culture to explore on weekends and the nearby mountains are good for outdoor-type people. Weather is pleasant most of the year. Cost/Pay-off: HMC is quite expensive for students who pay full-price, but a large fraction of the student body gets some need- or merit-based financial aid. HMC graduates (especially engineering and computer science, not so much biology) are among the highest earners compared to ALL colleges and universities, so the payoff is often good. Life: If you're considering HMC, come visit and try to meet as many people as you can. The school's culture is unique, so many people fit very well and some don't fit at all. read more

I get most of my engineering homework done here. It helps that I live on campus and am a full-time student. 6/5 for the amount of work this place assigns. oh, the dining hall...3/5. I heard eating here shortens your lifespan. read more

I think I'm obligated to give HMC a five star review given that I met my adorable husband here while he was busy suffering through his education. Our close friends are still Mudders even 5 years later. Since I am in graduate school getting a degree that will probably not guarantee me employment, I think that my engineering friends who graduated from here are lucky to have a stable, well-paying job. Of course, none of them ended up liking engineering-- no wait, I have one friend out of 4 that really likes engineering. I like that Mudders are allowed the express weird and wacky sides of themselves. Plus, whether they would admit it or not, they all loved getting "reamed" and making fun of "hot tubbing" and checking out Axle in Olin's giant koi pond. Bonding moments abound when you're being pounded into submission. Go here if you want an excellent education and you're not obsessed with getting everything name brand. Claremont sucks and pretends that it is not part of the SoCal social milieu, but you'll have plenty to gripe about after you graduate. p.s. we're still boycotting the AM/PM on Foothill for crimes against a fellow Mudder ; ) read more

Heh. It's an excellent engineering school (I almost went here but opted for USC instead). However, the guy:girl ratio is 3:1, and you get less diversity since everyone tends towards that extremely techy type. I have friends who went here, but you can tell they're engineers. As opposed to friends from other schools, who aren't pegged as the hardcore engineering type when you meet them. Good for its proximity to snow, but when the smog backs up against the foothills, good luck trying to breathe. read more

One of the most commercialized college reunions I've ever had my parents drag me to. Yelp booths everywhere. In-n-out, frozen yogurt, t-shirts, all sponsored by Yelp. Even Yelp mints and gloves. 3/5, would go again for the froyo. read more