S24 also got accepted to SDSU and CPP, Aerospace Eng. Also got accepted toTAMU, tOSU and few others. We have been touring UCs, CPSLO, MIT, USC, CalTech, Stanford…Out of all the schools above, only one school he did not apply… CalTech (Before we visited, he ranked it as his #1). He said the students there looks depress with no school spirit, atmosphere seems very tense too. He did not have these feelings visiting CAL, MIT nor Stanford.
We just came back from tOSU engineer tour, S24 really like it. The students there are having fun working on projects, having balance of life and study, going to COOP and some of them got hired full time even before graduation. Basically normal college experience he is looking for.
As a parent I suggest OP to also consider overall cost, not just amount of debt. If S23 get accepted to CAL, UCLA or CPSLO, it will be hard for me to justify paying $200K more for four years to go to private or OOS, even if I can afford without debt.
I have visited Harvey Mudd and Caltech. I liked Harvey Mudd’s campus more, it felt more connected because of how small it was. I like that it has the resources of the 5 connected school. With Caltech I didn’t connect with it as much. From the tours everyone says the best thing is the people, but every school says that. The admission counselors at both schools described freshmen core to be really hard, but with Caltech they said the purpose was to teach you how to work hard in the same way that scientists chase after theories for years and then die and someone solves their work years later. This painted a depressing image of the experience for me, but I have heard lots of people say freshmen core isn’t that bad as well. I feel there is merit to the strong stem foundation they provide and that the work ethic gained could be beneficial. With Harvey Mudd, I got more of the vibe that the school’s priority is to teach you because there is no grad program, so the focus is on providing for the undergraduates instead of prioritizing grad students and research.
I do enjoy all of my STEM classes and am a very motivated student. My school’s engineering program has little interest, so I am in some very small classes and have found it to be lonely. I don’t know if working on projects by myself all the time would be a great fit. I know what it’s like to be so involved with a project that you can get lost in time working by yourself, but I don’t want all of my time to be spent like that. My impression was that Harvey Mudd focuses on teamwork and collaboration more than Caltech. Does this differentiate the experience?
I guess my question would be, why did you even apply to Caltech and why is it still in the mix if you feel that way about it. There’s absolutely NO reason to ignore red flags about fit. None. There are simply too many great choices for engineering to subject yourself to that.
Since you raise the issue of no grad program - it’s probably worth thinking about whether you’ll need access to grad level classes as an undergrad or not.
Harvey Mudd offers a few graduate level courses in math, where there is likely the greatest tendency for strong students in the major to want to take graduate level courses. That may be less of a concern in engineering, particularly if you feel that its more general program with an interdisciplinary emphasis is a good academic fit for you.
But if you do want to go into greater depth in a particular type of engineering and are advanced enough to do that, you may want to check for any offerings, which would likely favor schools with graduate programs in that type of engineering.
Expect more of the same at Caltech.
Our son’s second year roommate was extremely depressed and took a “leave of absence”. From what I understand, the school encourages a “leave” rather than dropping out or transferring.
This is what our son experienced as he tried to transfer. They don’t want students leaving because of “daily living needs”. They know their students well, and hate to lose their “star students” who have a history of performing well above expectations.
If you didn’t feel the “connection” to Caltech, as my son experienced, then that will continue to follow you at Caltech. It is a research institution. Everyone there is conducting research of some kind at every level and it is intense.
I knew a young man who did the same at MIT, and then again during his PhD. It’s intense, but not as much so as Caltech.
OP, both certainly produce fine engineers, but that can be said about a LOT of schools. No one prints the golden ticket. In the workforce there are brilliant engineers from schools all over the map, including places like Michigan Tech and Missouri S&T that your average CC poster would never even consider.
I’m not familiar with the particular schools, but you asked for “any advice”. I’m a mech.e from a well regarded “engineering school” that back when I graduated it was often said that “they prepare people well for industry”. I’ve been working in industry for 25+ years, and worked with and hired engineers from many schools. Problem solving is a skill and a good engineer can probably succeed from just about any decent school, but some probably make it a lot easier to succeed. Looking back, one thing that was an indicator of how the school was viewed by industry was opportunities that came through the Career Resource and Development Center. I didn’t know it at the time, but the number, size, and variety (both geographically and in products produced) of companies that would advertise positions (both internships and jobs for those graduating) and recruit on site at my school was impressive. Jobs from aerospace/NASA to everyday items and boring widgets to everything in between. Many of the big global companies came every year, but so did lots of others. It wasn’t until I was working and started interviewing potential candidates from other schools that I realized that isn’t the case everywhere. If you are able to talk with somebody from the Career Development office of the schools you are interested in, and they are willing to provide the info, try to get some data on how many and which companies advertise positions and visit campus for engineering positions. It will give you some idea of how “popular” the school is with employers and what opportunities you can expect. If they won’t share that info, that would be a little of a red flag for me. Of course, anybody from any school can also go out and find job openings, but you are looking for what the universities have to offer you. You want one with more options “built in”.
Harvey Mudd is focused on undergraduate teaching for sure. Professors still have their own research interests though, and take on undergraduates (rather than grad students) for research projects so the opportunities for research do exist even though it’s not a research institution per se. I will reiterate that collaboration and teamwork are emphasized tremendously at this school; you will only be working alone if that’s what you decide for yourself because it’s very hard to be a loner there due to the difficulty of the coursework that kind of impels students to work together.
You mentioned before that CalPolySLO was your top choice for publics and I will keep my fingers crossed for you that it comes through for you because I think that would be a fantastic place for the price point. My kid was admitted to their engineering program and we visited there a couple times. I saw a lot of good aspects to that school and it would’ve been a desirable school for me if I were the right age. It was a top 4 contender in the final decision, but ultimately HMC was the better fit for my kid. That was more of a vibe check reaction than anything else, but coupled with easier travel logistics (we’re not in CA) and closer to extended family who could (theoretically) assist in case of an emergency.
Thanks for the feedback on the schools. It’s nice to see the opinions of graduates and professionals outside of my community. It’s good to hear from so many people that affordably education is respected in the industry. Do y’all have any more personal experiences with these schools they could share, with regards to campus culture, administration, education, and pros/cons?
In my research, so many people have had great things to say about the school, the small classes, pratical applications, student resources and spirit are all really great. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for the next weeks.
My Mudder found it was common for kids to make $20k in summer internships which we definitely didn’t expect. Also, his peer group often were offered serious signing bonuses as well. If you work as a TA (grader/tutor) You can make a little extra in the school year as well. Last I heard Mudd had the highest early and mid-career salary of any college in the US, for a number of years.
My student chose Mudd over CalTech as he wanted a career in industry rather than research (had friends who graduated from CalTech and have done well) as Duke created a research position for him in high school, and he liked but didn’t love it. He felt that his preparation at Mudd couldn’t have been better. His brother is at Rose-Hulman which is excellent as well but their salaries don’t match Mudd grads’. They are very different cultures and student bodies, and each has advantages.
Hi. I have finally received all my decisions. I was rejected from Stanford, Waitlisted at Harvey Mudd and Cal Poly Slo. I was accepted into Caltech and all the UCs I applied to. I have narrowed done my choices to Caltech versus UCLA. I have connected with a lot of current and admitted students at Caltech and conducted more research. I did have some misconceptions about the school and I could see myself fitting into Caltech because of my strong work ethic, curiosity and passion for STEM. I’m still concerned about the workload but the current students are managing it. With UCLA I like the diversity of curriculum offered for getting minors, diversity of clubs and student experiences and the instate tuition.
Congrats! They’re COMPLETELY different experiences. No one here can really advise you which way to go. There’s no wrong answer. Your gut will guide you.
The one caveat, what are the prices and how will the difference impact your family.