<p>My son may well be faced with that question next year, and he will choose Caltech. I would sort of like him to choose HMC. </p>
<p>HMC is part of the Claremont Consortium of schools that also include Pomona, Scripps, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and a couple of others. So, you have the advantage of being in a techie environment, but part of a more diverse educational community. HMC is a great education, but a step down in intensity from Caltech. I think that is healthy! </p>
<p>BTW, for kids with great tests scores and GPAs they give a four year renewable 10K scholarship. </p>
<p>I think your cousin is fine. He also made a decision based less on some perverse idea of prestige, and more on what suits him best.</p>