For context, I’m a prospective engineering student hoping to study aero/mech.
Schools I’m debating between: Harvey Mudd v. Purdue (Engineering). I’m an in-state student for Purdue and so I know everyone might think the obvious answer is Purdue, BUT I will say that my parents are capable of paying for my tuition either way so that’s not the biggest issue here. I am interested in pursuing Masters
Mudd pros:
openness and really good HSA courses at different 5C colleges (this is one of the major pros because I really want to study humanities along with engineering wherever I go)
Good engineering program
Exposure to lots of different engineering disciplines (also can be a con)
small community, good relationship w professors (i come from a smaller hs and i like it, so I think i do like smaller schools)
good undergrad research
CALIFORNIA!! (ok, but hear me out I’ve lived in the cornfields for 18 years)
good vibes, not everyone is super stemmy which I like (I visited and I loved)
Mudd cons:
reallly small (200 per class), limited labs, limited classes for mech/aero, limited clubs
exposure to every engineering disciplines (not saying for sure but at Mudd you pretty much are forced to take all general engineering courses from EE, etc… which I may not like)
CORE: Don’t take AP credits and have hard gen ed classes that take up all of freshman year and parts of sophomore year too (including bio, chem, intro to writing classes, which I don’t really want to take)
costly: 83k a year w/ scholarship
Purdue pros:
CHEAP: 16k a year w/ scholarship and honors college (again cost isn’t the biggest factor here but still…)
FYE: first-year engineering where I can start doing engineering right away, can kind of explore, but will specialize sophomore year
Big lab spaces, lots of professors, more alumni network, more class selection, probably more opportunities, more clubs, etc…
they take AP Credit! (pretty much have to take an intro cs and intro chem class but my ap credit covers all other intro) I can choose upper level gen eds and reach credit hours quicker
pretty recognizable name (both ABET credited) to companies (more than mudd)
Purdue cons
Indiana… and campus is not my fav either
people are kinda really stemmy
MUCH bigger, could be kinda daunting
other departments (other than cs) aren’t great
Basically… I’m leaning Purdue (from a rational standpoint) buttt i can’t help but think i’ll really love Mudd’s community and smaller environment. And it sucks to think I have to stay in Indiana for another four years. Either way, I think I’ll enjoy it but my issues come down to what I listed. Anyways, I’d love some advice both rationally, in general, vibes, etc… anything really (and don’t diss me for considering a super expensive cali school to my in-state mudd is kinda special compared to other stem schools which I like).
My recent Purdue engineering grad (who choose Purdue from out of state) had wonderful relationships with professors, small classes, research opportunities, etc…. All those accepted AP credits also meant that she could take grad level courses as well.
If you are concerned about size, look into joining a living learning community. They help a big school feel much, much smaller.
I think the obvious winner here is Purdue. Yes you will have to live in Indiana for 4 more years but there is just too much else that trumps that IMO. You can have a fantastic time at any college. Do a semester abroad for a getaway.
Save your parents the money- that is a CRAZY amt of money
This is up to you - small school or large. There’s no reason you can’t have a good relationship wtih professors. For kids that decide to do so, they absolutely do - and not just in the classroom.
Given the degree (engineering), the cost difference today (Mudd will raise the price, it’s unlikely Purdue will) - from a financial POV it makes zero sense. And in engineering, the where matters less.
So if you want to go to Mudd and your parents are ok spending hundreds of thousands for likely a similar outcome, they’re certainly entitled - and that’s fine.
But from an ROI POV, this is a no brainer.
Now let’s go to the other side and Purdue - you say other departments aren’t that great? Hmmm - great b school, aviation school, strong in natural sciences, likely solid in the social sciences…and they have other fine programs.
I think you’re creating stories with prof relations and downplaying Purdue because you want to go to Mudd. But I would say your stories aren’t factually correct.
So I go back to - from an ROI POV, Mudd makes zero sense.
But it’s your parents money - and if they’re willing to spend, then you get to make your choice!!
i kind of meant in more in line of the ‘small school’ environment where it’s easier to connect w teachers based on small class size, etc… while Purdue classes are much bigger, but you’re def right in saying that you can seek profs out no matter where you go. As for departments, I was mainly referencing HSA departments, as i mentioned before that I was interested in studying.
right now I’m doing honors college but i might leave it my soph year (i kind of just did it for the better living conditions). the ap credit thing is really good for me as i have quite a lot of those, so i’m hoping to maybe be able to be able to do a semester abroad and still graduate on time
i’m def thinking about doing semester abroad! I’m def really biased bc i always imagined going to college somewhere else but like you said rationally, Purdue makes more sense. I’m pretty sure I’m going but I’ve kind of been having internal battles for some reason.
So if your family can comfortably afford it, I think it is fine to spend a lot of money on a college experience you would personally value a lot more. It is true that a lot of money could potentially buy you other things instead, but that doesn’t mean it is inherently wrong to choose this particular thing as the thing you and your family want to buy.
But as to whether you SHOULD value it more–that is a very personal question. I do think the 5Cs offer a really compelling package of experiences. I don’t think Purdue is really a substitute, but of course it is an absolutely fantastic engineering college with all sorts of great resources, so similarly Harvey Mudd isn’t a substitute for Purdue either. They are just different.
So like with any big spending decision, you have to just decide whether this is how you want to spend your money, knowing if you spend it on this, you can’t spend it on something else. Again assuming your family can comfortably afford it.
Excellent that you are in Honors College! I didn’t want to assume but suspected that could be the case.
Honors is a super LLC. You will a small seminar class from the get go, honors engineering design, an honors engineering advisor, honors specific study abroad opportunities, leadership opportunities, and quicker access to research and internships. Honors professors have offices in the honors residences, host dinners, walks, etc… Really easy to make those personal connections from the onset.
My daughter opted to remain in honors and graduate with her honors diploma and felt it was well worth it.
thank you! if you are able, can you expand on how honors college gives quicker access to research and internships? I’m really interested in doing research and am not sure of competition/opportunities for undergrad at such a large school
Research is a requirement for the honors diploma so conversations about research happen early and there is a lot of internal support for making that happen. When my D was ready to do her research, she went and spoke to four professors and had three offers within the week (one was actually offered on the spot). It was a noncompetitive process.
My D’s experience was that there were companies that specifically target honors college students, especially in freshman year. There were also opportunities within honors college for internships (and research) that first summer after freshman year, as well as summer study abroad options.
Honors College is well supported financially and the students really benefit greatly.
If you don’t want to take those core classes, then Mudd would be a tough choice for you, and could set you up with a freshman start that you may not appreciate. Since AP credits don’t count there, and you’re hoping for MechE/AeroE, it seems Purdue is the better choice since those it offers those degrees and Mudd doesn’t.
I agree that Mudd is a special place, and my kid would say it’s the people, both students and faculty/staff, that create that environment. The vibe (completely intangible but you can tell) totally resonates with some people and not with others. Since you mention finding “people are kinda really stemmy” at Purdue, I think that’s a reflection of the different emphasis at the schools. Mudd as a LAC takes a more big picture approach, hence the required Core/HSAs & GenE rather than the more targeted engineering degrees, kind of more like a Renaissance person especially well versed in science. My impression of Purdue is that it produces graduates who know their degree material very well, and students who are pursuing a specific degree will be focused on that degree (“stemmy?”). That leaves it up to the student to decide in what direction to broaden their education. Your AP credits will give you a lot of latitude to pick the areas you’re interested in learning (without having to take bio, chem, intro to writing), and the space in your schedule to do study abroad more easily. I can say my kid gave up on study abroad at Mudd even though some students are able to do it. It required shifting a lot of workload onto other semesters and that didn’t appeal to them given the workload they had already experienced.
I don’t know the housing situation at Purdue, but can say the residential living at Mudd contributes greatly to its vibe. There is no commute other than a 5 minute stroll to classes, friends live nearby in other dorms so meetups are easy to arrange, and since upperclassmen live in the same dorms you have built-in “advisors” (of course in addition to the actual formal advisors).
Congrats on the great options you have in front of you.
This can lessen term loads and alow for a quicker transition into a MS program too.
As for study abroad for engineers, I’m not a fan, with the exception of WPI. It’s hard to do technical courses in another language. We have a friend who went to Mines and had to repeat his study abroad courses. WPI is unique in that they insert students into active engineering projects around the world. I don’t know of another program that does this.
If your family saved and is willing to spend the money on Mudd, then thank your parents profusely. Some families can’t think of a better investment than in their children’s education.
If that’s your case, remove costs from the equation entirely.
Now, the question is: do you WANT HSA (HASS)? ITt will mean a lot of classes you wouldn’t have to take at Purdue and students who WANT that “renaissance man” experience. If you want that, there’s no better place for an engineer.
If you don’t want it, Purdue with honors will likely offer the experienxe you seek (research, some smaller classes, few gen eds).
There’s really no wrong choice, both are terrific.
If the costs make your parents uncomfortable, then feel reassured you won’t be lost in a crowd at Purdue and will learn with very motivated stem kids.
Thinking outside of the box a little…if the pros
for Purdue are strong but you want more of the renaissance student experience outside of Indiana/ STEM, yet a semester abroad would be hard to fit in with your sequence of requirements, what about a summer or two abroad, whether with Purdue or through another institution whose credits Purdue accepts, since your parents seem to be able to afford it. You could study renaissance art and Italian in Florence, literature in Dublin, history of the Māori in New Zealand, Human Rights in South Africa, Cloud Forest Ecology in Ecuador or any number of fascinating topics unrelated to engineering. You can easily find out now if Purdue would accept elective credits from an outside institution. I would hope that getting all those AP credits would give you a little bit of wiggle room in your graduation requirements to explore academically. Other summers you could perhaps do engineering internships in California or other parts of the US…so you wouldn’t necessarily be stuck in the cornfields continuously for four more years.
