Hey guys. When I got accepted into Duke yesterday, I was happy but also confused because I didn’t know whose CS program was a better fit for me. What I know now is that HMC has a more career-focused and practical approach to CS and Duke’s CS (from Trinity school of arts and sciences) is not as rigorous and more theory-based. My goal after college is to get into the industry with solid CS and programming skills rather than pursue graduate study. Which of these two do you think is a better fit for my goals? Thank you for your answers in advance.
HMC hands down for CS, assuming you like other aspects of the school. Duke is improving but not quite at HMCs level. Having said that, you’ll do fine getting a CS job from either one.
Mudd.
I agree with others - Harvey Mudd.
Harvey Mudd has a strong reputation in CS but I don’t think that going to Duke would place you at a disadvantage at all. Both schools typically rank in the top 10-15 when it comes to salaries for CS majors.
All the big tech firms recruit heavily at Duke and the fact that it is a much larger school definitely helps when it comes to the alumni network. Take Apple for instance, a company that is dominated by Duke grads.
Additionally, the Duke college experience would be hard to replicate at a school like Harvey Mudd where most of your classmates will have similar niche interests.
We live 20 minutes from Duke. 2500 miles from Harvey Mudd. Duke created a research internship for my DS as a high school junior, and he wrote code and did animal lab research. Younger brother spent two summers living in Duke’s Few Dorm (amazing view of Duke Chapel) for the Duke Talent Identification Program studying engineering and programming robotics (one summer his teacher was a recent Duke grad in EE who was working part time jobs as he hadn’t been hired in profession yet). DS chose Mudd, despite having a college counselor who’d previously worked at Duke and friends who love the school.
Both schools are excellent and will open many doors. I can’t speak to the CS programs as DS is EE.
The real difference for me is the culture of the schools. If you want great sports teams that students campout for weeks to get tickets for, high name recognition, gorgeous old stone buildings, much more, then Duke is your choice.
Harvey Mudd is full of hard-working, collaborative, down-to-earth kids who rarely get flustered or seem to care much about status or name brand clothes. Most wear a t-shirt and shorts. Lots love adventure, travel, and a myriad of passions. Most have a longboard, skateboard, scooter (possibly electric), or freelines to get to class. My DS uses his freelines (like skates without the shoes) to cut his commute from 8 to 4 minutes. Lol.
There is an serious honor code which covers not only theft (which is why there is a pile of skateboards outside that typically are safe from theft) and class work (which is why they often have take-home tests…the profs just tell you how long you can spend on it and if notes, etc. are allowed) but also everyday life. One current senior was struggling when a friend passed away…she told me that her friends gave her two days to report to the Dean that she needed support or they would report for her. She did ask for help and found professors gave her incompletes or whatever extra time she needed as well as counseling to deal with the loss of a friend. I’ve never heard of that use of the honor code anywhere else.
Sports do exist at Mudd, and some kids are excellent at it. It’s not a D1 school so it’s just not the same part of culture. There are 5 Claremont schools that share a campus…you can go to any dining hall (food is very good at both Duke and Mudd) and they share the library and health services. You can also take classes at any of the 5Cs…Mudd, Claremont McKenna, Pomona, Pitzer, Scripps…so you get the benefit of a small STEM college (under 1,000) but the resources and options of a 6,000 person school (like Duke). Mudd, CMC and Scripps students play together for sports as do Pomona and Pitzer. When I see CMS teams in the airport, I can pick out the Mudd kids every time…they are always doing homework all the time. Mudd is also a LAC so you take lots of humanities in addition to STEM classes. Duke kids work extremely hard too. Mudd does not have fraternities, though they do have clubs and honor societies. Kids live on campus all four years, as they are there to be a support to underclassmen who might be struggling with a problem set or just need to collaborate on a project.
Mudd doesn’t have a graduate program, so all classes have teachers who love to teach…not profs who teach just because they are required to teach in addition to doing research. Mudd gives profs funds to take small groups from their classes out to dinner or invite them to their homes. They really get to know you. Students who do well in classes are hired as graders/tutors who are available to help you. No AP credit at Mudd. Like CalTech, they want you to take their version of classes. The first 3 semesters are core curriculum where everyone takes some central basics. First semester is all pass/fail so you have time to adjust. My DS tested into higher levels of CS, Physics, math, etc. so he was with kids who were at the same challenging pace, while novices at coding were not intimidated by kids who’d programmed for years.
50% of Mudd is female…including in CS and engineering. Lots of diversity in talents and identifiers. Great opportunities if you are into music or robo-sub or FIRST Robotics or cooking ramen or water polo or whatever. If they don’t have the club you want, start it.
SoCal rains about twice a semester. Many days in Claremont have highs in the 70s and 40s at night. My DS’s dorm room opens into a courtyard where everyone studies outside, pretty much year round. Freshmen are placed throughout all dorms, so upperclassmen are always around to help you. My DS reports only having had great teachers, and he’s very picky. His professors light up when I say I’m his mom…they know his name.
My DS EE had a great paying internship offer from a CS company sophomore year that included free housing in Northern California. He took a great paying engineering internship in Hawaii instead and got 2 amazing offers before Christmas junior year in his preferred field.
Mudd consistently ranks #1 in starting and mid career salaries of all colleges in the US. Lots of great internship opportunities and a terrific career services office.
I’d encourage joining the Mudd Admitted Families Facebook page. Lots of parents willing to answer questions and happy to let you talk to current students if you have specific questions. Parents are kind and caring (many are hosting kids who can’t return home during the Covid-19 crisis; the school provided storage pods for all the students before they left campus—they do that every year, but it was especially appreciated this year; local parents showed up with hand sanitizer, snacks, masks, extra storage bins., offers of housing or rides to the airport…whatever kids needed before flying home; it’s a beautiful community). They have raised independent, resourceful, resilient kids.
Both schools are fantastic, and it’s a great compliment to you that you were accepted at both. Whichever school feels more like home is where you will achieve the most.
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@CaryPlanner Thank you SO much for taking the time to write such comprehensive advice. After learning more about the Mudd community from the Class of 2024 Group as well as your detailed description, I feel like Mudd is where I’ll fit in and feel like home. Also, because I’m not super excited about basketball or sports and I prefer to have a more tight-knit small circle of friends, I believe my social life will be more fulfilling at Mudd. I’ve always wanted to live in CA and my elder bro lives in NorCal so that’s also a plus 
2myat9, it’s hard to beat the California lifestyle. You’ll find tons of people who are always ready to help you at Mudd. The people are what make Harvey Mudd a special place.