Hey everyone, I just got accepted to Mudd! I’m super excited about this, but I’ve also heard that Mudd’s academics can be very, very rigorous. So I was wondering how much materials are we expected to know before coming to Mudd? Are we expected to have taken AP Chem or Bio (English is not my native language, so I’m kind of scared to do Chem and Bio with so. many. vocabulary)? Or would it be better if we came in with some programming skills? And, in retrospect, is there anything that you guys would have liked to study beforehand so as to prepare for Mudd? Thanks guys any feedback is much appreciated!!
Congratulations! If you have been accepted, Mudd believes you will be able to handle the work. I would say, enjoy your last summer with your family and friends before heading off to college. This is a precious time…bask in it! <:-P
I am the parent of a student who is currently a freshman at Mudd. He took AP Chemistry & AP Biology in high school, but no programming courses, as they weren’t offered at his school. He did not find the chemistry courses to be terribly difficult. They were a lot of work, but doable. He currently has Biology and is finding it more challenging than chemistry was, but also doable. His teacher for AP Biology wasn’t the best, so others may not be finding this to be the case. He had absolutely no programming experience prior to arriving at Mudd, and did very well in the introductory CS course. It has been one of his “easier” courses. He took Calculus (non-AP; college course) his junior year of high school, and Multivariable Calculus his senior year. He found the lengthy gap from when he took Calculus and started at Mudd to be detrimental as he was a bit “rusty”. He feels that brushing up on Calculus would have been the most helpful for him.
This information comes from materials that were sent out to the Class of 2018 in the summer, prior to the students arriving on campus for the start of the fall semester:
“While a few students may have advanced placement, over 90% of the class will take the “standard” common core courses. We know you are advanced and have already taken that into account in calibrating our exciting baseline offerings. The typical fall schedule includes 13 units of core:
Chemistry 23S (Structure, 1.5 units) and 23E (Energetics, 1.5 units)
Computer Science 5 (Intro to CS, 3 units)
Math 30 (Proof-Based Calculus, 1.5 units) and 35 (Probability & Statistics, 1.5 units)
Physics 23 (Special Relativity, 1.5 units)
Writ 1 (Introduction to Academic Writing, 1.5 units)
Chemistry or Physics Lab (1 unit)
1.5 unit courses are “half-courses” lasting approximately 7 weeks. Math half-courses are taken in sequence (30,35), while Chemistry half-courses are offered in both halves, with about half of you taking Structure in the first half of the semester, then Energetics and vice-versa. In a similar fashion, Special Rel is paired with Writ 1, with half of you taking Special Rel in the first half, then Writ 1 and vice-versa. The labs follow a similar pattern but on a semester timeline, with half of you taking physics lab in the fall and chemistry lab in the spring, and vice-versa.
Side-Car Courses: We offer several “side-car” courses that are 0.5 unit courses designed to bolster your chops and understanding of the core material. These courses typically meet once a week and have students working in groups, along with a professor or two, on central concepts from the associated course. In the fall we offer Chem 19E and 19S (paired with Chem 23E (Energetics) and S (Structure), respectively) and Math 15 (paired with Math 30 (Proof-Based Calculus)). In the spring we offer Physics 18. More information will be provided during Orientation, but for now I encourage you to consider adding one or more of these to your schedule if you feel at all rusty on your skills.
Electives: The maximum number of units allowed is 18—more than 18 is considered an “Overload”, which is not allowed in the first year. This means you also have room for one 3-unit elective (but not two) as well as a PE and/or music class (typically Music/Voice Lessons or Performance). Most first-year students take 14-17 units.
PE: All first-year students must take an approved first-year PE course during their first year (either fall or spring). The registrar will provide a list of approved PE courses before you register. Season long participation in an intercollegiate or club sports team approved by the CMS Athletic Department counts for the first-year PE requirement. Note: PE courses do not count towards overloads.
Advanced Placement
Students interested in placing out of any fall core courses may be required to take a placement exam during Orientation. Scheduling of such exams will be arranged when you are on campus. . .
CS: A CS placement survey was completed: http://.www.cs.hmc.edu/csplacement/
Math: All entering students are eligible to take Math 30G (proof-based Calculus). During orientation, all students will take a short mathematics diagnostic quiz. Based on the diagnostic quiz, some students will be offered the option of enrolling in Math 30B, which delves a little deeper into the theory.
Chemistry: The Department of Chemistry administers a short, on-line assessment of proficiency on prerequisite topics for Chemistry 23.
Physics: All students will take a short physics diagnostic quiz during Orientation. Based on that, some students may be invited to take a placement exam for the spring core class Physics 24 (Classical Mechanics), which has two versions 24 and 24A (advanced). Students interested in placing out of Physics 23 (Special Relativity) can contact the physics department chair to arrange a placement exam during Orientation.
Languages: If you intend to take a language course for your elective, and you have completed at least one semester of foreign language instruction (e.g., in high school), then you will be required to take a language placement exam during Orientation.”
My son did not attempt to earn advanced placement for any courses, and did not study or work to prepare in any way for the diagnostic exams that were administered during Orientation. He felt that the diagnostic exams in general were very tough, but they truly don’t “count” for anything for those students (more than 90%) that will be enrolling in the “standard” common core classes.
For first year students, all of the courses taken fall semester are graded ‘Pass/No Credit’. This is very helpful and allows for some time to adapt to the demands and rigorous nature of the academic load.
There are some math tutorials available here:
https://www.math.hmc.edu/calculus/tutorials/
The Mudd environment truly is collaborative and there are many resources such as the ‘Academic Excellence Program’ and the Writing Center that offer help. If you have been extended an offer of admission I don’t believe that any “special” preparations are needed.
Wow, thanks so much @ismile ! The tutorial site looks amazing! I’m brushing up on my calculus right now so thanks for confirming that I’m on the right track 
Out of curiousity, did your son take any side-car courses? How is it different from Academic Excellence Program?
Yes, my son took the Chemistry and Calculus side-car courses. If you register for these, attendance is required but there is no additional work associated with them - no extra homework, quizzes, etc. He reports that he personally didn’t get that much out of the Chemistry one but feels that most students did, and would recommend it unless you have a very strong background already. For Calculus he also didn’t feel it was all that helpful, and said that most students felt the same. He definitely discovered he had some weaknesses in Calculus but the side-car didn’t really help. Just one opinion though…Side car courses are taught by professors.
The Academic Excellence Program doesn’t have any commitment, so attendance is completely up to the student. No academic credit is earned by attending. Some students regularly attend, some only at times, and some never do. I don’t believe my son has ever gone, but he certainly participates in study groups and finds it very easy to find help in his dorm when needed. It’s nice to know that the Academic Excellence Program is there so students are guaranteed a place to be able to go and get help when needed. The Academic Excellence Program is run by “student facilitators who are outstanding upperclass majors recommended by their departments”.
So are side-car courses more like study-groups with professors or more like lectures complementary to the usual classes?
Again, thanks so much for all the information! :awesome:
I haven’t been able to speak with my son recently to confirm, but it is my belief that side-car courses are more like lectures complementary to the usual courses than study groups, but I’m not certain.