<p>Now, CO_mom, I still think that there is no substitute for a Mudd undergrad engineering education… but CU is one place that comes pretty close.</p>
<p>I think if your son/daughter is willing to make the up-front investment of getting a very strong foundation in all that is science/engineering, Mudd is the way to go. The gratification (for aerospace) isn’t as direct as CU, per se, but our abilities are quickly realized by grad schools in aerospace companies.</p>
<p>Let’s put it this way: I graduated in the middle of my class from Mudd. I was probably the most passionate/directed space science (propulsion) person at the school. I got picked up by a small private aerospace research and development company that cannot be named here. It is a very well funded, ambitious program that makes an effort not to appear on the radar of the press and internet. Everything we do is humanity-driven and non-military.</p>
<p>Of the 6-7 young people hired this last year, I was the only one with only a bachelors in engineering straight out of college…“General Engineering” in fact. Three others had a masters from Purdue in aerospace, one PhD from Michigan, one masters from CU (i think), one masters from Caltech. The other guy who got hired with only a bachelors had a year of experience at GE aircraft engine. The point is that I’m going through the same program as them and am treated the same as them. We’re effectively on a level playing field.</p>
<p>So how can this be? Because Mudd is a special place that (sometimes painfully) transforms your brain. It reorganizes the neural connections to approach problems from special trajectories that are guided by a solid foundation in math/physics/chemistry/etc. </p>
<p>Is the $200k worth it?
If you are like me and your most valuable personal asset is your brain then perhaps it is worth it. The integral rule of investment says that putting work in early will pay off much more than the same work later on. A Mudd education is a jump-start on a path that puts you in a 5-sigma advantage with respect to society. Continuing to make smart choices after puts you in position to do whatever you want, really.
For me, it was worth it!</p>
<p>So again, CU is an absolutely great school. It is more directed to space-sciences than Mudd but I feel that Mudd may have a better long-term mental investment. We’re really splitting hairs here, though.</p>