<p>"‘Caltech is more difficult than harvey mudd right?’
I don’t think this is clear. They’re probably both very hard. Honestly, it’s probably pointless to compare them. Ask a few of the Harvey Mudd students who frequent CC, like rocketDA or atomicfusion, and they’ll probably disagree that the former is tougher. "</p>
<p>Meh. I definitely believe that both are VERY tough. However, I think the ‘order of difficulty’ changes depending upon what kinds of things you wish to do at each institution.</p>
<p>For instance, engineering at Mudd is quite tough because you are required to become proficient in so many different areas in a relatively short period of time (after quite a substantial technical core). There are a lot of sleepless nights where you are in the lab…</p>
<p>I’m sure that Caltech is very difficult in its own regard.</p>
<p>Just flat-out asking which one is harder is like asking whether apples or oranges are better. Personally, think oranges are but that really depends on the circumstances… :)</p>
<p>Hardest at which to succeed or get good grades? I’m sure that grades are hard to get at Cal Tech, but success at Harvard is measured in equal parts formal curriculum and extracurricular. There’s a tremendous social press to not only be ultra-involved in EC life, but to achieve incredible things. Students there write, stage and perform Broadway-quality musicals in under a year, coordinate international youth symposia, begin soup kitchens and homeless shelters and tutor disadvantaged youth. I’ve seen things go on there that I can’t believe were generated by college students, much less college students operating with very limited professional advice or support, much less autonomous college students carrying a full load of Harvard classes.</p>
<p>I’ll say that the average amount of work required here at Caltech per class is probably about the same to what I had at Carnegie Mellon, maybe an hour or two more an assignment, but I’ve found I get a lot less out of the time I put in than I did back at CMU. There seems to be a lot less really understanding a problem and more banging your head against the desk until the letters happen to fall in a way that kinda looks like it might be right.</p>
<p>So, yeah, I think Caltech is harder than CMU was, but I think that’s more due to the philosophy at Caltech as to how classes should be taught than the actual material covered.</p>