<p>my (highly biased, harvey mudd) opinion of the difference is that at caltech, they’re more nerdy. this doesnt necessarily translate to smarter, but it can. but really the main difference, i think, is the attitude toward classes. caltech and mudd are very much the same in that they have small undergrad programs, they’re math/science/engineering oriented, and they operate under a strict honor code. at mudd, most people go to most of their classes. the techers ive talked to say they generally dont go to their classes and just learn the material on their own. i don’t know that many techers, so this may not be representative of the entire school, but i think it is. whether this is because the profs are sub par compared to mudd profs, or they have better text books, or they’re just smarter and are capable of teaching themselves most of the material, i dont know. but if you think you’d rather be taught by a prof than teach yourself, maybe mudd is better. then again, if you like the idea of sleeping in till 2 pm every day, maybe caltech is better. oh, and mudd has way better parties :)</p>