<p>Suin says, “if you work hard with some friends you should be able to get through it. And then you do your major. Basically, you’re tortured for 4 years and have to be able to withstand the pain, but you’ll be with like-minded individuals who are passionate about math/science/engineering, which is nice.” (post #10)</p>
<p>Really? That doesn’t sound so good. “Tortured for 4 years?”</p>
<p>Many, many years ago, I went to a school where you were tortured for 4 years. I learned a lot, gained a lot of confidence in some areas, lost some confidence in other areas, and got a great job that I enjoy to this day, thanks (only in part) to the degree from that particular school. I work with people every day that got the same job coming from different, non-torturous schools. And there have certainly been ways that I’ve paid the price for giving up some of my youth while I worked my butt off for 4 years. There are ways that I’m still paying the price, in all honesty. (Granted, the school I went to had/has a worse reputation for “torture,” than Mudd.)</p>
<p>But here’s my point … is all that torture a good idea for kids? Are kids having a good time while there? Are they able to get out and see the world? Explore other areas of interest? Socialize, date, just generally have FUN? Or is it primarily torture, to a large, unbalanced degree, for 4 whole years? Or do people there just refer to it as “torture” when they really mean it’s harder and requires more work than most colleges, but it’s not really so bad?</p>
<p>When reading college guide books, the website, Mudd viewbooks, etc, Mudd sounds like such a great match for my son. It sounds perfect.</p>
<p>But whenever I come over to the CC Mudd threads and do a little reading, I hear about how hard everybody has to work, all the time, and I begin to think … “hmmm. Maybe not so much.” </p>
<p>My son does not want to attend a place that’s all work, work, work. He wants time to enjoy other healthy things. And I don’t want him at a place that’s all about work and perfection and striving 24-7. As I said, I’ve lived that life. In my opinion, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Hard work is GREAT. Working 24-7, for the most part, not so good!</p>
<p>I wish we had a crystal ball or could be flies on the wall so we could see for ourselves whether it’s as hard as it’s made out to be on these threads. We haven’t had a chance to visit yet, but I fear that even when we do, we won’t get a real sense for just how hard you all work. Torture? Or just hard work? I want to know!!! ;-)</p>
<p>Sometimes I think, “Well, he’s got perfect to near-perfect stats, with very little effort. He hasn’t struggled with any academics to date. Maybe he won’t struggle at Mudd and will be able to do both – get an excellent education there AND have plenty of fun.” There were, after all, a very, very small number of kids at my college, many years ago, who did not have to work as hard as the other 99% of us to keep afloat. But then I think, “Nah. Chances are, nearly everyone there has similar stats with similar backgrounds. If it’s torture for them, it’s going to be torture for him. And what are the chances that he would be the one kid who doesn’t have to work his butt off to survive?” All I ever hear is how darned hard it is.</p>
<p>Your thoughts? (I would particularly love to hear from any of you out there who find that you DON’T have to work that hard all the time!)</p>