Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would take any of the 5C before Columbia. Quality of life to undergrads is important. Go to Columbia for grad school.

Yeah, 18-22 yos would find it terrible to live in NYC. Just awful. There's nothing to do, no culture at all, completely isolating - what a miserable way to spend 4 years.

It was the worst four years of my life. Nothing to do but sit in my overpriced apartment with only the occasional campus event to break up the monotony.... have some imagination, folks!

NYC is not for every undergrad, but for those who like it, the place can be magic.

There is a ton of stuff to do in NYC. Why on earth would someone ever get bored? There is something new happening in the city every single day. So many sights to see, lots to do.

You don't have to go to over 21 clubs and parties to have a blast.

My brother had a similar option (in the 90s) but no full ride to either. He picked the more big name university but it ended up being a good thing b/c he transferred out of the college of engineering after freshman year of college and now is successful in life in a non-engineering, non-science field. That said, he thinks he would have been fine sticking w/ engineering and staying at HM if that ended up being where he went. 19 year olds are fickle creatures... Full ride to HM undergrad is a huge factor. I would strongly favor that option...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would take any of the 5C before Columbia. Quality of life to undergrads is important. Go to Columbia for grad school.

Yeah, 18-22 yos would find it terrible to live in NYC. Just awful. There's nothing to do, no culture at all, completely isolating - what a miserable way to spend 4 years.

Yeah, everything your kids touch in NY will be like touching gold, $4 coke...

It was $5.50 for a bottle of soda when we were there last time.

Who in their right mind would give up a full merit to go to HM? I wouldn’t even pick Harvard over it.

OP, Columbia undergrad is completely overrated. Why not do HM undergrad and Columbia grad? Live on both coasts and save a ton of money.

Anonymous wrote:Does Columbia guarantee housing all 4 years? I've lived in NYC - this is something that has stopped my DC from applying from certain colleges in urban areas.

Some housing markets are just too crazy and stressful for undergrads to be managing.

Some schools guarantee for a year or two, and then it's lottery. So imagine if you miss the lottery. It's high rent or l-o-n-g commute to the campus - or both. Don't forget to add $4 coke. Mudd looks better and better.

Anonymous wrote:Does Columbia guarantee housing all 4 years? I've lived in NYC - this is something that has stopped my DC from applying from certain colleges in urban areas.

Some housing markets are just too crazy and stressful for undergrads to be managing.

Yes, Columbia undergrads are guaranteed 4 years of university housing.
http://housing.columbia.edu/incoming-students/first-year-students

Does Columbia guarantee housing all 4 years? I've lived in NYC - this is something that has stopped my DC from applying from certain colleges in urban areas.

Some housing markets are just too crazy and stressful for undergrads to be managing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would take any of the 5C before Columbia. Quality of life to undergrads is important. Go to Columbia for grad school.

Yeah, 18-22 yos would find it terrible to live in NYC. Just awful. There's nothing to do, no culture at all, completely isolating - what a miserable way to spend 4 years.

The problem is that Manhattan housing is even more expensive than it used to be, and the retail crash is emptying the storefronts out.

There are pockets of non-trust-fund college-kid life in Brooklyn and Queens, and some Google tech life around the High Line, but, in general, New York is probably peaking and heading to a severe a crash. This might be a good time to get in a position to buy an apartment when the market crashes, but it's not a great time to go there to have a fun time at 18.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would take any of the 5C before Columbia. Quality of life to undergrads is important. Go to Columbia for grad school.

Yeah, 18-22 yos would find it terrible to live in NYC. Just awful. There's nothing to do, no culture at all, completely isolating - what a miserable way to spend 4 years.

Yeah, everything your kids touch in NY will be like touching gold, $4 coke...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would take any of the 5C before Columbia. Quality of life to undergrads is important. Go to Columbia for grad school.

Yeah, 18-22 yos would find it terrible to live in NYC. Just awful. There's nothing to do, no culture at all, completely isolating - what a miserable way to spend 4 years.

It was the worst four years of my life. Nothing to do but sit in my overpriced apartment with only the occasional campus event to break up the monotony.... have some imagination, folks!

NYC is not for every undergrad, but for those who like it, the place can be magic.

Anonymous wrote:I would take any of the 5C before Columbia. Quality of life to undergrads is important. Go to Columbia for grad school.

Yeah, 18-22 yos would find it terrible to live in NYC. Just awful. There's nothing to do, no culture at all, completely isolating - what a miserable way to spend 4 years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Academics in STEM will know Harvey Mudd well. It sounds like some PPs are reigniting the debate DCUM so often seems to fall into re. name recognition among lay people and other factors pretty distant from the academic environment.

That said, I agree there are pros and cons to both. You've made a good list, OP. What is your DC thinking?

We can finance Columbia. Daughter definitely prefers the vibe at Mudd, but is afraid about what could happen if she decides she doesn't want to do STEM. All her friends/family are puzzling over Mudd as well, so while she knows Mudd has good tech outcomes, what happens if she didn't want to do that?

Mudd seems like a riskier option, basically.

Well that's easy - Pomona, Scripps, Pitzer, Claremont. Take classes or enroll there. One of my friend's DDs who could not get into Clarement enrolled at Scripps at takes classes on the other campuses.

You can cross register within the 5c. But OP's concern is what happens if the student doesn't want a STEM major? You still need a major at Harvey?

why you guys can't google is beyond me. YES - big political science, etc, opportunities and major at Mudd AND at the other colleges. Or she can just apply to one of the others for a transfer to that college if she chooses. https://www.hmc.edu/hsa/

Because it's not my kid, and I don't care enough to do more than fire off a quick question on DCUM.

Because it's OP's child, s/he needs to verify info through Mudd. I wouldn't make college decision by just by googling. Googled info should be verified through the college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Academics in STEM will know Harvey Mudd well. It sounds like some PPs are reigniting the debate DCUM so often seems to fall into re. name recognition among lay people and other factors pretty distant from the academic environment.

That said, I agree there are pros and cons to both. You've made a good list, OP. What is your DC thinking?

We can finance Columbia. Daughter definitely prefers the vibe at Mudd, but is afraid about what could happen if she decides she doesn't want to do STEM. All her friends/family are puzzling over Mudd as well, so while she knows Mudd has good tech outcomes, what happens if she didn't want to do that?

Mudd seems like a riskier option, basically.

Well that's easy - Pomona, Scripps, Pitzer, Claremont. Take classes or enroll there. One of my friend's DDs who could not get into Clarement enrolled at Scripps at takes classes on the other campuses.

You can cross register within the 5c. But OP's concern is what happens if the student doesn't want a STEM major? You still need a major at Harvey?

why you guys can't google is beyond me. YES - big political science, etc, opportunities and major at Mudd AND at the other colleges. Or she can just apply to one of the others for a transfer to that college if she chooses. https://www.hmc.edu/hsa/

Because it's not my kid, and I don't care enough to do more than fire off a quick question on DCUM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would take any of the 5C before Columbia. Quality of life to undergrads is important. Go to Columbia for grad school.

And the quality of life really sucks in dreary old Manhattan?

seriously
the clueless suburban crowd takes the cake
only on DCUM is this even a question.... there is a reason HM is offering a scholarship whereas columbia does not - if there were no cost differential no sane person would choose mudd.

I bet the poster is 1% HHI. S/he is also clueless about Mudd.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would take any of the 5C before Columbia. Quality of life to undergrads is important. Go to Columbia for grad school.

And the quality of life really sucks in dreary old Manhattan?

seriously
the clueless suburban crowd takes the cake
only on DCUM is this even a question.... there is a reason HM is offering a scholarship whereas columbia does not - if there were no cost differential no sane person would choose mudd.