Harvey Mudd College

Have fun, then study hard.

Stay with something you are good at. Don't worry about getting a job, your major means less than demonstrating that you are a competent person in general.

Take classes that you enjoy. The extra work that these classes require will be more like relaxation without guilt than anything else. Also take classes off campus. The other colleges offer a wide range of really unique classes that every Mudder should take advantage of.

Help other people. Mudd is not that competitive. Students often find that they attain a deeper understanding of a subject by helping others.

Academic and social successes are not independent. It is hard to do well at Mudd (and the world in general) if you don't play well with others.

Realize that everyone at Mudd is smart. Just because you've never gotten average on a test before doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you're in the middle of the top few percent of the nation.

Get started on homework early. It's much easier to figure stuff out when you can leave it for a while, and come back to it later. It also gives you time to ask other people for help.

Never work in groups larger than four or five people. In large groups, people don't participate equally, and invariably, one person figures everything out while the rest of the people are just along for the ride.

If it is getting very late at night and you're stuck on a problem, obey the law of diminishing returns and give up for the night. One problem wrong is not a big loss.

Don't be afraid to ask questions of professors about homework, papers, and so forth. The professors are there to teach you, not to intimidate you.