Sure, there are the national surveys that place Harvey Mudd College in the top tier for its STEM-focused liberal arts education, return on investment, engineering program and more. But perhaps the strongest affirmation of an institution comes from its alumni.

For 60 years, Harvey Mudd College has committed to a specialized STEM education, one that demands a low faculty-to- student ratio, small classes, modern facilities, necessary student support services, exceptional faculty, research opportunities and modern equipment and instrumentation. No denying: Costs are high for Harvey Mudd’s distinctive, personalized, technology-intensive education, but data support that it’s worth the financial investment.

Our curriculum continues to prepare students to appreciate and use critical analysis, to innovate and learn new technologies and to solve problems others are just beginning to tackle. While the College has been recognized nationally for preparing students for high-paying jobs (median starting salary for HMC Class of 2015: $92,500), there’s more to the story. After six decades, we’re still true to our mission of preparing leaders to better understand the impact of their work on society. Alumni tell us they are well positioned for career trajectories that lead them to professional success, regardless of their chosen field. And many pursue lifelong learning, leading to interesting, well-rounded lives.

But don’t take our word for it. Here are comments from selected alumni who agreed to share their responses from the 2014 Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium Alumni Survey.

What do you especially value about your undergraduate experience?

“How intense it is and how challenged I was. The residential collaborative environment is something I really miss.”
– NATE BEAN ’14

“I greatly value the breadth of courses I took at Harvey Mudd College. While I am not an expert in any field, I feel confident that I have the tools to learn quickly and be effective in any position.”
– HECTOR CUEVAS ’09

“The close community is still the biggest draw to HMC for me. The way that people look out for each other and help each other is not seen anywhere else.”
– NATASHA PARIKH ’14

“It taught me how to juggle a lot of responsibilities without breaking down. Made me tougher and stronger.”
– FANGZHAO AN ’14

“It pushed me and challenged me in a way nothing had before, expanded my skills and abilities, and gave me a lot of confidence in my later endeavors.”
– COURTNEY MCQUEEN ’04

“Being able to interact and engage with individuals of a variety of backgrounds has drastically increased the number of opportunities I have had to meet many people and constantly learn from them. I chalk this ability up to the broad base Mudd gave me.”
– CHRISTIAN STEVENS ’14

“The focus on teaching students how to learn things. It has made it much easier for me to learn new concepts and solve new problems.”
– JOSHUA COBB ’09

“Working on problem sets in small groups with faculty members there to help. It turns out that this is often how you work through problems as a professional scientist, and it is very effective for learning.”
– CANDACE CHURCH JOGGERST ’04

“My time at Harvey Mudd made me much more attuned to interacting with people different from myself.”
– MARY CARPENTER ABE ’81

“The personalization of the school: how I had access to the complete faculty, administration and resources of the school. Also, the personal growth I experienced from being surrounded by other brilliant, passionate people—really, it was the perfect environment.”
– ROSS A. WATKINS ’83

“With a solid foundation in many subfields of science, I find myself often picking up a textbook and working through problems to learn a new skill or field of knowledge. After picking up enough fundamentals while at Harvey Mudd, I find this surprisingly easy to do.”
– BEN PRESKILL ’09

“The small size allowed for extensive interaction with faculty and other students. Faculty members were only expected to teach and encourage research in undergraduates, so it provided an excellent atmosphere.”
– NADIA ABUELEZAM ’09

“(HMC) taught me how to fail and recover from that, both emotionally and practically.”
– KATHY FRENCH ’97

“HMC was incredibly difficult at points, but the opportunities I’ve had and the skills I am left with were monumentally transforming.”
– HALLIE KUHN ’09

“The opportunity to compete as an NCAA athlete. That experience was wonderful in itself and taught me things (perseverance, self-motivation, etc.) that I never learned in a classroom.”
– KEVIN ANDREW ’04

“I was able to take Japanese at Pomona College and then study abroad in Japan for a semester. That was a very important experience for me in terms of personal growth.”
– OBOSA OBAZUAYE ’14

“The challenging level of the classes, the close-knit community (part of which came from living on campus), the fact that everyone there was very smart and dedicated to their studies.”
– COURTNEY KEELER ’14

“I particularly loved when teachers made learning fun! When they went out of their way to make an interactive learning environment.”
– JORDAN EBOREIME ’09

“Taking classes at the other Claremont Colleges exposed me to new attitudes of learning and ways of reading.”
– MORGAN LUCKEY ’14

“The non-competitive atmosphere.”
– ANONYMOUS ’04

“Honor code and the feeling of trust.”
– JOHN LARSON ’79

“The strong emphasis on solving problems using a broad intellectual toolkit. I also appreciate the institution’s cohesiveness and the faculty’s commitment to helping their students excel.”
– LAUREN WINKLER ’14

“The habits I acquired at Harvey Mudd haven’t just helped me to study new topics, but they have helped me to be able to ask the questions and find and research the topic that will answer them.”
– JESSICA NELSON ’04

“The focus on humanities. The breadth of the Common Core.”
– ANDREW CARMAN ’09

“HMC developed my academic independence, confidence as a researcher and attention to the impact of my work on the world.”
– AURORA PRIBRAM-JONES ’09

“The quality and willingness of professors to help students learn. The amazing community and support system available through peers.”
– ANTHONY CHUNG ’14

“Helped me develop strong writing skills and good professional skills in computer science—both of these were very helpful for employment! Helped me learn to socialize better by connecting me with like-minded peers, something I never had before college.”
– SERGEY TSALKOV ’09

“We were presented with an incredible breadth of scientific topics, which has allowed me to communicate with people from a variety of academic backgrounds. This has been incredibly useful to me in the development of my career.”
– TARA LYDIARD-MARTIN ’04

“My improved ability to learn by myself (i.e., from books, the Internet).”
– KATHERINE ANDERSON ’14