Meet the Tour Guides: Cooper Nissenbaum

Meet Cooper! Cooper first heard about Harvey Mudd from his mother, who encouraged him to visit the HMC table at his high school’s college fair. On the east coast, Harvey Mudd did not have a big presence, but Cooper decided to go up to and chat with the HMC representative. After learning about the student to faculty connection and collaborative learning environment, Cooper took more interest in Harvey Mudd.

One of the things Cooper cites as most important in deciding to come to Mudd is the collaborative and helpful work environment throughout the school. Unlike many other colleges that he was looking at, most first-years become friends with the upperclassmen. This presented as a huge benefit both academically and socially for Cooper. “You might be stuck on a problem, and one of the people who can help you with it could be your neighbor, it’s honestly such a life-saver that upperclassmen and underclassmen live in the same dorms, and actually interact.”

After coming to HMC, Cooper was the most surprised by how eager the professors are to meet with students. He had heard that in college (not unlike his 3,500-student high school), the professors might not even have the opportunity to learn your name. At Harvey Mudd, this could not be further from the case. Professors regularly invite students to dinner, to meet their family, and even to off-campus activities. Cooper recounted a time that his freshman year chemistry class (which only had 9 students), all showed up to the professor’s house to try their “world-famous” cheesecake. And it was pretty delicious! 

As for advice for people applying to college, Cooper had this to say: “The overall college experience is generally similar no matter where you go. Most colleges have the same amenities, and social aspects, so try and find a place where you like the weather, the people, and the academics offered.” This is consistent, as Cooper said two of the major factors in why he came to Mudd were the weather and the robust Computer Science and Math major.

Cooper is working in the Office of Admission as a Tour Guide this semester!