Orientation FAQs

Proposed dates (dates are subject to change):

New Incoming student move in will be Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023
NSO will take place from Aug. 24–27, 2023

A registration and welcome table will be set up at the Linde Activities Center. Please come to this location first. An Orientation Mentor will meet you there, take you to your residence hall and help you get set up. The registration table will be open from 8–11 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25.

The closest airport to the College is Ontario International Airport, located about 10 miles from campus. The cost of an airline ticket to fly to/from Ontario is generally comparable to the cost of an airline ticket to fly to/from Los Angeles International Airport, which is approximately 50 miles away.

Below you will find transportation companies and options for the airports nearest to campus which are Ontario International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport:

For early arrival questions please email the Residential Life Team at reslife@g.hmc.edu.

More information will be sent via email by July 31st.

There will be some time for you to take care of personal business during breaks in the Orientation schedule. You can also use this day to set up your bank account, buy books, and so forth, if you were not able to do so earlier.

Finals are the week of December 11–15, 2023. Your last final will, at the latest, be on Friday afternoon, December 15. The residence halls close for students at 8 a.m. on Saturday, December 16. Therefore, the latest we recommend you book your flight home would be Saturday, December 16, departing before 8 a.m.

We provide a designated storage area for parcels in the Platt Campus Center. Due to space and security limitations, we can only receive and hold packages that arrive at the College after August 1. Please work backwards from this date to calculate when you should send your package (based on distance and shipping method). We recommend that you use UPS, which has daily deliveries to Platt Campus Center. Starting with your name and mailbox number (if you have it), use the following address and format:

Wally the Wart #3.14
Harvey Mudd College
340 E. Foothill Boulevard
Claremont, CA 91711

Please make sure your packages arrive after August 1.

The Head Mentors are teaming together to publish some need-to-know information you will likely find useful. The “Lookbook,” a student publication, will also be helpful in understanding Harvey Mudd culture and the residential environment. In the meantime, you should check the Residence Hall Information for answers to many questions.

Once you have completed your Roommate Matching form, the matching team will make the placements. You will receive an assignment letter that tells you your residence hall and room number, as well as roommate name and email. You should receive this letter by July 31. At that time, we encourage you to contact your new roommate, get to know one another and start talking about possessions that can be shared or consolidated in your room (e.g. refrigerator).

All students at Mudd receive their mail at the following address:

Harvey Mudd College
340 E. Foothill Boulevard
Claremont, CA 91711

A full, proper name is a must, however—we’ll be stumped by a package addressed to “Snoogle’ums.” Each student will be assigned a mailbox number, which should be included in the address. For example, if you wanted to send Wally the Wart (mailbox number 3.14), the address would be:

Wally the Wart #3.14
Harvey Mudd College
340 E. Foothill Boulevard
Claremont, CA 91711

Yes. First-year students are not allowed to park cars at Harvey Mudd College due to limited parking. For further information please email Dean Chris Sundberg at chris_sundberg@hmc.edu or call 909.621.8757.

More Information Coming Soon.

Yes, based on CMS protocols. If your students early fall athletes, please make sure they contact their coaches to determine when their move-in dates are.

Most students who receive a need-based aid package will have the cost of two round trip tickets between their home and campus (one ticket to get to campus and one to return home for the winter break) included. The amount provided in your aid package is based on where you live and the distance from your home to the campus.

Feel free to email us at orientationadventures@g.hmc.edu.

Karen Romero Sandoval, Interim Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residential Life, 909.607.1479, ksandoval@hmc.edu.

Vanessa Vallejo, Program Coordinator for Residential Life and Orientation Programming, vvallejo@g.hmc.edu.

You may also email the residential life team at reslife@g.hmc.edu.

When do I need to arrive?

Where do I go when I get there?

I’m flying in: Which airport is closest to Harvey Mudd?

Do you have a shuttle service that can pick me up from the Ontario Airport?

Ontario Airport

LAX Airport

All Southern California Airports

I’ll be arriving in Claremont before Orientation. Can I move into my room early, or at least store my stuff there?

I’ll be arriving on time: How do I get my stuff from the car to the residence hall room?

Will I have time during Orientation to set up a bank account, buy my books or go shopping to get things I forgot?

I’m buying a round-trip ticket: When should I book a return flight?

Can I ship things to the College rather than fly or drive with them?

What should I bring? What size sheets do I need? Can I bring my pet iguana?

When will I know who my roommate is and which residence hall I’ll be living in?

What will my mailing address be?

Is it true freshmen or first-year students are not allowed to bring cars?

Can international students come early if they haven’t had two vaccinations?

Will fall athletes be able to move in earlier than the move in date?

Do we give travel reimbursements to get to Mudd in August?

I still have a question. Whom should I contact?

Residential Life (Housing) Questions