<p>Right now I'm a junior in a non-competitive high school. I REALLY want to go to Harvey Mudd college... or at least a very good engineering school. I want to become either a computer engineer or a robotics engineer. However, my grades have not been perfect. All through elementary school, I was a straight A student because I was in "normal" classes. Now I'm in honors and ap classes, and I'm STRUGGLING with them. I have ADHD (Attention Defecit Hyperactivity Disorder) which makes it incredibly hard to focus, even with my medication! I also have depression, which varies in intensity, and am MAJORLY stressed out by a lot of things.
I know that engineering colleges want to see above average grades in the maths and sciences, especially the higher ones. This year I'm taking Physics, Honors Pre-Cal, AP US History, Drama (elective), Digital Video (elective) and Honors English 3. Because I have NEVER taken an AP class before, and history is not a strong subject for me, my grade is a C. By pulling it up from a D to a C, my physics grade slid to a high C (if I'm lucky a B-). I'm pretty sure my pre-cal grade should be a B. My English grade is probably a C and my digital video grade I have no clue about. The only A I have is in Drama because it's not really a hard class.
This is the first semester of my junior year. With those grades, are my chances looking okay for going to a college of my preferences? If they aren't, how can I make myself appeal to those colleges?</p>
<p>If you are struggling with high school, an engineering program at one of these top schools is going to be EXTREMELY difficult. I would worry more about that than actually getting into the college. A lot of state schools have great engineering programs that don't have as high admission selectivity. Maybe spend the next semester trying to get everything under control.</p>
<p>Let's not even talk about grades --- let's talk about where you would (or wouldn't be happy).</p>
<p>If you're really having trouble focusing in honors (and AP) classes, it does not mean that you are necessarily not capable of handling the workload of a place like HMC. Maybe you can use all of your energy to focus and grind for 4 years to get through Mudd. However, that does not sound like a good plan. I would go insane (if I had those circumstances)... and judging by your circumstances, I think it'd really drive you insane too. Mudd can be depressing for clinically non-depressed people. I can't imagine what it'd be like for someone who is already having problems focusing.</p>
<p>I say don't go for Mudd. I'm not saying this because I think you can't get wiggle your way through, but I think it'd be extremely painful for you and I just wouldn't recommend it.</p>
<p>I think you have a great attitude... keep that up. I think that is a great asset. You need to use this, along with your passion, to shine through your not-so-great grades. I think that'll be important in your applications.</p>
<p>Right now just worry about focusing on your school work. See how this year goes and then see how you'd fit into various colleges. I agree with the other poster that not all colleges are going to be a good fit. If you're already making yourself crazy trying to fit in with a particular college, you're probably going to make yourself miserable until you graduate (highschool or college).</p>
<p>Do a google search for Loren Pope's Colleges that Change Lives. Please consider one of these colleges which would definitely be a better fit for you and for lots of students....actually I would say it is the minority of students who would do well and enjoy attending Harvey Mudd!</p>
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actually I would say it is the minority of students who would do well and enjoy attending Harvey Mudd!
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<p>I hope I am not misunderstanding this, but almost every HMC student enjoys going here. Everyone I've met is extremely enthusiastic to be here and doesn't regret coming here. The community environment and lack of competition would be great to reduce stress and depression. However, in the OP case, I don't think it would be wise to come here because of the level of academics. Freshman year Mudd assumes that you've taken AP/IB classes and starts off where they left off. It would be extremely challenging for you if you can't ace high school math and science classes. It would cause you tons of stress and you'd most likely flunk out.</p>
<p>atomic, I believe the meaning was that a minority of college students would enjoy being at a place like Harvey Mudd; I'm sure the students there are in that minority.</p>
<p>atomicfusion, I think you misunderstood my post. What I meant was that a competitive school like HM is not for everyone just like MIT is not for everyone. I did not at all mean to slam HM. The OP has had some struggles and a school like is very competitive will probably, as the other posters pointed out, exacerbate some of those issues. The OP talks about whether he can get in, but many of the other posts are asking the OP to examine whether he would enjoy and thrive in that atmosphere if admitted.
So..what I meant was that a minority of the high school student population has the academic skill and interest and wherewithall to thrive at a very competitive college.</p>
<p>my dad flunked out of HM because he wasn't being treated for his ADD. i believe i would do okay. the only reason i'm not acing my ap classes is because i don't have the time, at college i would really have much more time. i'm perfectly capable of getting good grades in math and science, in fact i LOVE those subjects, but again, not enough time to devote to my studies.</p>
<p>what type of work load is there for an engineer at HM?</p>
<p>The workload is probably only exceeded by Caltech. Other than that, no college has a higher workload. I would rank Harvey Mudd 2nd or 3rd in the country (MIT has a pretty similar workload level) and princetonreview agrees with that. Definitely stay clear of Harvey Mudd if you aren't pretty sure you can handle the workload. </p>
<p>To be more specific I will tell you the typical freshman core schedule. First semester I (and most others) took: Calculus, Linear Algebra, Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, Chemistry, Chem Lab, Computer Science, CS Lab, and a humanities class (and also PE if that counts too). These are all required courses... yes it is required to take 5 classes, two labs, and a PE, which equal 18.5 credits your first semester...</p>
<p>"The workload is probably only exceeded by Caltech. Other than that, no college has a higher workload. "</p>
<p>Actually, that is debatable. I lived at Caltech this last summer and befriended numerous students. They were very surprised when they saw our curriculum (especially for engineers). The students were T.L., S.P., and R.B. - all of the Flemming Hovse.</p>