<p>Since I don't have any major extra cirriculars towards science, how much of an impact will that make?</p>
<p>Objective:
• SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (800 M, 730 CR, 800 W)
• ACT (breakdown): N/A
• SAT II : 800 Math II, Chem 770, Physics 790
• GPA: 4.00 unweighted so far
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 (school ranks on unweighted GPA, there are a lot of kids with 4.0)
• AP (place score in parentheses): World History (4), Lit (3), Calc AB (5), Comp Sci (5), Physics C Mechanics (self study this year) (5)
• IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Lang, AP Macroecon, AP Gov, AP Calc BC, Multimedia
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none :(
Subjective:</p>
<p>• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Baseball (2 Yrs JV, 1 yr Varsity) with Most Valuable Sophomore Award, Key Club Member for 3 years (over 100 hours), Little League Baseball Coach(over 50 hours), Science Olympiad (1 Year), Volunteer at local science museum (over 70 hours)
• Job/Work Experience: none
• Volunteer/Community Service: see ECs
• Summer Activities: Went to Boston RISE this summer to research in field of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Essays: I hope to make these good lol
• Teacher Recommendations: IDK yet</p>
<p>Other</p>
<p>• State (if domestic applicant): CA
• Country (if international applicant): N/A
• School Type: Public
• Ethnicity: Asian
• Gender: M
• Income Bracket: 100,000
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nope</p>
<p>You seem to have the basic academic chops, but competition is tough for males from California, I think. A lot will depend on your essays, I expect. Lots of students don’t have participation in the major science awards and don’t get in. You have some science-related activities – museum volunteer, Science Olympiad (will you have 2 years with senior year), and RISE – be sure you highlight those.</p>
<p>Be sure you understand Mudd well and can reflect why it is a good fit for you in your essays.</p>
<p>Hmmm. The problem is that your record is a clone of everyone else who’s applying to a top school. Contrary to what many think, top schools like FEWER activities but more DEPTH. They want someone who sticks out as INTERESTING. It would have been better if you had volunteer or work experience in an area that you’re interested, instead of all the other fluff. That could have led to more and more responsibilities that would have made you stand out.</p>
<p>Many times, I’ve seen someone with your record get turned down; but someone working in a relevant field get in…
All that extracurricular stuff is just fluff.</p>
<p>I would say you don’t know much about Mudd… they are not exactly like other schools. A ‘shiny’ EC isn’t what they want. I think their top criteria are (1) students who can do the work (not everyone can, so high test scores are very helpful in admissions), (2) students with a genuine interest in STEM topics, (3) students in interest in something other than STEM (read the Mudd Mission statement), (4) students who understand the Mudd culture and want to work as hard as they will need to at Mudd.</p>
<p>I do know about what it takes to get into top schools. And my point is that students would be better off doing fewer things but (have more depth). Yes STEM interest is important. Then focus on putting 100% into “that”. All the extracurricular stuff is fluff. The reality is that the TIME spent on extra fluff would be better spent volunteering in a lab. Or working in a lab. Or volunteering at a software firm. Or working at a software firm. Or volunteering at an engineering firm. Or working at an engineering firm. </p>
<p>Believe me, an applicant like “that” will get noticed. I have many relatives (including myself) who’ve gotten into schools like MIT, Berkeley, West Point, USC (electrical engineering) by being more focused. My brother got into Berkeley (not because of grades) but because his first job as a teen was working in a lab as an assistant. While other kids worried about fluff, he stood out. I got into West Point years ago because I taught myself programming and volunteered my services to a bioinformatics professor at a major university. I created software that scientists used…all on my own.</p>
<p>That is was makes an applicant interesting. That is what gets an applicant get into ANY school. (The SATs and GPAs just have to be decent, when one is “interesting”)</p>
<p>So yes, I know what I’m talking about. I walk the walk and talk the talk. I’ve done it MYSELF.</p>
<p>In addition, I counsel youths/parents on what they need to do to get their elementary kids prepared for entering the STEM fields. And what it takes to get into selective colleges. A couple of kids did get into Harvey Mudd, as well as other top schools.</p>
<p>My kid got into Mudd, and while she had some science ECs, she had a lot of other non-science ECs as well. You haven’t gotten into Mudd, nor do you have a kid who has, I suspect.</p>
<p>Mudd’s mission statement is:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>They are not MIT – they genuinely are seeking students with an interest in STEM and other areas. A straight STEM all the way kid, no matter how much depth in their ECs, isn’t really their ideal candidate.</p>
<p>I did research for a summer but honestly spent most of my EC doing random stuff, art and debate and was fine. Your stats are fine for Mudd, just show them that you fit the mudder spirit and promise not to burn any trees down. </p>