Chances, please

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvey Mudd College
1

<p>Hi everyone,
I'm an incoming senior, so I'd like to get some feedback regarding my chances. I'm contemplating ED for HMC, but still a little reluctant.</p>

<p>Prospective major: Joint Math and Computer Science</p>

<p>Cumulative Academic GPA: 3.86 UW/4.41 W</p>

<p>SAT I: 2160 (Retaking in October)
690CR
780M
690W (66MC/10Essay)</p>

<p>SAT II:
Math IIC: 800
Physics: 760 (Sigh)
US History: 680 (Ehh..)</p>

<p>Transcript:
9 Geometry A/A
9 Algebra 2 A/A
9 Chemistry A/A
9 Modern World History A/B
9 Freshman English 1 A (1st semester)<br>
9 Freshman English Honors A (2nd semester)
9 Introduction to Programming C++ (Honors) A (1st semester)
9 Video Production A (2nd semester)
Total freshman GPA: 3.92 UW</p>

<p>10 Math Analysis A/A (equivalent of pre-calculus)
10 AP Calculus AB B/A
10 AP Chemistry A/A
10 Development of Western Civilizations B (1st semester)
10 English Sophomore English Honors B/A
10 French 1 A/A
10 Computer Science Honors 2 (Java) A (2nd semester)
Total sophomore GPA: 3.75 UW</p>

<p>11 Calculus CD (Honors) A/A
11 AP Physics C A/A
11 AP United States History A/A
11 AP English Language A/B
11 French 2 A/A
11 AP Computer Science A A/A
Total junior GPA: 3.92 UW</p>

<p>Senior year, I am taking: AP Statistics, Biology, AP Environmental Science, Shakespeare, AP Art History, French 3, AP Comparative Gov't. I'm hoping this schedule shows my continued pursuit of high-leveled academics. </p>

<p>Essays: I am a decent writer, and I have a lot of content to use :)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
-3 academic teams (3 years for two, 1 year for the last. Captain of one team. We do fairly well, so we are highly recognized)
-Participating Siemens Westinghouse for this coming year
-Cofounder and president of Bridging the Gap (a program that allows high schoolers to interact with senior citizens and middle schoolers)
-Varied participation in several clubs (No officer position)
-Internship at a university sophomore year
-Volunteer/intern for an environmental facility that takes care of an estuary (2 years and counting)
-Tutoring (1.5-2 years...Kind of a fickle thing I did on and off)
-Religious study group for one year (COMPLETE failure, but my mom made me do it for a year. Don't ask...)
-Former world record holder for a hobby puzzle (Recognized and published in Europe. Recognized in US)
-Featured in a full-length documentary (currently in the process of getting funding for mass distribution. Sent to various film festivals ie. LA Film Festival)
-Pomona Wisconsin (1 year. HM, I think. I don't remember...Haha :()
-AMC 12 (3 years, but didn't qualify for AIME al;lasdhf augh, sickening)
Dilemma: The places I "volunteered" at did not keep track of my hours...Neither did I. So right now, I have no credible account for the number of hours I actually volunteered. If necessary, however, I know I can get confirmation that I've been volunteering at said placed from my directors. </p>

<p>I don't know what my extracurriculars are like...It seems like a lot of people have hours to show or a simple "volunteered at a library" that trumps my volunteer activities because they can get NHS. I think my transcript reflects my deep interest in math and science courses; I am the only student in my class who took Calc AB as a sophomore and finished 2nd year Calculus by junior year. I have that one B in Calc AB...I don't know how that happened, but yeah.</p>

<p>So...do I have a shot if I apply early? What about if I apply during regular decision? Your responses are greatly appreciated. Thank you.</p>

2

<p>if your SAT scores go over say...2270 you might as well apply to mit or caltech. and im not sure than merely "participating" in the siemens westinghouse competition is something terribly prestiguous. but if you do win someone, and i hope you do, then your stats arent too shabby</p>

3

<p>I have never been an admission officer and my knowledge is based solely on going with one son through the admissions process and a lot of reading in the area, so take this for whatever you think it is worth. (Bottom line is that you should apply if you are interested in attending Mudd.)</p>

<p>Don't fret over the volunteer hours. My kids didn't keep an hours spreadsheet beginning freshman year either. You can estimate and explain what's going on. Maybe can even make it a positive in that you did it more for the experience than for tallying admissions points.</p>

<p>The rest of your stuff looks decent. The hobby record is intriguing and different, and Bridging the Gap will help. Both make you stand out.</p>

<p>Do you have any feasible way of taking Multivariable and Differential Equations in this next year in addition to (or in place of) Stats? Maybe online or local college? My incoming mudder thought Stats was one of his easiest classes in high school (and it had no competition for the easiest Math/science course). That next level of math would present well for you, especially since you would be doing it either on your own or as a truly exceptional extension of your school's program.</p>

<p>Make sure to highlight the fact that you were the only one to finish Calc Junior year.</p>

<p>What is your demographic? If a guy with white, east asian, or indian label, you would probably like to shoot for 2300 SAT to give yourself a little bit of assurance (although that wouldn't be a sure thing either). At the bottom of this post, I've attached a summary of SAT scores for this year's entering class, which AtomicFusion posted on May 5.</p>

<p>As for the other poster's suggestion that if you get 2270, you "might as well apply to MIT or Caltech," I would think that most Mudd applicants apply to at least one, if not both, of the other schools. (You can apply early at the other two and regular decision at HMC, or ED at HMC and regular to the other two if you don't get in at Mudd.) Given the admissions process at each of them, applying to all three is a good idea--unless you rule one out on an initial visit or on basis of geography, or get accepted ED at Mudd. Then, if you are accepted at more than one, you can use post-acceptance visits to make your final decision, which likely will not be easy.</p>

<p>Note though, as with Mudd, 2270 SAT is by no means a guarantee at Caltech or MIT. It merely puts you in the middle of the accepted student's pack--and many with higher scores don't get in. Looking in from the outside, it is tough to figure out how acceptances are decided; so much turns on the admissions committee's perception of "fit." </p>

<p>Incoming freshman SAT Stats and Rank from AtomicFusion's earlier post</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=340825%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=340825&lt;/a> :</p>

<p>Middle 50% range and medians:
Critical Reading: range 690-760, median 720
Writing: Range 690-770, median 730
Math: range: 740- 800, median 770
Math2 subject test: range: 750-800, median 780.</p>

<p>Rank
21% attend schools that do not report rank
of the remaining students,93% are in the top 10% of their high school class.
23% of our enrolling class are Valedictorians or Salutatorians</p>

4

<p>iX3demonsthenes, I think a 2270 might be possible. I will definitely try to score higher though. Stevedad, thank you for your extensive response. I sincerely appreciate your time. </p>

<p>Yes, I do fit under your listed category (male Indian), so I will try to aim a bit higher for my SAT. I've spent the past 5 years around Caltech, and I have several friends who attend (a few graduated last year, a couple this year)...I'm quite fond of the school (to say the least), but I feel my chances are too low at Caltech. Harvey Mudd is by no means significantly better, but I am hoping I stand out a bit more. With that being said, Harvey Mudd is not an "alternative" I'm looking at; I have a strong desire to pursue a joint math and computer science major that is unique to Mudd. </p>

<p>Also, thanks for the suggestion regarding multivariable calculus. My school's Calculus D course is an introductory-level multivar course, and I contemplated pursing higher math...I decided I'd just stick to statistics, but I will re-evaluate my options. More incentive to get a license, haha.</p>

5

<p>If you feel like you would like to go to Mudd more than anywhere else, I say go for it. I applied ED this year and was accepted. In retrospect, I am very glad. </p>

<p>When I submitted the application for Mudd, I was planning to apply to MIT, Olin and Cornell as well (fortunately, I didn't have to apply to any of them). These may be regarded by some people as better schools, but if you have your priorities in the right place, it shouldn't matter. If you haven't visited HMC, I highly recommend you do. I was on the fence about applying ED until visiting. By the time I left I was grinning ear to ear and already eying the application. If you did visit and you still can't decide, consider this:</p>

<p>-do you think HMC is the best school for you?
-do you think that your decision was based on any priorities that you have right now that are likely to change?</p>

<p>The fact of the matter is that Early Decision isn't all that early. Unless you visit more schools or something like that, chances are your first choice won't change. The advice that I got in your situation was, "If you research Mudd, your visit Mudd, and you still love Mudd, you probably will fit in there." If you research other schools and still don't like them as much, there's no reason not to apply early.</p>

<p>As for your numbers and stuff...</p>

<p>It can't hurt to retake the SAT. The first time I took the SAT, I came out with a similar score to yours (lower on the Math and higher on the other two though). I knew that the score was low compared to the practice scores I had, so I retook without studying at all and boosted my score about 100 points to 2270.</p>

<p>Your other stuff looks impressive enough. It should make up for your SATs somewhat. I have a hunch that Mudd wants you to not only seem impressive on paper, but also interesting. You look like you have achieved that.</p>

<p>Early decision should give you a boost as well, if you decide to do it. Mudd's ED acceptance rate is almost twice as high than RD.</p>

6

<p>jw, why are you putting AMC12 3 years as your EC? everyone can take it, you don't have to qualify for it.
750 people in my school takes the AMC and 60 gets to AIME</p>

<p>if you want to go then APPLY!!! if you are like so-so then prehaps try other EA schools?</p>

7

<p>Stating that he took the AMC12 is similar to saying that he participated in a quiz bowl. True it might be easy be a part of, but it shows academic drive and passion. I participated in several math competitions at my high school and put down the ones that I did not win (which happened to not have places ^.^). It is simply a nice addition to the other things he will have participated in, such as S-W. </p>

<p>As for the OPs chances, I would say he has a pretty decent shot. His SAT are a bit below the median (only by 40 pts) but his GPA and extras show strong academic drive, which I think is a much more important attribute at Mudd. And chances would be that much better if he applied ED.</p>

<p>However, if you are considering applying ED remember that Mudd is expensive at 48k per year, so if that is an issue it might be worth holding back and applying elsewhere for EA or SCEA. I will say though, that after applying to more than 1 private school for transfer, Mudd gave me considerably good finaid, more than triple University of Chicago and six times the amount of Cornell.</p>

8

<p>Thank you everyone for your responses. As various college applications (including Common App) are being released, your feedback is increasingly helpful.</p>

<p>I did visit HMC since I live pretty close to Claremont. I found the campus beautiful and the libraries are awesome. Students were all generally friendly...The atmosphere was great. And I heard comments about a Rubik's Cube club. The Cube has been a huge part of my life for quite a few years, so that aroused my interest greatly :)</p>

<p>Rainynightstarz, your high school sounds an awful lot like Lynbrook/Troy/North Hollywood from California..haha. Yeah, I understand AMC 12 is open to everyone. By listing it, I intended exactly what Seiken said: to demonstrate academic drive. I am also considering other schools for EA, but I would really like to apply to HMC ED instead. </p>

<p>A couple minutes after I post this, I need to have "the talk" with my parents regarding financial aid. I know I need it. There is no way I can afford $48k per year...Heck, I'm sure I can't afford $38k per year. That is definitely an issue for me...I am, however, willing to spend countless hours applying to scholarships. Perhaps I can piece together scholarships? If at all possible, could rising Mudders or current students please explain how generous HMC's financial aid program is?</p>

9

<p>"If at all possible, could rising Mudders or current students please explain how generous HMC's financial aid program is?"</p>

<p>My son found that the financial Aid at Mudd was competitive with MIT, Rose-Hulman, Vanderbilt, and Washington University STL. Because of our expectation of rising income, the Mudd Merit Scholarship and HMC National Merit were very attractive because of keeping them in the future. (MIT's scholarships are all need based and therefore subject to phaseout.) </p>

<p>Someone (Seiken?) mentioned Cornell's "financial Aid." We had the same experience there--the only school that offered son no financial aid at all.</p>

<p>If you are looking at ED, you should run through the various online FAFSA calculators, and consider the impact of CSS differences. Probably a good idea to talk to Mudd Financial aid with your anticipated numbers. </p>

<p>Be aware that the conventional wisdom for ED anywhere is that you shouldn't do it if you need aid. Whether that is true or not for Mudd, I don't know. (I think someone posted on that very topic earlier this year though--and dimly recall that s/he was an ED who was happy with the package.)</p>

<p>I would think that Mudd will be fair within the confines of the financial aid system--which won't necessarily be fun for you and your parents, but should be doable in the absence of special circumstances.</p>

<p>dad of incoming frosh.</p>

10

<p>Stevedad, it is very apparent that both you and your son are quite happy with HMC already. I hope my parents can be equally satisfied by this time next year :) Thank you for the info. I ran through EFCs, but only estimates...Even so, Pell grant is very slightly out of reach (ouchhh). Did anybody else have good experience with HMC financial aid? I think I'll reconsider ED depending on how financial aid works out. Perhaps I should call the college on July 5th. Would they be able to give me information?</p>

11

<p>lol my school IS Lynbrook (we got first in California and Second in tne country for AMC =D).. where do you go, how do you know about Lynbrook? I say, if you are putting down AMC 12 , include your scores too!
I am thinking about applying to HMC for RD but gonna try for but EA for MIT Caltech ... they are like impossible to get into.. but worth a try</p>

12

<p>Haha, rainynightstarz. Nothing screams "Lynbrook!" louder than "750 people in my school take the AMC." I'm from Southern California; I have a good friend who attends Lynbrook...and a lot of her friends are AIME qualifiers. :)</p>

<p>I think I will include my scores, but they are most definitely sub-par. And knowing I will be competing against people like you is an intimidating prospect -- ouch :( Are you the same person who got 2360 (I think?) as a sophomore? I apologize if I'm wrong...</p>

13

<p>no my SAT right now is 2090 (i had a bad week before the test and did no practice so i got out of touch with SAT =( good thing my SATS 2s are all good) !! lol so no worries, but i am retaking in Oct too (hoping for a 2300+, last practice test was approximately 2250 but it was one of those easier tests)</p>

<p>I might know your friend!!! the only reason people take them is for the extra credit in math classes. one retired teacher used to give one point for every point people got above the national average ( which is like 70s) so all the math club people got like 50+ extra credit points.</p>

<p>For whole chance thing, I think you have a very good chance though, however I am not too sure exactly how hard it is to get in there. It can always be random. This year we only got like 3-4 people in they are the same ones that got into Caltech except this one programming girl though. But you have ECs and vigorous courses</p>

<p>what's funny is that everyone that got into MIT from my school (that's like...2 people...but anyways) this year had less than 2250 ... the moral of the story is.... WRITE GOOD ESSAYS and apply early if you want to!</p>