Do I have a good chance at Early Decision II?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvey Mudd College
1

<p>God, seems like this year's college admission is stiffer than ever -- few of my friends who'd applies EA/ED were accepted.</p>

<p>I've already had my interview with one of the Harvey Mudd alumni, and from all the impression that I got, Harvey Mudd seems the best place for me. You know, I like to have a lot of discussion in classroom, I'm one of the few people in my school who actually think there's some art in mathematics, and I love humanities, too. (I chose to do an independent history research for my senior project even though I could have gone with something easier)</p>

<h2>So let me know whether I would have a reasonably good chance at ED2.</h2>

<p>Senior, Class of 2011
Male
South Korean national w/ Permanent Residency</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA: 3.968 (my school does not weight)</p>

<p>AP/IB classes: IB English HL, IB History HL, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics B (self-study), Honors Biology, Honors Chemistry
I got a 5 on AP Physics</p>

<p>SAT I: CR 790 Math 800 Writing 670 -> 2260</p>

<p>SAT Subject: Math IIc 800 Physics 800</p>

<p>ECs
- Math Club: 4 years, vice president in senior year
- Regular columnist at Zeitgeist (semi-monthly student publication) : 2 years
(features opinionated articles on such topics as current issues, politics, religion, and culture. As a columnist, I write for every issue, focusing on economy and individual rights.)</p>

<ul>
<li>Math Tutoring: junior year, twice a week</li>
<li>Band: three years (from sophomore to senior year)</li>
<li>Jazz Ensemble 2: senior year</li>
<li>National Honor Society: 2 years</li>
<li>Volunteer at local non-profit hospital: 200+ hours</li>
</ul>

<p>Summer Activity
- 2009 Ross Mathematics Program at Ohio State University: an intensive eight-week residental math program</p>

<p>Honors/Awards
- AMC School Winner (9th, 10th, 11th grade)
- AIME Qualifier (I got a 4)</p>

<p>Additional Note: I came over from South Korea to U.S. 3 years ago. Because I had much difficulty in understanding (much less speaking) English, I had to take regular classes in 9th grade, so I couldn't fulfill the prerequisites for the full IB Diploma program.</p>

2

<p>I would think you are in the running, but the important questions are these:
Are you committed enough to HM to happily turn down the other schools on your list?
Can you manage to go financially or would it make more sense to have more offers?</p>

<p>I also see that you loved Swathmore (and, I think applied there ED 1?). HM and Swathmore are rather different sorts of schools - how is it that you are so fond of both?</p>

3

<p>^ It is true that I need significant amount of financial aid in order to attend (EFC is close to 0), but as far as I’ve heard, HM is pretty generous with their aid; at least they say they are “need blind.” And I can get out of the ED agreement if they don’t give me sufficient amount of aid so as to make attendance possible.</p>

<p>I do concede that Swarthmore and HM are very different sorts, as in curriculum as well as community. HM has a lot of emphasis on pragmatic disciplines and it offers unparalleled research opportunities for undergraduates. But they share some core qualities that I look for in undergraduate education: good humanities, small classes, accessible professors, and intellectual curiosity. So, despite the differences between the two schools, I know that I would be happy at either of them. (I’m not really picky, after all.)</p>

<p>ps. I did feel that a few people at Swarthmore were too far idealistic to my tastes (probably because of the emphasis on “social justice”). I’m a pragmatist rather than an idealist. But that was a minor concern to me.</p>

4

<p>Although Swarthmore and HM do share some core qualities - so do a large number of selective small liberal arts schools (and some big schools do as well). Of course, at this point, you haven’t much time to look into other ED2 schools.</p>

5

<p>^ To be honest, HM seems a better fit for me. Some of the Swatties were too far a leftist who reduced everything into class conflict. Although I have a definite interest in politics and such, I don’t want to get too deep into ideological dialogue so as to lose the sight of reality. Also, for a math person like me, HM would have a far more research opportunities available.</p>

<p>Then, you would ask, why did I apply ED to Swarthmore? Well, for several reasons:

  • I was super-duper excited when I visited there. (I mean, who wouldn’t?)
  • I wanted to be done with the admissions process quickly.
  • I also knew that my stats would place me in the middle of the Swarthmore applicant pool, and applying ED would significantly boost my chances.
  • Swarthmore was pretty decent in many grounds: financial aid, research opportunities, classroom experience.
  • I didn’t have opportunity to visit HM</p>

<p>Yes, I would be much better off now if I had applied ED to HM to begin with. The decision to apply early to Swat wasn’t the best one. So I’m actually a bit glad that Swat rejected me; it opened me up for a far better school.</p>

6

<p>you have a chance, but not a high one.</p>

<p>Here’s the breakdown.
Your SAT and GPAs are great. So that’s a solid foundation there.</p>

<p>But your classes are not really spectacular compared to others. No plus or minus there.</p>

<p>I’m sure almost every Mudd applicants were in a math club. And the other activities don’t strike me much either… Though, I think the volunteering hours are impressive, having read many stats by now, I feel like Mudd really cares more about math/science EC.</p>

<p>Summer Activity
I really like the math camp. Sadly, just one major activity outside school is not really enough.</p>

<p>AMC/AIME: This may be your biggest plus, and I think this is what will eventually determine your admission. Hopefully, they take this into account enough to let you in.</p>

7

<p>^ how much weight does Harvey Mudd give to essays? My “Why Mudd” essay turned out to be pretty interesting;</p>

8

<p>According to collegeboard, these are the most important parts of your application for Harvey Mudd:
* Character/Personal Qualities
* Application Essay
* Recommendations
* Rigor of secondary school record
* Talent/Ability
* Academic GPA</p>

9

<p>Here is the information from the Common Data Set for HMC: </p>

<p>Academic</p>

<p>Rigor of secondary school record - Very important
Class rank - Important
Academic GPA - Very important
Standardized test scores - Important
Application essay - Very important
Recommendation(s) - Very important</p>

<p>Nonacademic</p>

<p>Interview - Considered
Extracurricular activities - Important
Talent/ability - Very important
Character/personal qualities - Very important
First generation - Considered
Alumni/ae relation - Considered
Geographical residence - Considered
State residency - Considered
Religious affiliation/commitment - Not considered
Racial/ethnic status - Considered
Volunteer work - Considered
Work experience - Considered
Level of applicant’s interest - Considered</p>

10

<p>you are heavy on math and science and performed on the sat. Above average chance= average chance compared to other Harvey Mudd applicants :)</p>

11

<p>Some more math/science ECs would have been nice, but I think you have a pretty good chance.</p>