Family in Mudd Question on Common App

[Calciferous]

It’s too late to do anything about this now, but I was just curious.

On Mudd’s Common App, they ask whether any relatives have attended Mudd. One of my cousins currently attends Mudd so I put her down. However, I listed her degree as “no degree” because she has not graduated yet (they didn’t seem to have a current student option). Will they know that it’s because she has not graduated yet? Or will they assume she dropped out?

Also curious, why does Mudd ask this question? I could understand legacy for parents/grandparents, but why do they want to know about more distant relatives like cousins/uncles/aunts?

[intparent]

Lol… Mudd is small that the admissions people almost certainly know your cousin, and remember her app and admissions decision. I would not worry about this. I expect that in the case of Mudd, they find the info useful because you may be more likely to understand the Mudd culture and whether you are a good fit. But lots of colleges ask about more distant relations than just those that count as legacies.