We just did our second tour of Mudd last week now that the academic buildings are open and students on campus. Our tour guide commented that Mudd’s administration and some professors are very, very unaccommodating for students with health issues. They said that unlike other 5C’s, where professors and deans are proactive and supportive, at HMC the support is really only available from the shared 5C health resources and that some professors won’t allow for accommodations (eg. reschedule an exam, move deadline for a problem set without a grade penalty.)
I have learned to manage migraine well, but will need to miss class/exams occasionally. It is also possible that I could have to miss up to a week of classes if a migraine really sets in.
I’d love to hear from either students or parents who have had to manage health issues at Mudd. I love everything about the school, but this is a big red flag. Thanks!
It can be really hard to ascertain how medical issues are handled. The Americans with Disabilities Act applies, but accommodations cannot pose an undue financial or administrative burden or substantially change the academic program.
One of my kids had bad migraines (frequent ER) at a highly selective school. The hard thing with migraines is that it is your brain (not just a headache as many believe) and recovery depends on resting your brain. Hence you get more behind, then have more work, which can trigger more migraines in a vicious cycle. Also, acute drugs like dilaudid can affect academic functioning.
In my kid’s college, the Office of Disabilities (now Accessible Education) Office wasn’t that helpful and students had to talk to professors themselves. However the dean often told the professors to accommodate, with documentation from a doctor, including the health center.
If you have a treatment plan that is working, then there should be accommodations adequate to serve your needs. It is a legal right. If it gets to be too much, take a medical leave (my kid took two). What did the trick for my kid to finally thrive was finding the right meds, and a reduced course load, for which they submitted a petition.
I don’t know who you could talk to at Mudd. We found it more productive to talk to folks at schools after acceptance.
ps cannot edit for some reason: forgot to mention kid finished in 5 1/2 years and the college provided financial aid for the entire time based on the “disability” accommodations
I realize that this was posted almost a month ago, but I’m wondering if the OP asked the college about this rather than relying on the tour guide. This seems an odd thing for a tour guide to say, frankly. I’d call Harvey Mudd and talk to the office of disabilities, as well as the health center. I wouldn’t rely on a student for this kind of very important information.
To be assured of academic accommodations a student must present the appropriate documentation to the Office of Disability Services. Once aproved, a professor legally must provide all approved accommodations.
I suggest that before you commit to any college (be it Harvey Mudd or any other school) that you contact the Office of Disability Services to understand: 1) what documentation will be needed and 2) what accommodations you can expect
In case you are still interested in answers to this question. My daughter attends Mudd and has migraines, and it has been hell. This semester she is taking a reduced load and they took away her scholarship because she isn’t taking 12 credits. Mudd is not a good environment for any student struggling with physical or mental disabilities that need accommodation. The students are great, but that isn’t enough. The lack of support she has gotten is extremely disappointing, and this semester will cost us $41,000. Look elsewhere. I have a sister who is a professor at a prestigious university and a brother-in-law who is the Dean at another, and they are shocked at what I tell them. It doesn’t have to be this way! I wish she had gone to John’s Hopkins, Wash U or U of M and so does she.
@Ging12 that is shocking. If accommodations allow for less than 12 credits, the scholarship should too. Have you considered talking to a lawyer? Or the Office for Civil Rights?
That said, when a student is suffering migraines to the extent of taking less than 12 credits, it might be time for a leave. That is what my kid did, and then returned to do 12 credits with financial aid to cover the extra time on campus.
My Mudder had a project-mate with a concussion who reported great support from professors. And a dorm-mate who struggled with grief after a loss told me that friends came to her using the Honor Code to require she seek help…if she didn’t self-report her mental health issues, they would report her, out of concern for her well-being. The student reported that professors gave her extra time for some classes and an incomplete so that she could finish others over the summer. She got back on track and graduated on time.
It’s honestly not unheard of for a student to miss a class. Sometimes deadlines mean weighing your time allocation. Seems like my kid only had to show up for PE (outdoor field hockey) only a certain number of times in a semester. And many tests are “take home”: professors let you know how long you can take the test, if you can use notes or the book or not, etc…that is the beauty of the Honor Code that they trust you to take a test on your own time. So you might take a test at night in your pjs drinking hot tea while a classmate takes it in the warm afternoon sunshine in the courtyard while running loads of laundry…you pick what works for you…might be ideal for a student with health issues.
One of the real strengths of Mudd is the care of the professors and the high quality teaching. Professors are given funds to invite small groups of students to dinner at a restaurant or their home, so they have a chance to build real relationships with students and students with each other. I was amazed at how professors not only knew exactly where my kid sits in class but their faces lit up telling me individual stories about how they saw my student grow and succeed. Even after graduation, I saw professors engage in meaningful mentoring conversations with students about their careers and give them industry specific guidance.
That being said, Mudd is insanely hard. We have heard only good things about the changes to the core curriculum (more manageable workload), but Mudd will always be hard. I’m sure if you are accepted, they feel you can handle the work…they don’t admit unless they feel you can. But taking a week off classes on a regular basis would make keeping up challenging. I’d definitely call the accessibility services director and ask for advice.
HMC isn’t a school for students with mental health or serious general health issues. It isn’t “John’s Hopkins, Wash U or U of M”, and it isn’t for everyone. Even with the revision of its core curriculum in response to the incidents a few years ago, it’s still among the few most challenging undergraduate programs anywhere, significantly more challenging than JHU’s, for example, another supposedly challenging program.
@Ging12 If the school granted a reduced course load that is under 12 credits, a school scholarship or financial aid should possibly remain, and government grants are given for half time. Have you consulted a lawyer who works with the Americans with Disabilities Act.?
A counterargument would be that accommodations cannot create undue administrative or financial burden for the school, or substantially change the academic program.
This is not at all particular to Harvey Mudd.
When my own kid’s migraines (and later seizures) made 12-16 credits difficult, they took a medical leave- twice- to get things under control. Returning to school with a reduced course load of 12 credits, accommodations and proper treatment made for a great last year and a half. And financial aid was continued for the extra semesters on campus.