<p>I really like HMC, but I'm pretty scared from what I hear about how hard it is and the workload being so large. Is it really 5 hours a night? Isn't that really not so bad because there are less hours of classes than in high school? I do about 4 hours a night, well before senioritis kicked in, but I also work around 20 hours a week and have 9 hours of school+EC per day. Would I be alright at HMC?</p>
<p>Do people just stay up really late sometimes because they put a lot of time into social things and procrastinate on homework?</p>
<p>Do you guys exaggerate the difficulty of HMC? Because I also heard that people just complain a lot there, and it really isn't THAT bad. I'd really like some honest answers, and not just for yourself, but for the average HMC student.</p>
<p>You are correct. It is not at all suicidal or unbearable. From what I hear about your current working situation (jobs, hw, etc...) you seem like you will be able to adjust to it. There is a fair amount of work, but with time management and good work ethic (and being willing to get help when you need it) you can get it done and still have a good amount of spare time.</p>
<p>But that does not mean it's easy. Workload is not the only measure of a college's difficulty. Just because you are not necessarily studying 16 hours a day, it does not mean you won't get a little upset sometimes by the academics. The work is harder here, and your grades will suffer and be lower than in high school. They just have higher expectations and they grade harder as a result.</p>
<p>I breezed through high school academics...not spending more than 1-2 hours a night on hw on average and getting pretty much straight A's in AP courses (and 5's on AP tests). At Mudd, I spend probably 4-5 hours a night on hw average. Some nights I have little work and I sleep. Others I have tons and I pull all nighters or work for 10-12 hours straight.</p>
<p>There is something about the work here that just makes it much more challenging than hs. They make you really think about how to solve a problem rather than saying "apply this method".</p>
<p>Sometimes the work is unbearable... especially for me... I want to do everything - music, engineering, rocketry, socialize, read. Generally speaking though, there is enough time to get everything you need to done.</p>
<p>See I really can't handle the all-nigher thing. But, I can handle getting 6 hours of sleep a night. I do like to socialize, but I don't think I'll be partying too much. I really don't have any hobbies, and I'm not really into videogames, so I think I'll save a few hours there. Would there be time for me to get all my work done, socialize/have fun/go to a few parties once in a while, and still get a reasonable amount of sleep? I have to do workstudy too for I think 1.8k, so take that into consideration too.</p>
<p>I have a few more questions, if you don't mind. I would say that I am a nerdy, but also normal person. I'm a mixture of both. 50% of my friends are completely normal and the other 50% I would call moderately nerdy. Are most HMC students like me, or do they tend to be more nerdy? I'd really like to be friends with people who I can make a corny physics joke to, but also talk about non-nerdy things with.</p>
<p>Also, how many relationships are there? Do students find it hard to start and maintain a relationship when there is not very much extra time? </p>
<p>Are there cliches, or does everyone just have many different friends?</p>
<p>How many asian students would you say are at HMC? And what you say the asian students are like?</p>
<p>It's possible to go through this school without pulling all-nighters. I've seen people do it. You sound like you would be one of those people. I think you'd be fine, but there will be times (like right before exams) that you'll probably make a comment or two about hating this school or X class or professor Y who's making you do this ridiculous project. But I have a hunch that kind of thing happens everywhere, just with less frequency. </p>
<p>As to the nerdiness, we're all nerds here, but most of the time you don't see it. There are a lot of very social people who, if you met them at a party, you might have no clue they're mudders (I've been getting a lot of "do you go to Scripps?" recently). But we have our moments. Like when I started talking about physics at Magic Mountain (in my defense, I was with another Mudder). I think you'll be ok socially, too. </p>
<p>A lot of Mudders are in relationships. A lot aren't. Mostly Mudders date each other, and so we understand the workload and don't get too uptight (or they just do their hw together). I'm not in a relationship. My roommate is, and has been since the beginning of freshman year (she met her bf at the first party). </p>
<p>There are kind of cliques (I assume you meant this instead of cliche...) A lot of them are centered around dorms/suites, but really you have your very social people, who pretty much know each other and hang out together, your very nerdy people, who are social in their own way, and the kind of in between people. There's some crossover between groups but not a lot. You also get to know people in classes that you might not otherwise hang out with. But you'll know most of your class anyway, whether you're friends with them or not. </p>
<p>As for asian students, I feel like we don't have that many here, but I went to a high school that had a large asian population and many of my friends in high school were asian. And I'd say that the asians that are here fall into the same distribution as everyone else.</p>
<p>Yes, they are decreasing the required amount of work in each class. This is both good and bad. It is good because it leaves you more extra spare time if you so desire it. It is bad because there are less homework points to help your grade, and there is less homework to discipline you and force you into studying the material, which is essential for exams.</p>