Increasing black enrollment, specifically, is a major goal for HMC under Maria Klawe. So is increasing female enrollment, but black enrollment seems to be even more so. In Dr Klawe’s “state of the campus” address at Family Weekend, she stressed HMC’s recruiting efforts in this area - including:</p>
<p>1) reserving 10% of admission slots for a “special category” of students who lack the traditional qualifications, who in her words “are just as smart, but may not be as well prepared and will need some extra help”. She didn’t elaborate as to how “just as smart” would be measured or what “extra help” Mudd would provide or how it would be funded, but she went directly from this point to her points about recruiting black students (please note that she made an explicitly racial connection here, not me). Schools with large black populations are where Mudd’s looking for these “special” students. She commented that alumni have expressed a great deal of concern over this – not the racial aspect, but the potential “dumbing down” of HMC’s curriculum and consequent devaluation of their own hard-won degrees. I gathered that it’s an experimental measure, but Mudd’s very committed to making it work. I also gathered from a recent email message sent to the HMC community that they implemented the 10% admission reservation thing this year, though I’m not certain of this.</p>
<p>2) intensifying admissions outreach to schools in predominantly black neighborhoods and marketing to black students. She said that they’re doing ok with outreach to Hispanics and Asians, but they’re having a tough time selling Mudd to black students. They can’t admit kids who don’t apply.</p>
<p>3) expanding educational outreach to elementary and secondary schools, again with emphasis on schools in predominantly black neighborhoods. Mudd does some pretty cool stuff with the K-12s, and it sounds like more cool stuff is in store – a great experience for both Mudders and K-12ers imho, if the Mudders are given appropriate guidance.</p>
<p>From what I read here on CC, I imagine all three efforts will be very popular here.</p>
<p>Hey they wrote a personal note on mine as well and I thought it was a really cool gesture of them. Did they try and write a note on everyone’s application?</p>
<p>geek_mom said:
“reserving 10% of admission slots for a “special category” of students who lack the traditional qualifications, who in her words “are just as smart, but may not be as well prepared and will need some extra help”. She didn’t elaborate as to how “just as smart” would be measured or what “extra help” Mudd would provide or how it would be funded, but she went directly from this point to her points about recruiting black students (please note that she made an explicitly racial connection here, not me).”</p>
<p>Ok, I find this a little disturbing… my daughter self-identifies as African American, so she is covering two underrepresented groups at HMC. She was just accepted to HMC, and very excited and honored to have been. She was under the impression that her 800 SAT Math score; 800 SAT II Math score, straight A’s in all her math/science courses including AB/BC calc, AP Stats; AP Physics… 800 SAT CR; 700 WR… etc. were the kinds of skills that HMC looked for in all it’s admitted students. Now, should she wonder if she was part of the 10% “just as smart but needs extra help” group? Frankly, I’m not sure why you felt the need to post this, do you want every female student or student of color wondering if they were only accepted because the qualifications were bent for them? And, having other admitted students wondering that too? One of my D’s essays discussed how hard it was to be taken seriously as a woman of color in her science/math classes even when she was at the top of her classes. Frankly, she handles it better than I do.
sigh.</p>
<p>Don’t shoot the messenger? I know there’s affirmative action going on in lots of technical schools. I think such action is sometimes necessary; I’ve noticed the severe underrepresentation of minority groups here on campus (as well as women, to a lesser extent). Lots of times it’s due to limited access to resources during high school and I am glad that Mudd is trying to reach out to such students who have weaker backgrounds but the potential to succeed.</p>
<p>Quote:
I really do think my essay made my application - some of the evidence is the hand-written note directly referring to it on the bottom of my letter. I’m really glad, too, because TOP CHOICE. </p>
<p>@geekmom63: What do you mean “very safe for an over-crowded school”?</p>
<p>I’m pretty surprised about how low the yield rate is. I can understand some choosing Caltech, MIT, or Berkeley (if in state), but that shouldn’t leave the yield rate that low?
If for some reason or another, Mudd had a high yield rate… wouldn’t they be kind of screwed?? What if say 400 of the people accepted did take their offers??</p>
Frankly… I was responding with relevant information to ilikecollage’s question, post #41. Again, I’m not the one who made the correlation between race and the new recruiting effort. I don’t know how it’s going to play out – but according to the information presented by HMC President Maria Klawe, there is definitely a racial component to these new initiatives and they’re quite proud of it.</p>
<p>
Oh, good grief, Mom. Look at her grades and test scores. If they’re what you described in this paragraph, how can she not be in the range of purely objective admissions? IMHO what she should think is, “Great, I got into one of the most selective STEM colleges in the country! Is it the college I want to attend?”</p>
<p>I do think it’s unfortunate if such a high-achieving student carries the feeling that people might think she’s there because of her skin (though I also think such a feeling would be unfounded at HMC). That’s a trade-off with “affirmative action” programs. I’ve felt it myself in the workplace, and it wasn’t always fun. But I’m sure her performance will speak for itself. Once they’re there, according to my son, only a small percentage of kids seem to care about high school records at all – they’re in a pressure cooker together, and that’s what counts.</p>
<p>That’s exactly what I mean - _fiona said it. They had too high of a yield a year or two ago and got overcrowded. This year they want to make sure they don’t get too many, so they’re multiplying their typical yield by a very low acceptance number for safety. This year they have only 578 non-captive RD acceptees and last year they had 703. If their yield stays constant, they will have to go to the wait list to fill up the class. This ensures that 400 people DON’T come in.</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: 770 CR, 800 Math, 710 Writing
[</em>]SAT II: 800 Math2, 770 Physics, 740 Lit
[<em>]ACT: 34, don’t remember the breakdown.
[</em>]GPA: between 4.1 and 4.2 weighted, out of a possible 4.66 (although because of required non-honors or AP classes, more like 4.4)
[<em>]Rank: either in top 10% or barely missed it
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): AMC 12: 96.5 sophomore year, worse in later years, AP Spanish 5, AP Calc BC 5, AP World 5[/ul]</p>
<p>Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: I think they were good. I got a little comment about one, and my college counselor thought they were really good (and funny!)
[</em>]Recs: I don’t know, but I think very good
[<em>]Supplementary Material:
[</em>]Summer Activities: Canada/USA Mathcamp, volunteering with a lawyer to provide legal aid to people who cannot afford it, some research, art, and making wacky stuff (an origami knitted purse, sized to fit my TI-89)
[<em>]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): none [/ul] Personal[ul]
[</em>]Location: Ohio
[<em>]High School Type: Private, all-girls
[</em>]Ethnicity: white
[<em>]Gender: female[/ul] Other[ul]
[</em>]Extracurriculars: debate, Math club, art
[<em>]Awards: Avogadro exam, National Merit, some art stuff, maybe more.
[</em>]Why you think you were accepted: essays that fit the school (and were super honest), strong academics, especially math
[*]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: I’m super happy about it! [/ul]</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: 730 CR, 750 M, 660 WR
[</em>]SAT II: 790 Math, 740 Physics, 700 Bio, 690 World History (self-studied)
[<em>]ACT: N/A
[</em>]GPA: N/A
[<em>]Rank: 2
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): APs Bio, Calc AB, Physics B, Chem, European History, English Language & Composition
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: Common App essay was easily the best essay Ive ever written in my life. Talked about how nail polish can be substituted as hobby kit paint. Emphasized on my various interests outside of the math/sciences.
[</em>]Recs: Didnt look at them.
[<em>]Supplementary Material: What?
[</em>]Summer Activities: Volunteered at Heart & Stroke Foundation
[<em>]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): Huh?
[/ul]Personal[ul]
[</em>]Location: Canada
[<em>]High School Type: Private, unbelievably small, indepedent
[</em>]Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>]Gender: Female
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>]Extracurriculars: Yearbook, Recycling, Academic Bowl, Math Tutor, YMCA volunteer, Piano, Basketball, Badminton, Tennis
[<em>]Awards: Math contests here and there, a few in-school subject awards.
[</em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: International student?
[*]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: Congrats to everyone who got accepted =) [/ul]</p>
<p>Rest assured… As an alum I find that your daughter seems very well prepared and accomplished. I think she would have gotten in as a white male. Thus, big time kudos for the hard work - I hope you are not discouraged!</p>
<p>The whole race/sex thing is a very touchy subject (I’m secretly a 2% minority that appears to be the majority) but I can honestly say that I find your daughter’s stats impressive and I’m sure that it was not easy!</p>
<p>It seems like they might have. I appreciate a lot, though, that they didn’t just write a generic “Nice essay!” at the bottom, but instead commented directly on what I’d written.</p>
<p>She doesn’t need to worry about that stuff, trust me. She was admitted on her qualifications, pure and simple (and probably is more qualified than me). The thing about the “reserving spots” - that’s for students who are just as smart but don’t show it in the numbers, not for students who aren’t as smart but happen to be black. Statistically, black students, because of class/race interactions, tend to have, for example, worse SAT scores (because they can’t afford to take an expensive prep class plus the test three times), or no APs (because it costs a school money to offer AP classes, and a school in a poor area is less likely to pay for them).</p>
<p>So all it means is that they’re willing to look twice at a student with less qualifications if they also show that they’re disadvantaged - they aren’t going to use the same criteria when it’s apples to oranges. A black student who had access to the above and didn’t use them won’t get in over a black student with the same stats but no access.</p>
<p>So if I didn’t say so already, your daughter can rest assured that she got in on merit, since a) everyone gets in on merit, not on race, and b) she’s a better student than half of us.</p>
<p>[ETA: Further, I should say that it’s not that they “bend” the rules for these students, it’s that they are hyperaware of different socioeconomic advantages and are making sure they’re taking them into account when it comes to a racial group that they feel they are not representing sufficiently.(Also, did I really just use socioeconomic and sufficiently? I need to go to bed.)]</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 2100 (790M, 650R, 660W)
[</em>] SAT IIs: chem 770, bio 720, math 2 740
[<em>] ACT: 32 (35S, 34M, 29R, 30W),
[</em>] GPA: 4.0
[<em>] Rank: top 2%
[</em>] Other stats:
[<em>] APs: spanish language 4, biology 5, taking microeconomics, macroeconomics, chemistry, literature, and calculus BC this year
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: alright I think. I LOVED my why mudd essay. It was funny.
[<em>] Teacher Recs: I think they were great… I’ll never know though. Got a physics rec and an english rec
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Should have been great. She loves me and really was pushing for Mudd.
[<em>] Hook (if any): nope
[/ul]Location/Person: USA[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: New York, NY (Manhattan)
[<em>] School Type/Competitiveness: Specialized science high school (test to get in)
[</em>] Ethnicity: Caucasian (Italian American)
[li] Gender: Female[/li][/ul]Other Factors:
I think I was the only person who applied from my school. The guidance department brings in reps from a lot of schools and this year they brought in Ms. Briggs and I was one of two people to go talk to her. She knew me by name and I demonstrated interest which I think may have done it for me. Also, I had a visit and interview over the summer and my interview was with the Dean of Admissions (I hadn’t known at the time or I would have freaked out!) I guess I must have aced the interview too! General Comments:
So excited. I loved it when I went to visit!</p>
<p>**Stats:[ /b][ list]
[ *] SAT: 2300 (750 CR, 800 M, 750 W)
[ *] SAT IIs: Math 2- 800, Physics- 780
[ *] ACT: N/A
[ *] GPA: 3.8 unweighted, 4.3 weighted
[ *] Rank: 5/136
[ *] Other stats: AP US history 4, AP Statistics 5, AP US Government 5, AP Comparative Government 5, AP Physics B 5
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[ /b][ list]
[ *] Essays: decent
[ *] Teacher Recs: great
[ *] Counselor Rec: she had great things to say about me, but terrible grammar
[ *] Hook (if any):
[ /list][ b]Location/Person:[ /b][ list]
[ *] State or Country: OH
[ *] School Type/Competitiveness: Competitive public school that thinks it’s a private school
[ *] Ethnicity: White
[ *] Gender: Female
[ /list][ b]Other Factors:[ /b] Three sports, model UN, violin
[ b]General Comments:[ /b]</p>
<p>Hey folks – just wanted to update something about my post #61. An HMC admissions officer pm’d me:
So I wanted to pass that along. I’ve asked him if he can point me to something published on HMC’s Web site about the initiatives Dr Klawe announced in the aforementioned “state of the campus address” in case I’ve heard something incorrectly, as I couldn’t find anything published when I looked. He’s a very, very busy guy this time of year, so it may be a while before he sees my reply (he offered to converse by email, but I opted to keep it on CC). When/if he responds with other information, I’ll update it. But wanted to let you know of the statement above.</p>
<p>[ *] SAT: 2370 (780 CR, 800 M, 770 W)
[ *] SAT IIs: Math 2- 800, Physics -800, Chem - 800, Bio - 800
[ *] ACT: N/A
[ *] GPA: 3.97 unweighted, 4.65 weighted
[ *] Rank: ?
[ *] Other stats: AP Calc BC 5, AP Physics C mech. 5, AP Physics C E&M 5, AP Chem 5, AP Bio 5, AP US history 5, AP Euro Hist 5, AP Comp Sci A 5, AP Comp Sci AB 5
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[ /b][ list]
[ *] Essays: decent
[ *] Teacher Recs: average (just guessing)
[ *] Counselor Rec: average or below average - (some negative comments? but no evidence)
[ *] Hook (if any):
[ /list][ b]Location/Person:[ /b][ list]
[ *] State or Country: CA
[ *] School Type/Competitiveness: Competitive public school that thinks it’s a private school
[ *] Ethnicity: ORM
[ *] Gender: ORM
[ /list][ b]Other Factors:[ /b] USAMO, International.Chem.Olym. finalist, International Physics Olym. regional finalist, Sci Olympiads, Sci bowl, etc…, Upper division college classes (got As), orchestra, research papers, etc…
[ b]General Comments:[ /b] rejected by MIT and some other colleges… I’m still in shock.</p>
