Last-Minute Application Tips

It's winter break and despite your grand plans of finishing your applications early and kicking back with hot chocolate and a good book, you're stuck at your computer trying to come up with 500 words on what kind of kitchen appliance you would choose to be and why.  Don't worry -- you're not alone.  And there's still hope.  Here's what you need to know as you're finishing up your Common Application and Supplement.

• Keep a checklist.  Not only will this help you keep track of what you need to submit and when, but then you can enjoy the highly motivating sensation of crossing items off your to-do list. 
• Pay attention to your "Why Mudd" essay.  We want to make sure you've done your research about Mudd and understand our academics, but we also want to know how you envision yourself melding with our community.  We often read these answers aloud in committee just because "fit" is so important to us.  Whatever else you skimp on, this shouldn't be it.
• Skip the separate resume.  The Common Application activities section should be adequate for the vast majority of students.  Why waste two hours formatting a separate resume when you could use that time for your essays?
• Anticipate the questions someone reading your application might ask.  If there's anything that might seem unusual -- a change of high school, a blip in grades, trying out for the volleyball team senior year -- please don't hesitate to explain.  That's what the "Additional Information" section of the Common Application is for!  The only thing we ask is that you don't use the essay space for this purpose.
• No matter how rushed you feel, don't forget to proofread.  When you're balancing ten applications it's easy to let a "Stanford" linger in a "Caltech" essay or forget to replace an "Amherst" with a "Williams."  Bribe a friend or a relative to glance over your essays and applications one last time before hitting submit.

Merry Christmas, Geek-Style

 Image from gadgettastic.com

Closing up for Christmas

The Office of Admission will be closed for the winter holidays starting December 23.  We'll be back well-rested and plumped up on eggnog on January 3.  While we're tickled pink by the prospect of vacation, this means that the college will be closed to visitors during this time.

It also means that if you have any questions about applying to Mudd, you should ask them now; we won't be back to check e-mail or answer phones until after the admission deadline.

And as for the mail bins full of application materials that will await us upon our return . . . well, that is something perhaps best left uncontemplated.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Techie celebrities and matching outfits

Here's a face you might recognize:

 But what's that stylish garment he's sporting?  What about that logo seems so familiar?

Wait, what's Lowell wearing here?

Can it be?  Lowell and Bill Gates wearing identical outfits?

Yup.  This is what happens when HMC's President, Maria Klawe, joins the board of Microsoft -- HMC T-shirts hit the big leagues!  

The Amazing T-Shirt Contest doesn't end until January, but I'm pretty sure Maria's got the "best photo with someone famous" category in the bag.

(Thanks for being such a good sport, Lowell!)

Founder's Day

In celebration of Founder's Day at HMC I thought it might be fun to post a quick quiz the college created for the event.  Let's see just how much you know about our namesake!

1) Which of the following is NOT true about the college's namesake?
    A. Harvey Mudd's father, Seeley W. Mudd, and son, Henry T. Mudd, were mining engineers.
    B. Harvey Mudd never knew of the founding of the college that bears his name.
    C. Harvey Mudd graduated from Los Angeles High School.
    D. Harvey Mudd was assistant secretary of the War Minerals Committee during World War I.

2) Harvey Mudd College colors were chosen by the first group of ASHMC officers and approved by the college administration.  Black, gold and white was the final decision, but which of the following colors was also in the running?
    A. Powder blue
    B. Green
    C. Auburn
    D. Grey

3) During the shortest elevator ride on campus, you'll travel 2 feet, 6 inches from the lounge to the first floor in which building?
    A. Sprague Library
    B. Sontag Residence Hall
    C. Linde Activities Center
    D. Case Residence Hall

4) The bronze bust of Henry T. Mudd -- located in the Galileo Foyer -- was commissioned in 1987 to honor Mudd's role as an ardent supporter and chair of the HMC Board of Trustees for 23 years.  The sculptor was Lewis Cohen.  For many years after installation, students:
    A. Placed textbooks next to the bust for good luck prior to finals week.
    B. Would attempt to recreate the bust using everything from plastic to wood products.
    C. Rubbed Henry's nose for luck before they entered Galileo Hall for an examination.
    D. Used the bust in pranks (such as removing it or turning the bust in a different direction).

(Warts)

5) True or False: The Campus contains more than 25,000 warts.

6) True or False: There are three species of squirrels on campus.

7) Where did Harvey S. Mudd earn his college degree?

8) What was Harvey S. Mudd's first job?

9) What were the names of Harvey S. Mudd's parents?

10) What is Harvey S. Mudd's birth date?

HMC's first computer: an IBM 1620.

Answers: 1) Actually, all of the statements about Harvey Mudd are true.  2) A. Powder blue.  3) B. Sontag Residence Hall.  4) C. Rubbed Henry's nose for luck before they entered Galileo Hall for an examination.  5) True.  With 789 on Sontag Residence Hall and 827 on Hoch-Shanahan Dining Commons, the buildings now contain more than 25,000 warts (the protruding, square cement blocks that decorate the building facades).  The only building without them (so far!) is the F.W. Olin Science Center.  6) False.  There are two species of squirrels on campus.  The gray colored ones that mostly occupy the trees are Western Gray Squirrels (Sciurus griseus).  The tan colored ones that live on the ground and dig burrows (especially behind Thomas-Garrett Hall) are California Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi).  7) After two years at Stanford University (1906 to 1908), Harvey Mudd entered the School of Mines at Columbia University and received his degree in 1912.  8) His first job was mucking (removing mud or dirt) in the Bisbee, AZ mines.  9) Seeley Wintersmith Mudd and Della Mulock Mudd.  10) August 30, 1888.  (That makes him a Virgo, in case you were wondering.)

ED Committee

We buckled down on Friday and managed to discuss most of our Early Decision applications. Can you spot all five open packages of chips & cookies on the committee table? No wonder we were ready to power through the entire group. If all goes well, we'll mail our letters tomorrow. Stay patient and we'll have news for you soon!

DecemberFest

Confession time: in the past week, I've spent a total of about an hour in my office.  I've been completely wrapped up in an annual event called DecemberFest, which is a program for high school counselors sponsored by nine colleges (the 5C's plus Caltech, Oxy, Whittier, and Redlands).  This year we had counselors from 48 schools and community-based organizations across the country, all in SoCal for a week of college visits, networking and lots (and lots) of eating.  This is my second year in charge of DecemberFest, and while it's great fun running the program, my job has not recently resembled "admission counselor" so much as "den mother, wedding planner, portable ATM, and carrier of large boxes." 

Among the unusual/entertaining things I got to do during the planning and execution of D-fest:

• Spend 45 minutes debating the merits of Oreo v. New York cheesecake
• Use a microphone approximately 467 times
• See a mini version of a favorite HMC class, "Building Los Angeles"
• Conduct "research" in the Costco sample aisles
• Max out Thyra's credit card paying for an elegant dinner at Harvard Square Cafe

And if all those aspects weren't delightful enough, the dinner at the end of the program was the icing on the cake.  The high school counselors rewrote the lyrics to a couple of Christmas tunes and treated the college staff to songs about our campuses; Falone organized a quiz show with questions about each of the colleges and the counselors competed for dollar store prizes including the coveted tome "Six Degrees of Paris Hilton" (Shady Side Academy students, be prepared -- this could soon pop up in your school library).

This year we had an especially great group of participating counselors; they could not have been more gracious throughout the program or more intensely competitive on game show night.  So naturally, next year we want to have a cohort that's just as amazing.  Okay, students, time to weigh in -- who would you want us to invite to DecemberFest?  Do you have a counselor you think would enjoy and benefit from a week visiting nine California colleges?  Let us know in the comments section!

The reading process

Admission files are typically evaluated by our highly trained professional staff.

Lailah Serna is not impressed with your ACT scores.

Sometimes we outsource.

 

ED continues (despite distractions)

I'm still caught up with the program I referenced in my last e-mail (details will follow after it finishes, I promise -- it's the one that required all of those boxes to be carted to Pasadena) but I wanted to check in quickly to talk about Early Decision Round 1.  Because it's happening.  Soon.

Like Santa we're checking our files and reading them twice.  You should already know that we make our decisions as a full committee.  In our case, that committee is relatively small so we each have ample opportunity to voice our opinions and come to a consensus about each applicant.  Endless discussions about possibilities and policies around a seminar-style table -- it's a liberal arts grad's dream come true. 

Be forewarned, this kind of conversation takes time.  Which is why the response date of December 15 is a mailing deadline, not a receive-by.  If all goes well, we'll mail our decision letters on the 13th or 14th, and they should be in your hands not long afterwards.  In the meantime, wish us luck and plenty of Pirate's Booty for our committee discussions on Friday.

What my office looks like now

I'm preparing for a big off-campus program right now, and while I'm never the tidiest person in the world, this is extreme, even for me.

Here we have tote bags, binders, nametags, admission files, maps, processed foods purchased in bulk, microphone speaker packs, a label maker, a picnic set, and my ever-present electric kettle.

Somehow nearly all of these items need to be corralled in an organized fashion and stowed in my Honda by 9:30 am tomorrow morning.

It's going to be a long night.

If you were planning to interview on campus . . .

. . . and you're applying to HMC this year, then it's time to hop to it.  December 22 is the very last day we'll be offering interviews to prospective freshmen for the class of 2015.  Sign up online.

Visiting Winter

Unless you hail from Southern California, it's unlikely that you've heard of the San Gabriel Mountains.  They're not a household name like the Rockies or the Appalachians, and the tallest point, Mt. Baldy, isn't even in the top 180 peaks in the United States.  But 10,000 feet is still mighty tall -- tall enough for a ski resort, plenty of hiking trails, and a photogenic snow-capped peak.  And the view -- wow.  I never get tired of it.

This picture was taken right from campus.  Gorgeous, huh? 

What's even better is that these mountains are close.  Allow me to demonstrate using Googlemaps:
 

Twenty minutes from campus and you're halfway up a mountain.  Love it.  While I've never been brave enough to make it all the way to the top (unlike Johnson, who spent the night at the summit), the lower-elevation hikes are plenty entertaining (and plenty cold, too). 

There's some debate about which is the best trail in this section of the Angeles National Forest.  There's one trail that leads to a waterfall, another that's basically vertical but provides amazing views.  I've always liked Ice House Canyon.  It's not too steep, it's fairly well traveled (important if you're hiking alone) and the stream is pretty.

For anyone who's feeling a bit homesick for winter (not that flip-flops year-round aren't fantastic, but occasionally I do miss having actual seasons), the mountains are the perfect fix.  One short drive and I can stomp around in snow and wear all that winter gear I thought I'd never need in Southern California.

There are several small cabins on the Ice House Canyon Trail.  I'm not sure if they're privately owned (grandfathered in, maybe?) or if they're National Forest property.  They are certainly charming. 

Joining me on this Thanksgiving weekend excursion was my loyal canine sidekick, Louie.  He was way too excited about all the good sniffs to hold still for a photo, so forgive the blurriness.  He's a California dog, but he likes snow.  Enjoys it more than Allie Brosh's dog, at the very least.

So for any non-So-Cal residents who are wondering how they'll survive without at least a touch of winter, I offer this reassurance: you can visit it. 

A glimpse of what's to come

This will be the first in a scintillating series of photographs chronicling the rapid descent into snacking and paper stacking that will take place over the next few months.  The conference room doesn't look too chaotic now, but just you wait.  It will!  This little lilac 8 x 12 room is where we make all of our admission decisions. 

We spent eight hours yesterday in this very space, hammering out just what we're looking for in the class of 2015.  The Dean of Students, the Dean of Academic Affairs, and the college president all stopped by to weigh in and give us feedback on the successes and struggles of previous classes.  I found one of Jon Jacobsen's comments particularly helpful: thriving at Mudd isn't just about raw intelligence.  Sure, being smart is important, but what's more critical is the ability to get things done.  You know those classes in high school where you can just coast along without paying much attention to the homework or studying all that often?  Mmm.  Yes.  You won't have those here.  So if Mudd is your first experience having to accomplish many things quickly, well, your first semester will be a challenge.  Prof. Jakes and Maggie also rated the capacity to ask for help as one of the most key college survival skills.  Turns out your professors actually want to teach you, even if it means spending two hours reviewing your most recent writing assignment, and those Academic Excellence sessions are so well-attended because other students find Special Relativity confusing too. 

As for that Battle of the Bots event I mentioned in my previous post -- it was awesomeness incarnated, and I can't wait to share the experience with you here on the blog.  Unfortunately, it wasn't a good environment for taking pictures (dim lighting + big auditorium + TV screen like a rock concert) so I'm going to wait until the professional photos are available.  Until then I will share the potentially useful tidbit that while attaching an air gun to your autonomous vehicle may seem like a good idea, and certainly intimidates your competitors, it does not actually perform all that well in the arena.  Still, the ability to scatter pellets across the first few rows of the auditorium might be worth it, even if the robot tanks the competition.

Reading Retreats & Glowing Pickles

Monday is going to be a hectic day here in the admission office.  The counseling staff is scheduled to have a reading retreat -- basically, a full day of talking about the mechanics of reading files.  We all remember, in theory, what qualities we're looking for in prospective students, but some of the technical aspects of reading can get a bit fuzzy after six months of disuse.  Last year I forgot to keep a record of how many applications I read for, oh, the first two weeks of the season.  Oops.  So a refresher is always a good idea. 

The reading retreat will be more than unusually thrilling this year for three reasons:

1) Thyra will have just completed a red-eye flight from Hawaii, where she's currently visiting high schools.  This is a shame, because she's usually a reliable source of banana bread on retreat days.  Plus she'll be tired.

2) Thanksgiving week is packed with interviews.  Even with the help of our super awesome senior interviewers, we'll still need to adjourn frequently to interview prospective students.  And if we're interviewing, then we can't wear jeans.  And that is very sad. 

3) At 5:30 pm that same day, the Autonomous Vehicles class is hosting Battle of the Bots!  With free pizza!  Want to know what's even better?  This is the class final! 

So that's my Monday in a nutshell.  In other news, if you have not seen the glowing pickle video yet then you really must -- if only for Professor Sahakian's commentary.  Hysterical. 

PS The HMC 42 team is going to the ACM world finals again.  Hooray!  I would also like it stated on the record that I personally first-read the admission applications of four of the eleven ACM participants.  Go me.

In which my life proves sadly predictable

Starbucks receipts from four consecutive days in Minneapolis.  Please note that each receipt is for exactly the same amount -- tall vanilla latte, blueberry streusel muffin.  Bold?  Creative?  Variable?  Not so much.

Trip #5 Complete

My last trip of the season to the lovely city of Portland, Oregon was a quick whirlwind of college fairs, interviews, and Mama Mia's lasagna del giorno.  I got to meet up with some of my closest friends, and it didn't even rain much.  So all in all, an excellent trip indeed.

Here's my artistically arranged table at the fair.  If you were at the Portland NACAC fair, you'll know that my table didn't look this good any time after the first two minutes; I had constant traffic for the first three and a half hours of a four hour session, which didn't give me much time to neatly collate the publications or fluff the HMC banner.  But I felt like a rock star and I appreciated the patience of all the families who waited in line to speak with me, and hopefully they didn't mind that the stacks of publications were embarrassingly askew.

There was one little thing that really made this fair special:

That pretty gadget would be a bar code scanner.  Normally at a college fair, students (or, okay, parents) are obligated to fill out "please send me more information" cards by hand at each individual table.  Savvier families bring along sticky labels with pre-printed data, but it's still time-consuming.  Thanks to this scanner, students could enter all their personal information online and print out a bar code.  When they walked up to the table, I just zapped the bar code and that was it -- done.  Finis.  No hand cramps, no pen smudges, no stack of cards for me to enter into the computer.  It was very, very cool.  I liked. 

But even better is that travel season is over and I get to stay home.  Happiness and joy!

In which we obtain tech support and there is much rejoicing

Introducing Aasim!  My loyal readership of one (thanks, Hannah!) may recall previous lamentations about the lack of tech support in the admission office.  And now, finally, all that has changed.  Aasim Rizvi joined our staff about a month ago and is already hard at work fixing our Common App data imports (which, if we receive as many applications as Thyra expects/fears, may be of critical importance) and launching our new student blog, HMC After 5.  Did I say new blog?  Oh yes.  We ("we" meaning Aasim and Raissa) updated the student blogs this year with a spiffy improved format and several fresh faces, although you might recognize Xanda from last year's edition.  Here's the banner that Aasim designed:

As for what is actually happening in this photo -- well, you'll have to ask the students.  I can safely say that tricycles, foam, and an official DOS Muchacho are all represented, but as to the specific pedagogical purpose of this academic exercise, I'm not sure.

College Fairs: A Primer

I'm heading up to Portland later this week for my last trip of the season -- the big NACAC College Fair.  We're talking huge.  Two hundred and seventy-three exhibitors, to be precise.  And it's pretty common to see parents and students walking around with glazed, deer-in-headlights expressions, trying to collect college brochures as if they're Monopoly properties.  So I thought I'd take a moment to share a few tips for a successful college fair experience.

1. Come with a plan of attack.  Do not plan on stopping at every table.  Review the list of attendees ahead of time.  You don't want to be that student walking from one table to the next asking, "Hi, do you have an engineering major?"  And be realistic about how many schools you can visit during a fair without getting burnt out -- my estimate is twenty, tops.  If there's a school you know well and really like already, maybe that's one to skip for the time being; focus instead on the schools that are on your maybe list.

2. Talk to the college representatives.  If this point weren't important, we'd just send a box of publications to a designated location and stay home watching Glee.  Talk to us!  Please!  If you're on the quieter end of the spectrum, it can be helpful to bring along a parent or relative, or even a chattier friend.  If you followed rule #1, then you'll have a small enough list of schools to investigate at the college fair that you can actually spend five or ten minutes at each table.  Take advantage of this.  Just remember, if there's a line forming behind you, to be gracious and take turns asking questions.  As much as I'd like to have long, leisurely conversations with each family individually, it isn't always possible, and if I can engage several people in conversation at once, that makes my life much easier.

3. Try not to ask yes/no questions or questions with an obvious answer.  One common inquiry at a college fair: "Is X department strong?"  Seriously, what representative is going to say no?  If you tweak this to ask "What makes department X strong?" you'll get a much better answer -- maybe you'll learn about research, diversity of coursework, abroad opportunities, etc.  Same goes for "are your professors accessible?" or "do you give financial aid?"  Try to substitute "how" or "why" questions whenever you can. 

4. Keep an open mind.  You might find a liberal arts college that's a fantastic fit for your techy interests or a women's college that offers abundant coeducational opportunities.  So if your parents, counselors, friends have all been telling you that college Y is a perfect match, go spend five minutes checking it out.  What do you have to lose?

5. Remember, we can hear you.  Oh, the comments I've overheard at college fairs.  Students will stop all of three feet from my table and screech, "Harvey MUDD?  What kind of a name is THAT?"  "CALIFORNIA?  Who'd want to go to college THERE?"  "Oh, let's stop at this table, I need a safety school."  (FYI: Mudd is not a safety school.)  Even if you don't have any interest in a college, be polite!

Finally, what to say if you really want to irk a college representative: "Why should I attend your college?"  What I will say in response: "Well, why should you?"  Don't ask that.  Please.

We're so hip, we tweet

. . . or at least, Lowell tweets for us, and that's close enough.  You can follow his after hours adventures at hmcafter5.  In case you needed any additional incentive, here is the type of investigative reporting Lowell will be carrying out for the admission office:

Yup, that's Lowell with a huge donut.  He has also posted on liquid nitrogen ice cream, the Nelson Series speakers, and the Miss SWE pageant.  It's pretty great.  And if you want more HMC fun, you can follow the tweets of the HMC Chem Department and physics professor Vatche Sahakian, string theorist and owner of two pomeranians.  The Chem Department has student research photos posted too, which, if you know something about chemical compounds, could be fun to browse through.  It's neat for me to see what all those darling "babies" I admitted a couple of years ago are up to now, even if I can't pronounce the names of the plant pathogens they're growing.  There are also instructions to make a solar cell from donuts and tea (and I thought white paint and raspberries were cool).

Science Question: Keyless Ignitions?

One of the things I love about working at Mudd is that the students are very, very patient about explaining science concepts even to non-scientists.  Since arriving at the college three and a half years ago I've learned about how to alter the physics engines of video games, the challenges of spooling nanofibers, and why chickens lay one egg a day but a whole nest of chicks hatches at the same time.  It's been fun.

So now that I have a science question, who better to ask than Mudders and potential Mudders?  Last week in Portland I drove a Nissan without a key (and yes, I bewilderedly asked the rental counter if there was perhaps something missing from my keychain).  While I got a kick out of the new technology, I could envision one big potential problem: what happens if the battery in the car dies?  Or for that matter, what about the battery in the keychain?  I tried to investigate this dilemma on the internet, and a couple of the sites claimed this wasn't a problem -- but how?  How can you open the car if the battery dies?  How can the car tell if the key is inside the car versus sitting on the roof or dropped on the pavement?  If you drove off and left the key behind, would the car stop?

Okay, scientists, I need some help here.  Are keyless ignitions actually a good long-term idea?

Image from www.familytram.com

Application Countdown

Some people check their Facebook or e-mail accounts every five minutes . . . admission offices check the Common Application website.  The hot gossip item until January: how many?  How many applications will we receive?  Thyra checks multiple times per day, worried that a) through a bizarre confluence of natural disasters, we will not receive enough applications to yield a class, and we will all have to figure out how to translate our hobbies of watching cooking shows and dressing up our dogs in Halloween costumes into viable careers, or b) that we will receive so many applications that we couldn't possibly read them holistically in three months, and it might simply be more prudent to abscond with the application fees and hide out in Tahiti.

What will actually happen is probably something between the two extremes, but November is not a time when admission counselors are particularly rational. 

Every year we put together an office betting pool for the total number of completed applications on January 2 (that would be the deadline, seniors, just in case you had other plans for winter break).  Last year we had 2,718 applications; my guess for this year is 2,999.  What do you think?

Trip #4 Complete

Well, my dears, travel season is drawing to a close.  One more trip to go!  Hurree hurrah!  I got back from Portland last Thursday, and I'll be heading up to Oregon again in a couple of weeks for the big college fair (we're talking convention center big.  HUGE, in fact).  Portland is always one of my favorite territories -- yummy food, pretty fall leaves, Powell's Books, and best of all, students have actually heard of Mudd.  This is a very nice bonus.  Here's what went down on this first excursion:

Miles driven: 368
High schools visited: 15
Students met at school visits: 48
Students interviewed: 15
Caffeinated beverages: 7
# of times lost: 2 (a personal best!)

Well, Portland, I will be seeing you again very soon.  Portland locals, any suggestions for where to grab dinner in the downtown area?  I always go to Mother's and Mama Mia, and I feel I need to expand my horizons.

Writing the College Admission Essay

"Close to Home" by John McPherson

    It strikes terror into the hearts of all college applicants: the fearsome, intimidating admission essay. How can you possibly condense your dreams, passions, and personality into five scintillating and erudite double-spaced paragraphs?

    Well, let's start with the bad news: you won't. If you're a vibrant, multi-faceted human being and not a soulless SAT testing machine, you're not going to be able to squeeze every piece of interesting information about yourself into 500 words or fewer. The good news: those same 500 words can be a great teaser. The best college essays leave us (the admission committee) wanting a conversation with the author; we want to hear more about the goofy childhood dog, the robotic submarine designed and built for a competition, the struggles of learning to play the tuba.

    What you shouldn't do in your college essay: attempt to impress the admission committee with your amazing credentials. You don't need to tell us about all your extracurricular activities -- there's a separate section of the application just for that purpose. Ditto with the AP classes you've taken -- we'll see those on your transcript. And your teachers and counselors will write raving recommendations on your behalf, enumerating your many college-worthy personal qualities. We want to know about the student behind the application. What do you do for fun when you're not high-scoring the history test or organizing a food drive? What are your hopes and dreams, not just for college but for your life? How has your family shaped you? The most essential thing you can do is make your essay personal -- rather than explaining why curing cancer is important, tell us why it's important to you.

    The best essays keep their foci small. Rather than trying to cover an entire year of Physics class, for example, pick the single class period or even the single horrific calculus problem that encapsulates the course. How did you end up solving that terrifying problem? Did you phone a friend for help, research the topic on Wikipedia, test out different approaches until four a.m.? And what did you discover about yourself in the process? Remember to evaluate your experience, not just describe it: illustrate the scene for us, by all means, but don't forget to explain what you learned from the moment. (Admission counselors are big suckers for personal growth.)

    Finally, one caveat: proofreading is important. You know that. But perfection isn't. Your college essay doesn't need to be Pulitzer-worthy; it just needs to tell us something about you, as an individual, that we won't learn from another part of your application. The essay isn't the be-all end-all of your college admission future; all you need to do in 500 words is start the conversation.

What Actually Happens in a College Interview

Lately it seems as if my job has consisted of only two activities -- traveling and interviewing -- so it's not surprising that the interview process has been forefront in my mind. When I was a prospective student oh so many moons ago, most of the interviews in which I participated were with local alumnae in my hometown of Summit, New Jersey. They were decidedly un-intimidating; I met all these women in their homes where we spoke about their careers, children, and harp playing in addition to my college aspirations. (It's hard to be scared of your interviewer when you can hear her children wreaking holy havoc in the next room.) One of these interviews, with a retired professor, lasted two hours! Maybe it's because of these very positive memories that I try to create the same informal atmosphere in the interviews that I conduct; my belief is that you can glean much more in a friendly conversation than in an all-out interrogation. Not that the interview isn't supposed to challenge you; we want to ask questions that will encourage you to reflect on your values, your hopes, questions that will tell us how you react when things aren't easy for you. But there's also room for humor and candor.

So how exactly does a college interview work? Well, here at Mudd, they last between twenty and thirty minutes, and they're conducted by both full-time staff and a group of seven well-trained current seniors. (There's no way our staff of six could handle the upwards of 800 interviews that take place on campus every year, so we are very grateful to have the help of the seniors. It's also worth noting that interviews by seniors and full-time staff are given the same weight -- we know these Mudders very well and completely respect their judgments.) Obviously we all have our own interviewing styles, but there are a few things we usually bring up in discussion:

1. Intended major. This shouldn't come as a surprise. As a college with a grand total of nine majors, it's important to admit students who are actually interested in our range of offerings.
2. Humanities and social sciences -- ditto the above. We pride ourselves on being a STEM institution with a diverse array of humanities, social sciences, and arts courses, and naturally we want to admit students who will take advantage of these opportunities.
3. A time when coursework didn't come easily. College, especially a college like Mudd, is going to provide you with new academic challenges. How have you coped with difficult classes or projects, or dealt with a teacher who wasn't ideal?
4. What you do outside of class. Don't just limit yourself to clubs and organized activities -- I've had great discussions with prospective students about everything from mountain biking to crafting to altering the physics engines in video games.
5. The college search. How did you narrow down your list of schools? What qualities are important to you?

I nearly always ask about a favorite book -- this is a completely self-interested question, as I get great book recommendations this way. Falone always works in a music-related question; Raissa will ask you to describe your high school community in more detail. But the basics are the same for almost every interview.

Keeping the friendly, personal aspect of the interview isn't quite as easy when it takes place in a generic location, like, say, the Short Hills Mall, and due to HMC's half-hour interview windows, there isn't the opportunity for leisurely two-hour conversations over tea and cookies (tea is always available in my office upon request, but you'll have to bring your own snacks). But we do our best to tailor the conversation to your activities and interests, and give you time to ask any questions you have about HMC.

One final note is that interviews are evaluative -- it's an opportunity both for you to learn about the college and for us to start to determine how you might fit into the community -- but they rarely hurt students in the admission process. (You'd need to say something really awful, like that you hate math and science, failed every class in high school, and routinely hit squirrels with rocks.) So don't let the evaluative aspect of the interview intimidate you. If Harry Potter is your favorite book, say so; don't feel you have to name a work by Kafka just because it sounds more erudite. We don't expect everything in your high school experience to be peachy keen and rosy glowed; it's okay to be honest about your frustrating grade in physics or the losing record of the soccer team. And if you've done something of which you're particularly proud, by all means, tell us, whether it's learning to throw a Frisbee in a straight line or having a conversation in French.

I have a post of Interview Do's & Don't's planned for later in the week, but for now, I hope this helps provide some context about what actually occurs in a college interview.

At the intersection of Achievement and Success

Spotted at Eastview High School, Apple Valley, Minnesota.

There was also a "Leadership Lane."

Trip #3 Complete

Minnesota could not have been more beautiful this year. The weather was gorgeous, the leaves had just started to change color, and while I didn't see all 10,000 lakes the state claims on its license plate, there are certainly plenty of small bodies of water in the Twin Cities. This pretty little lake was just across the street from Eden Prairie High School, so I spent a few minutes drinking my vanilla latte and enjoying the morning sunshine before starting my school visit.

What impresses me about Minnesota every year is the graciousness of the school counselors. The week I visit is pure zaniness -- due to the National College Fair and the MISP (independent schools) fair, there are hundreds of college reps in the region at the same time, who all want to visit the same high schools in the same time slots. And the counselors and career center coordinators couldn't be nicer about accommodating visits and making sure each admission representative feels welcome.

And there's one more thing I really like about Minnesota . . . a Starbucks in the lobby of my hotel. Could my happiness be increased? I think not.


Here I am with the Claremont contingent at the MISP fair. From left, Laura Stratton (Scripps), me, Danny Irving (Pitzer), and Iris Gardner (Pomona). CMC wasn't in attendance, but the rest of us got a chance to catch up over Dove Bars and Chex Mix during the break.

I didn't remember to get a photo of Mudd's table at the NACAC fair, but two fantastic alumni, Kim (Chem '87) and Hal (Engineering '90) came to help out for the evening session. Good thing, too, because we were astoundingly busy. Colleges with nine majors and 770 students located 2,000 miles away don't often have a long line at the college fairs, but the crowd around our table was three deep for most of the evening. Unexpected but delightful.

Here's a quick recap of the Minnesota adventure:

Miles driven: 182
Schools visited: 8
Students met at school visits: 12
Students interviewed: 11
Students met at college fairs: umm . . . a lot. A couple hundred, maybe?
Caffeinated beverages: 10 (pretty restrained, I think, given the proximity of the Starbucks)
# of times lost: 3

I got home just before midnight last night, in time to catch a few hours' sleep before today's Discovery Day program. Back to work!

What admission counselors actually do on travel

Whenever I tell someone about my travels for work, the immediate assumption is that I must live a very glamorous life. And honestly, if I picture someone on a "business trip," even I start to imagine first-class plane tickets, swank hotels, and coordinated designer luggage. But the reality, my friends, is not so snazzy -- aside from the daily Starbucks excursions, which I like very much. I took notes this year so I could give you a complete "day-in-the-life" experience. Here's a play-by-play of a day in the Bay Area.

5:15 am Rise and shine! Am so anxious about oversleeping that I've actually been awake since 4:45. Yawn.

6:00 am Ready to go. Googlemapped a Starbucks just down the street. It's still completely dark outside, and I'm the only customer. Vanilla latte = happy Colleen.

6:15 am Well, I'm definitely not the only person on the freeway! Nonetheless, I make it to Marin in 45 minutes.

7:30 am First visit of the day. I meet one student -- she's already visited HMC, so she has some good questions.

8:30 am Stop at a grocery store to pick up some snacks for lunch -- I know I won't have time later. Spend several minutes looking for my silver Honda before remembering I'm driving a rental. Oops.

9:10 am Second visit. No takers. Contemplate weirdness of a traffic flow where 3rd St becomes 2nd St turns into 4th St. San Rafael, what were you thinking?

10:05 am I'm five minutes late for my third visit. I hate that. One student.

11:00 am Arrive at parking lot of next high school. Gulp down a quick lunch of string cheese, cherry tomatoes, and homemade granola. Sing praises of stainless steel water bottle, which has kept water cool in a warm car. Try to call a few high schools in Oregon, but can't get reception. Read instead.

11:30 am Dust off granola crumbs and report for next visit. One student.

12:10 pm Am invited for lunch at San Domenico but can't stay. Have 50 minutes to make it to next high school, so not particularly panicked, but can't find the turn (thanks, Google Maps) and end up late to my 1 pm visit. Rats.

2:25 pm Spend ten minutes looking for parking. Grab another handful of granola and a quick swallow of water. Stainless steel water bottle no longer quite so effective.

2:45 pm Great chat with two seniors. Lizards and lizard treadmills much discussed.

4:00 pm Debate with self: try to make it back to hotel before rush hour traffic, or succumb to temptation and eat first full meal of day RIGHT NOW? Regretfully decide first option is more prudent. No crepes today.

5:30 pm Arrive back at hotel. So much for missing traffic.

6:00 pm Chiptole burrito bowl and HGTV! I don't have TV at home so this is a special treat.

6:30 pm Discover that the laptop's wireless isn't working. Much frustration. I've got important things to do! Settle for catching up on reports & spreadsheets and writing some e-mails I can send later. Keep an eye on HGTV. Wonder if I can befriend Sandra Rinomato.

9:30 pm Time for bed!

So that, dear readers, is what a travel day looks like -- a pre-dawn wake-up call, no proper lunch, lots of muttered curses at Google Maps, and a suspicious dearth of parking spaces and restrooms. The perks? Well, the television and the restaurant food, certainly, but I do also get to reconnect with some very nice college counselors, and in general, Mudd applicants are pretty nifty people. So it's not all suffering. That said, I'm looking forward to my own bed, my own food, and my own fluffy dog very soon.

Trip #2 Complete

. . . And it's straight into trip 3, as I elected to combine New Jersey and Minnesota this year. Seemed like a good idea to dispose of all the jet lag in one fell swoop. My trip to New Jersey was not without its perils; for only the second time in my admission career, I got so horrendously lost I missed an entire school visit. (The first time was also in New Jersey. Go figure.) Both my contact lens solution and my granola stash exploded in my suitcase (oops), and in my crowning moment of glory, I managed to leave behind my favorite pants in my parents' laundry room. Thanks for overnighting my pants, Mom!

As for the good stuff -- well, I interviewed some lovely students, and aside from that one rather large mishap, I made it to all my appointments on time. That's saying something. Here's a recap:

Miles driven: 100
School [successfully] visited: 6
Students met at school visits: 10
Students interviewed: 15 (thanks for driving to the Short Hills Mall, guys!)
Caffeinated beverages: 8
# of times lost: 3
# of students with Jersey accents: 0

In which the 21st century proves not as exciting as anticipated

You may remember a previous post in which I waxed enthusiastic about our new online registration system. While I still think getting the program launched in the first place is a major coup for an office without any technical support, there have been a few -- how shall I say it -- blips as we adjust to the new system, particularly the online booking for off-campus interviews. Like, say, an entire day of New Jersey interviews appearing fully booked when in fact vacant. Or the fact that you can spend ten minutes entering all your personal information into the computer, only to discover that the day of interviews you wanted is fully booked, and if you select a different day, you'll have to enter all of that same information again. Aggravating.

The one thing that hasn't changed is that in the more popular cities -- Denver, San Diego, Seattle, Washington DC -- the interviews, no matter how many we offer, book next to instantly and result in a lot of frustrated phone calls and e-mails. We've had to stop doing counselor interviews altogether in San Francisco, because even sixty interview slots still yielded a waitlist of forty.

In other news, I depart tomorrow for my home state of New Jersey, for a whirlwind four-day-seven-school-visit-sixteen-interview-and-hopefully-time-for-a-load-of-laundry visit, and thence directly to Minnesota, for which I am packing an umbrella, fleece scarf, and sunglasses, because the ten-day forecast shows everything from highs of 71 to lows of freezing, and how am I supposed to dress for that? Still, despite the suitcase quandary, I'm eager to go see some autumn, because we just don't have that season here in SoCal. Minneapolis, I am counting on you for some pretty fall leaves and pumpkin spice lattes.

Coming up soon

HMC is sponsoring Out To Innovate, a one-day conference for LGBT students, faculty, and professionals in the STEM fields. The conference will be held on the USC campus on October 9. You can attend as a high school student, and there's even a special section in the poster conference for high school entries. If you're interested, you can register online.

Trip #1 Complete

Well, young people, I've successfully returned from the first of my fall travels. I went to the East Bay and Marin for three days, racked up a few Southwest points, and spent a lot of time lost. I took some notes for a future "day in the life" post, but for now, here's a quick synopsis of the trip.

Miles driven: 303
High schools visited: 13
Students met: 58 (go East Bay!)
Caffeinated beverages: 5
# of times lost: 7
# of times awake before 6 am: 2

I met some great students (so many I actually ran out of publications on my last visit), reconnected with a few favorite counselors, stayed in a great Pleasant Hill hotel (they stocked the room with Twinings tea! be still my heart!), and remembered that I hate traveling during NPR's fall fundraising drive. And I'm back. In one piece. And happy to have a two-mile commute for the next few days.

In which HMC students are perceived to be frauds

Nathan Jones '10 (now a second lieutenant in the US Army) spent his summer making a video for the Career Services Office. I just saw it for the first time and most of the six minutes in gleeful snickers. Seriously, you must watch it, if only for the reference to "CalMITech." Nate, if the Army thing doesn't work out, I think you could have a brilliant career as an investigative reporter for the Daily Show.

PS You can watch other Mudd videos at the HMC YouTube Channel.

In which we enter the 21st century

After many months of prep and planning, our online event signup system is now fully functional! You can register for tours, interviews, and campus programs without having to wait for normal business hours. A lot of colleges do this already, so you might be wondering, what's so special?

Well, my friends, I will tell you. Those other colleges of which you speak -- they have tech support. People specifically dedicated to the setup and maintenance of all relevant computer programs. We don't. We did it all ourselves. And by "we" I mean "Raissa," a biology major who had to teach herself everything about programming 422 from scratch. So to finally have the event manager system up and running is a really big deal for us.

You can see the results of Raissa's handiwork at http://em.422x.com/hmc. Please feel free to praise extravagantly.

Building a solar cell from white paint and berries: a tutorial

When chemistry professor Hal Van Ryswyk invited the admission staff to test out the new first-year chem lab, we jumped at the opportunity. I mean -- solar cells from paint and berries? It didn't seem possible. And a chance to wear these stylish goggles again? Ah, high school flashbacks.




Unlike most actual labs at Mudd, Prof. Van Ryswyk had absolutely everything set up for us and guided us through the entire process step-by-step (normally we encourage students to actually read the directions). And since some of Prof. Van Ryswyk's research involves creating low-cost photovoltaics, this was a good introduction to how chemists are trying to save the planet. Here's the how-to, much of which is taken verbatim from the frosh chem lab handout:



1) Grind about .5 grams of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (found in white paint).

2) Tape off three sides of a small piece of conductive glass, then spread on a thin layer of the nanocrystalline titanium dioxide. After the paint dries, pull off the tape, and place paint side up on an extremely toasty hot plate for twenty minutes. (You can see the hot plate in the foreground of the picture below.)

3) Heat a second piece of tin oxide glass, conducting side down, over a candle flame to coat the conducting side with carbon. (Tongs are very important for this step!) After the glass cools, wipe off three of the edges with a q-tip, trying to keep the shape similar to the paint on the other piece of glass.

4) Grind the berries of your choice! Thyra and I used bing cherries, Peter used raspberries, and Raissa used blackberries. Later, in the grand reveal, I'll tell you which worked best.

5) Staring helps the nanoparticles sinter faster.

6) Assemble your two glass plates into a sandwich with coated sides together, but offset so that uncoated glass extends beyond the sandwich. Attach with binder clips. It's nice to do this step with a professor, so that when you screw it up, as most of us did, he can fix your sandwich for you. Add a few drops of a triiodide solution to the edge of the plate.

7) Connect a multimeter using an alligator clip to each plate. Turn on the overhead projector.

8) Watch the computer measure the current and voltage produced by the solar cell. Have Prof. Van Ryswyk do the math calculations for you to find the overall efficiency of your cell. First-years, sorry, you have to do the math yourselves. Bring a calculator!

The big winner? Blackberries! Raissa's blackberries far outperformed the bing cherries (not your best bet for photovoltaics) and moderately outperformed the raspberries. In fact, Raissa's blackberry cell set a Mudd record and Prof. Van Ryswyk printed out an extra copy of the results for his lab. Go Raissa! Go blackberries! Antioxidants and photovoltaic potential all in one delicious package!

Research with a side of sushi

Yesterday I went to the summer research poster conference here on Mudd's campus. Most Mudders make an appearance at the conference -- not surprising when you figure that nearly half the student body had a poster in the conference. And in addition, there was food, and the students were enthusiastically applying themselves to the raspberry cheesecake and the chicken cornucopias. Even a safe distance away from the sushi table, the conference was packed, so I didn't get a good glimpse of every poster, but a few that looked interesting were Development of an Aquatic Robot, Optimization of Renewable Energy, and Social Science Games. And like a dutiful blogger, I snagged a couple of photos.



This is Tselil standing in front of "Adventures in Coevolution with Jane." (You can see Anak, another student involved with this project, standing second from the left.) This was a crossover project using computers to compare evolutionary trees of different species with symbiotic relationships, to see if the species may have evolved together. I hope I got that right. The project has a website, so you can check my synopsis if you'd like. Even though the project certainly has biology overtones, Anak is a computer science major and Tselil is doing a joint major in math & CS, which is one of the cool things about Mudd -- because of the Core, students have opportunities to do projects that don't fit neatly into one discipline.

Please note the specially designed lizard catching pole being demonstrated in this photograph.

Speaking of crossover projects, here is Johnson Qu (far left), an engineer, talking about his biology summer research with Prof. Steve Adolph. I've mentioned lizards and Johnson a time or two on this blog already, but hey, I really like both of them. The team was using equipment from Prof. Nancy Lape's engineering lab, trying to figure out what it is about the composition of particular types of reptile eggs that allows them to expand to up to three times their original size.

The research posters were all very interesting, but seriously, those chicken cornucopias were delicious.

Classes & Chili Rellenos

Campus is hopping these days. The freshmen arrived Thursday, upperclassmen followed over the weekend, and today is the very first day of classes. Wow. That all happened fast. Orientation is always a bit comic -- in addition to the fun activities, like the Honor Code sign-in, the sponsor skits, and other traditions that will be imparted to you at a future date, how do the first-years spend their second day on campus? Taking placement tests. Oh yes. Good times. They're optional except for the math one, but many students avail themselves of the option -- even though no one, in the history of the college, has actually passed the Special Relativity placement test (because really, who takes that as a class in high school?), there are always a few freshmen brave/crazy enough to try.

Placement tests aside, the first-years seem excited and happy to be here, and their parents have been successfully dispatched home again. It was fun to see how many faces I recognized in the crowd, and Maria (as in Klawe, the college president) got a huge round of applause after demonstrating how many names of incoming students she had memorized over the summer. The admission staff is really, terrifyingly good at that -- and Maria is even better. I was impressed.

The end of summer also means the end of having a full-time intern at our beck and call. We took our tour guide extraordinaire, Nash, out to lunch at Casa del Salsa in Claremont. We've had some wonderful summer interns before, but Nash is the best ever. No exaggeration. I don't know how he stayed energetic touring in 110-degree heat (maybe coming from Texas helps?) but he was a blast to work with all summer long -- good-humored even when his assignment was folding 300 photocopied maps of Claremont or fetching boxes from the basement. Nash, we'll miss you! Come back and hang out, okay? You won't have to fold any maps, I promise.

Peter, Hannah, Falone, Nash, and Raissa availing themselves of the buffet. College students + buffet = perfect happiness.

You have been chosen

Me, Falone, Chris Z., and Hannah, surrounded by maybe half of the FAST applications. Raissa took the photo.

Last week we made our selections for the Fall FAST program. This is the program's third year, and it is amazing how much the applicant pool has grown -- we went from perhaps forty applications the first time to nearly 200. And the frustrating aspect is that there were far, far more qualified applicants than space permits us to have on campus, so we turned down many students for FAST whom we will almost certainly admit to the college. In fact, the admit rate to FAST is lower than our admit rate to the college. Eek! Even one of our President's Scholars was turned down for FAST last year.

After two days of arguing, we did finally manage to come up with a group of about 40 students to fly to campus. And they're great. FAST participants, we look forward to seeing you on campus on September 10! Rest up and remember the sage advice from the Hitchhiker's Guide: bring a towel.

IT'S HERE!!!

Drumroll please . . . the viewbook has arrived!!! I've been parading it around the admission office humming the triumphant theme from Star Wars since the advance copies appeared yesterday -- it's just that special a moment.

All those publications you see on tables at college fairs? All those fat, unsolicited envelopes that get stuffed through your mail slot, bursting with materials from universities with improbable names? Right. This is our contribution to the college chaos, and I couldn't be prouder. The rubbery feel of the cover. The clear polyester layers (lots of ogre jokes as the layers were in the planning stage). The photos of so many of my favorite students. The smart, self-deprecating humor.

This viewbook is the culmination of months of work. Janice Gilson, who designs most of our publications, has been slaving away at this full-time since January. Peter, Thyra and I have proofread, proofread, proofread, and agonized over word choice and structure with an intensity that would put Tolstoy to shame.

Fun facts about this viewbook:

• We have official permission from NASA to use the photograph on p. 16. Just saying "official permission from NASA" makes me feel cool.
• We wanted to show images of student life that didn't feel staged -- so we borrowed student photos that were submitted for the yearbook. Hence Chris Mankos in the dorms with a Super Soaker. And the prank in the president's office. Good times.
• The woman on the skateboard on the cover -- yup, that would be HMC's president, Maria Klawe. That photo is staged -- you'll never see Maria riding a skateboard on campus without her helmet, knee pads, and wrist guards. (You can also see her reserved skateboard parking spot on p. 48.)

If you're a rising senior and you're already on the mailing list, you'll be receiving a copy of this shortly. (If you're not on our mailing list, then correct that forthwith!) It will also be available in PDF format on our website in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, here are a few teaser images.

Gratuitous submarine photo? Check. Tomorrowland font? Check. Doubledecker bikes, artificial noses, slide rules, child-size Jeeps, and professors on Pi day? Check. We're thrilled, and we hope you like the finished product!

August Updates

What happens in an admission office in August? Well, quite a bit, actually. We're gearing up for the start of the recruiting season, but still coping with all the visitor traffic of summer. Last Friday, for example, we had 60 people coming for the 1:30 pm information session, 55 for the 2 pm tour, half a dozen interviews booked . . . it's pretty hopping here, and seems even more so since our lobby is the size of a postage stamp. Nash Witkin, our full-time summer tour guide, is working hard not only with tours, but also greeting visitors, giving directions, and helping with mailings. Thank you, Nash. You are awesome!

In addition to planning our travel for the fall (22 states, 6 staff members, less than 2 months -- yipes!), there are a few early trips that happen during August: Claremont College Receptions, East Coast college fairs, China, and India (Peter and Thyra are doing the bulk of this, but Raissa put in two weeks in New England earlier this summer). I just got back from a quick trip to New Hampshire -- I helped out with an essay panel for the Thai Scholars. We have two Thai Scholars already on our campus (you might have read about Anak on our website earlier this year, and Jeep has completely embraced the alternative-wheeled-vehicle culture on our campus: first unicycling, now freelining) and two more enrolling this fall, so this is a program that is important to Mudd. I already knew this group of Thai Scholars would be crazy smart -- these are students who have won full scholarships from the government or other major institutions like banks, etc., to study abroad through the PhD/graduate school level, with the understanding that they will return to Thailand and use their education to better the country -- but I was equally impressed by the level of critical analysis these students were able to bring to the college essay process. They (metaphorically) tore apart the sample essays, and were able to pinpoint all of the many things that could be improved. I've done many essay workshops, and this was the first where the participants didn't vote to admit all the mock applicants. It was entertaining to work with such tough critics for a change! I'm not sure I was able to contribute anything these students didn't already know intuitively, but it was great to meet the Thai Scholars as a group before they're parcelled off to boarding schools across the country for a postgrad year.

But after four flights, much driving, and three days with no vegetables, I'm exhausted. Time to rest up before travel season starts in earnest in September.