Re-Post: 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.

 Still stuck on that college essay?  Here's what I wrote back in the dark ages of 2010 on what admission counselors are seeking from a personal statement.
 

 

Christmas at the Claremonts, Part II

HMC's holiday video!  Click on the photo to open the video in a new window. 

Wishing you relaxing vacations and plenty of vegan melting-snowman cookies.  Happy holidays!

Closing Up for Christmas

The Office of Admission will be closed for the winter holidays starting 5 pm PST on Thursday, December 22. 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 today; 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!

Christmas at the Claremonts, Part I

My friend Betsy and I participated in a Claremont tradition this year.  I'd give you three guesses to figure out where we went, but it's probably pretty obvious: the Nutcracker!  The Inland Pacific Ballet performs at Bridges Auditorium (on Pomona's campus, but technically a 5-college venue) every December.  And it's awesome.  We were especially taken with the Chinese dance, which, in the Inland Pacific's choreography, includes a dragon (see above).  You can also check out snippets from 2010's performance in the dance company's YouTube video.  

Whatever your holiday traditions, enjoy!

Photo 5 & video, courtesy Inland Pacific Ballet, http://www.thebestnutcracker.com/.  All other photos (blurry or otherwise) taken by me.

Early Decision Letters . . .

. . . are going out today!  Woohoo!  It was a bit of an uphill battle to get to this point; we had to contend with the learning curve of online reading and a 30% increase in early decision applications over last year.  This means, unfortunately, that we will also be seeing a 30% increase in the number of students we make unhappy. 

Here's why.  We didn't want to dramatically increase the percentage of our class admitted via early decision; this would make regular decision even more painful than it already is, and we feel it's important to be as consistent and fair as possible throughout the admission process.  We like our tiny size, but one of the drawbacks is we can't admit all of the talented, deserving students in our applicant pool.

Because we only release decisions by mail, please stay patient!  We promise they will be coming to your mailbox soon at the rapid pace of the US postal service.  We make exceptions to our mail-only policy for international students or students currently living abroad; they will be notified by e-mail, probably tonight or tomorrow. 

To all of the students who applied via early decision: thank you for your faith in our college and community.  We truly enjoyed getting to know you on person and in paper, and we wish you the very best.

Early Decision Continues . . .

. . . with cinnamon buns, two loaves of banana bread, several cups of tea, and some spinach artichoke dip squirreled away in the fridge for later.  We're back in our lilac conference room, this time with laptops in front of us: thanks to online reading, each of us has direct access to the entire application.  This mostly works pretty well, save the occasional jostling for desk space.  I'll let you know after we mail our decision letters; since this photo was taken about ten minutes prior to writing this post, it's clear the letters won't be going out today.  We've still got work to do.

Elsewhere on campus, Mudders are busy with final exams.  While quiet hours are in effect for most of the week at all the Claremont Colleges, Mudders need some way to destress during the craze of exams week.  Enter Noisy Minutes: fifteen minutes each evening reserved for fun of the most outlandish variety.  Below is the finest artistic depiction I've ever seen of more than a thousand bouncy balls being dropped off the top of a building.  It's a glorious quarter hour at Mudd.

Early Decision Updates (and what I'm doing instead)

We had a deadline three weeks ago -- Early Decision Round 1, for the Harvey Mudd College Class of 2016.  This means we need to mail our response letters by, oh, next week.  (December 15 is our mailing deadline, not a mail-in-your-hands deadline, thank heaven.  We need the time.)

This also means that we are currently in the midst of reading files, and doing so online for the very first time.  There have certainly been small glitches, and lots of e-mails to the software support team, but it's not too bad.  Okay, so I'm not stunningly enthusiastic yet -- but that's because I've had way less practice than my colleagues.  While they've been reading their Early Decision applications, I've been running a program called DecemberFest, with 38 high school counselors from across the country. 

DecemberFest is a total departure from my usual admission counseling existence.  I plan fancy dinners.  I schlep boxes.  I collect receipts and arrange reimbursements.  I restock refrigerators.  I order beveled acrylic paperweights.

It also gives me the perfect excuse to crack out my label maker (yes, the dean has one too) . . .

. . . and wear gray sweaters, which are apparently de rigeur for the female admission staff this season. 

DecemberFest has been fun, and it's not over yet -- but I'm also eager to get my paws (or my mouse) on more Early Decision applications.  That'll happen this weekend -- in between laundry, baking, watching Louis N. Smith "graduate" from his Agility 1 class, reconciling receipts, and co-hosting a baby shower.  Hmm.  Perhaps I need more caffeine.