Interviews at HMC: Hayden Reflects

When I introduced our senior interviewers last month, I promised to share some of their insights into the HMC community & the interviewing process.  Here's what Hayden Hatch '12 wrote about his on-campus interview four years ago.

Believe it or not, I've wanted to be a senior interviewer since I was a prospective student!  I have this vivid and distinct memory of entering the Harvey Mudd Admissions Office for my interview during my senior year in high school.  I was frightened, insecure, and nervous, and I felt like the whole world was literally sitting on my shoulders.  It felt like every student, administrator, and wart (!) was staring at me as I traversed campus, judging my worthiness and deciding if I belonged.

As I entered the Admissions office, I noticed that I was in similar company; two other prospective students were sitting there -- hands intertwined and struggling to display an air of confidence.  As I sat in the waiting room, I tried to imagine what my interview would be like.  My mind was flooded with images of myself burping and drooling as I explained why I liked Harvey Mudd.  My heart began to race, and I was certain that I would be drilled with questions about Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics.

Then my interviewer, Rachel, walked in. She had a humongous smile on her face and asked me how my day was going.  She was very funny and outgoing and the interview was pretty casual.  The anxiety, nervousness, and stress that were devouring me in the waiting room suddenly melted away.

This experience was a very vivid and comforting one that I really would want to pass on.  I really want to hear these students' stories, relate to them, and tell them how great Mudd is.  I want to express how truly exciting it is to be around other intellectuals who share the same interest as you.

Note from Colleen: Hayden is just as funny and enthusiastic as Rachel Howden '08.  And he probably won't ask you about Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. 

We had a program. It was cool.

It also happened a month ago.  Eeesh.  Where does the time go?  Fall FAST brought forty extremely talented high school seniors to our campus for a packed program including lab tours, class visits, an engineering workshop, an overnight stay, lots of free food, and an admission workshop. 

As has been the case the last couple of years, admission to the FAST program was even more competitive than admission to the college -- in fact, one of the students we turned down for FAST two years ago ended up winning the President's Scholarship, the most prestigious merit award we offer.  If it happened to Carling, it can happen to you, so be not disheartened if you weren't among those selected for the program.  Picking just forty of the nation's top math and science prospects is daunting.

And if you were selected, well, it was great to meet you!  Here are some photos of the engineering workshop.  I wasn't there (photo credits go to Falone & Raissa) so I can't tell you much about the activity in question. 

I am responsible for this last photo.  As you can see I didn't really think much about the backdrop.  But now, in case you were worried, you can sleep calmly at night knowing we do have a dry cleaner's in downtown Claremont.

Travel season and disgruntled housepets

As far as Louie is concerned, the suitcase is the first hint that something is very wrong.  Duffel bags are for road trips, and road trips generally include the dog, so as soon as the squeaky toys start migrating into one of the side pouches, he can relax. 

But suitcases, the autumn clothes strewn across the bed in ninety-five degree weather, the sudden lack of foodstuffs in the refrigerator -- these are all portents that travel season is about to begin.  And dogs -- even dogs like Louie, who are inured to the vagaries of their wandering owners, and are on a lap-sitting basis with the pet resort personnel -- are not fond of travel season.  They do not like being left behind, even if the "kennel" is a high-class doggy hotel, with a swimming pool, flat-screen TVs, and twin beds, suitable for a TLC reality show featuring pampered pets. 

And the person, to be honest, is feeling a little burnt out on travel season herself.  Yesterday Raissa and I indulged in a wistful and protracted conversation about grocery shopping.  Perishables, you see, aren't really practical given the tight turnarounds in our schedules.  Even laundry day is a much-anticipated and joyful event. 

During travel season, it's the small perks that change the day: the discovery of a Whole Foods near my Lafayette hotel.  Sleeping in until seven thirty one memorable morning.  A page-turning, world-altering book, in the form of Conor Grennan's "Little Princes."  Meeting up with my parents between school visits.  Catching a classic Law & Order marathon on TV. 

I leave for Oregon this weekend on my second-to-last trip of the season.  I'm looking forward to the autumn leaves, the rain (yes, really), the lasagna (mmm, Mamma Mia), the mostly logical street layouts, and the people -- many of my favorite-ever interviews have been with Portland students.  (Yes, Hannah, Jessica, Ileane, and Brian, I'm talking about you.)  And then two weeks of residential bliss before zipping up my suitcase and boarding a plane once more.  Holy luxury Batman.  I can't wait. 

Goshdarnit

Today, while I'm in transit from California to New Jersey, crammed in coach with no prospect of a decent beverage, this is happening:

Tea!  Hats!  British accents optional!  And Jeep's e-mail promised cake and biscuits!  What with the hammocks, the cookies, the events, and the people, South dorm has it all.

Now I'm dreaming of a well brewed cup of English Breakfast . . . and cake would be nice too.

Skills you don't learn in school

I went to Orange County for work last Tuesday and got lost.  (Who's surprised?)  I was sure my trip would be easy-peasy.  First visit, Troy High School, Fullerton, 9 am.  Google's predicted drive time: 27 minutes.  I left at eight, and still arrived late.  At least that one I could blame on the traffic.  Second visit, Fountain Valley.  The directions looked foolproof, since, as you'll observe below, there were only two right-hand turns standing between me and my destination.

Easy, right?  Well, this is what I actually did:

Somehow, despite those idiot-proof directions, I nearly ended up at the beach.  Sheesh.  When you apply for a job in admission, a standard question is whether you have a valid driver's license -- nobody ever inquires if you can successfully navigate yourself from point A to point B within the normal life expectancy of a mosquitofish (two years, in case you were curious).  So directions are perhaps not my strong point.  But I do have one unexpected skill up my sleeve.

Present me with a choice of three near-identical strip malls, like so:

And I can tell you, with unerring accuracy, which one contains the Starbucks (hint: in California, it's usually next to the Jamba Juice).  Granted, this won't save the world anytime soon, but it sure comes in handy.  Who says suburbanites don't have survival skills?

Images 1 and 2 from Googlemaps; image 3 from http://www.crcconstruction.com/



President Klawe makes headlines!

There's a great article about HMC president Maria Klawe in the latest Bloomberg/Businessweek, including a photo of her riding a skateboard (and yes, she really does wear all that protective gear -- just one of the reasons she's an excellent role model!).  And just in case the skateboarding wasn't enough to convince you that the president is actually a friendly, approachable human being, may I present exhibit B:

This is a vignette from the day students turned Maria Klawe's office into a preschool, complete with child-size tables and chairs, a tricycle, educational materials, and helpful labels like the ones above -- including a designated space to line up for recess.  I think she was impressed.

Lilian also got a shout-out in the article (yay Lilian!) and there are quotations from Professor Dodds and Dean Cave.  It's a regular Mudd party, so go and check it out.  And if you want to learn more about women in computer science, Mudd's CS department has a page linking you to helpful resources, including the Grace Hopper conference, which an incredible proportion of the first-year women attend annually.  Mudd blogger Xanda went to Grace Hopper a couple of years ago; her description is archived here.

Campus since commencement

What with the construction on campus, things aren't quite business as usual this academic year.  Although there's been a disappointing dearth of dramatic skateboard/freeline/unicycle crashes thus far (you have reality TV; I have my office window), the students have found an upside to the construction: an administratively sanctioned chance for creativity.  Here are some recent photos:

The construction area for the new building stretches right up to Kingston Hall, even though the finished product will be located a decorous distance away. 

While the sunny, grassy area outside Kingston is temporarily gone, never fear -- there is still plenty of green for sports and lounging down at the residential end of campus.

However, since all campus foot traffic is directed through this narrow passageway, there's one small problem . . .

Problem (mostly) solved.  There are a few renegades (ahem, Johnson), but in general pedestrians are safe from marauding bicycles.

Nobody was initially fond of the endless expanse of white construction wall, but the students made a purse out of a sow's ear (or a shelf out of a Pooh posterior, if you recall your A. A. Milne).

Dorm pride, math jokes, Harry Potter references, and COLOR.  It's festive!

Gratuitous photo of trees and sunlight.  This path is the first thing I see when I arrive at work each morning -- stately, no?

The students also commemorated Orientation 2011 on the construction wall . . .

. . . including a portrait of Superhero Liana (seen below, in the middle between Elly and Julius).  It's not a bad likeness, actually.



So that's a snapshot of life here on campus at this particular moment -- minus, of course, the coffee (the coffee cart is back, huzzah!), the classes, and the general hubbub of seven hundred and fifty students going about their daily business.  It's lovely to have them here again.