Meet the Social Interns: Mikayla Mann

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Hey there! Whether you’re a prospective student, parent, current student, or anywhere in between, I’m happy you’re here. My name is Mikayla Mann, I’m from San Diego, and I’m a current freshman at Harvey Mudd. Frosh don’t have to declare their majors, or even have any idea of what they want to do, but right now I’m especially interested in majoring in either engineering or biology (or some combination of the two).

I’ve actually known about HMC for quite some time, years before my admissions process began! My parents met at Mudd, so I’ve grown up hearing stories about the classic pranks, fun times with friends, and engaging classes. For my first college presentation in 8th grade, I thought, “Why not?” and presented on Harvey Mudd. Once I started doing my own research on it, it was love at first sight and it’s been my top choice ever since!

A chalkboard with diagrams and green smiley faces on it

Some of the work my partner and I did on a chalkboard during Special Relativity! [Photo credit: Mikayla Mann]

One of the things I’m grateful for time and time again is how small Mudd is. Although this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I’m a big fan of it because of how many resources are available to us at any given time. Some of my classes are even smaller than in high school! My physics recitation class has only 15 people and we do collaborative work on the chalkboard while our professor walks around and provides one-on-one help.

I don’t want to use this space to just talk about academics, though. Harvey Mudd is a rigorous school, but that’s not the main reason why I chose it. It was more Mudd’s personality I fell in love with. Although our “N + 1” rules are a little different because of the pandemic, Mudd is still the most inviting community I’ve ever been immersed in. Everyone smiles or waves at each other while walking to class, and we make sure our dining hall table has space for anyone who needs it!

Two Mudd students sitting on each other on a chair

There’s always room for one more at Mudd! [Photo credit: Mikayla Mann]

There are quite a few things that have surprised me about Mudd too. I wasn’t expecting my personality to change so quickly, but it did because of the collaborative and friendly environment! I’ve been an introvert my whole life, but now people (even my parents!) are telling me how much more outgoing I seem. I knew Mudd was going to be collaborative, but I’m doing almost all my homework with other people now, which I find is a really effective way to learn.

I’ve settled into Mudd life pretty well, and I’m looking forward to all the new adventures college will bring! I’m so excited to be a social media intern here, and I hope to see you on campus next year!