Tools to Discover if Mudd is the Right Fit for You

Good morning, afternoon or evening, prospective Mudders!

For me, especially as an international student, college research was one of the hardest parts of the application process. I used to have spreadsheets 20 columns long and still not a lot of answers. You can browse countless websites, instagram accounts, and divergent opinions from diverse sources and forums, but where should you look to get a genuine perspective of what being a student at a certain college is like?

Today, to facilitate your research and to help you discover if Mudd is a right fit for you, I’ll try to answer the question above.

My advice is divided in two steps: (1) search the basic information on your own and (2) talk and listen to current students about more detailed/subjective topics. But first, start with the things you want! Make a list of the aspects you already visualize for your college experience.

1) Getting started

If you don’t like any STEM fields, can’t live without snow, and are excited about spending your next four years on the East Coast, Mudd may not be the best place for you. This is the kind of information that you can easily find on HMC’s website, so please don’t skip the step of exploring it. Take a look in the Admission and Financial Aid tab, read about the Common Core Curriculum, learn about the 5C Consortium and compare how Mudd lines up with your personal list.   

For example, as a person interested in Mathematics, taking a look in the Math Department’s website was important in my decision to apply. The “Impressive Facts about the Department of Mathematics” really helped me. Maybe other sections will help you to visualize yourself at Mudd too!

2) Talk to Mudders!

After knowing the basics, here comes my favorite piece of advice: talk and listen to Mudders! There are many ways you can do this!

• Accompany the day of a Mudder

In our Instagram account (@hmcadmission), there are several takeovers from current students. You can take a glance at how the food looks, how people manage Mudd’s workload in different ways, what clubs we have: Mudders in their natural habitat. And even better, if you follow us there ( 😉 ), we regularly have IG Takeovers where you can ask us questions! 

• Chat with current students and other applicants 

If you have questions or maybe just want to know other prospective Mudders, the “Harvey Mudd – Admissions” Discord server may be a good option for you. There are many current students there, and you would be surprised about how much Mudders are willing to help. From the time I was deciding to come to Mudd until now, I have always received genuine responses from upperclassmen. I would definitely recommend the server. 

• And there are still many more other sources

Lastly but not least, there are so many other ways to connect with Mudd (in-person and virtual tours and the admissions blog itself (!!), for example), so don’t forget to check some of these alternatives in the Office of Admissions page too.

Good luck in your search! Hope to see you all at Mudd next fall 😉