Harvey Mudd College is a private college located in Claremont, California. With less than 1,000 undergrads, Harvey Mudd itself is tiny, but the college is a part of the Claremont Colleges consortium. The Claremont Colleges is made up of 7 schools all located in Claremont, and they all share a central library. Pretty cool. Harvey Mudd’s specialty is STEM, and has a 14% acceptance rate.
Harvey Mudd’s questions haven’t changed from last year, but we have some updated thoughts on how to best master this essay.
What influenced you to apply to Harvey Mudd College? What about the HMC curriculum and community appeals to you? Please limit your response to 500 words.
This is a classic “why our school” essay, and no fear, we have a great approach to this essay. Our formula is tried and true and it’s pretty easy to follow.
First, identify your major. Then you’re going to work backwards from the declared interest to a story about why you want to study it. If you want to study engineering, think of an inciting incident that either showcases why you developed this interest, so if you became fascinated with how things worked as a kid and once took apart the TV, you could talk about that here. You’ll want to zero in on a small moment in time, not just recount all the reasons you’ve accumulated over the years for why you like engineering. This paragraph will start with the story, and end with the declaration of your major.
Your next paragraph will be focused on academics. You want to head on over to the Harvey Mudd course catalog and pick two upper-level courses from your declared major. Avoid “Introduction to” classes, since all colleges will offer these. You’re trying to show them why Harvey Mudd is important to you, not just the major. You also want to choose classes that connect to a current interest you have, or potentially to some work experience or elective classes you did in high school. Maybe you’re interested in ENGR180 HM - Human Centered Design because you are fascinated with the relationship between people and technology -- or you want to take ENGR185A HM - Engineering Design and Invention because you love to actually build things and think creatively. Connect your choices back to you, and weave them into the narrative you’re creating.
Next up is researching professors. Because HMC is so small, you’ll be able to really develop close relationships with your professors and their research. Maybe you want to study with Professor Christopher Clark, who runs the Lab for Autonomous and Intelligent Robotics and researches underwater robots. Whoever you decide, you want to talk about why you’d be a great fit for their team and how your interests have shaped this decision.
The last piece of the puzzle is talking about extracurriculars at HMC. Yes, you can join clubs and organizations at any of the 5Cs, but you want to focus on what exists at Harvey Mudd. Maybe you want to join the HMC student newspaper, The Muddraker, since you worked on your school’s paper in high school. Or you’re interested in the college’s band since you’ve played trumpet since you were 10.
Once you’ve decided and researched your strategy, you’re going to use your 500 words to tell a story. Start with your origin story, declare the major, and then talk about your future at Harvey Mudd. Don’t just add fluff to get to the 500 word mark, keep expanding on what really interests you about HMC.
Many students choose HMC because they don’t want to give up their interests in the Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts – or HSA as we call it at HMC. Briefly (in 100 words or less) describe what you'd like to learn about in your dream HSA class.
First, you’ll want to read Harvey Mudd’s HSA curriculum. They strongly believe (and so do we) that college is a place to become more well-rounded, and to explore interests outside of your degree. Even as a STEM major, learning about the humanities is deeply important, and HMC has made this a central part of their educational offerings.
You want to choose something that’s broader than “History,” or “German,” so think of something more niche to your interests. If you are interested in History, think of a class you’d want to take that discusses modern Japanese history, or about women in the 1500s. Talk about why this interests you, and maybe even pepper in a few ideas about readings or project ideas. This is a good place to connect the books and media you consume now into a class idea that you would take. You don’t have much space, so keep it direct and clear.
HMC is a small school with a lot of other kids vying for those few spots. Start on your essays now and make them as sharp as possible, you got this.
If you need help with this application or any others, contact us here for one-on-one support.