Anybody have the scoop on the Harvey S. Mudd Merit Award? - Page 2

azalia · 10-23-2009, 05:13 PM

Thank you Sunnyholiday. I have been struggling today how to respond. Your response was perfect. I would like to know how to help as well. My son's experience at Mudd has been very different -- other than the working like a dog part and the fact that he like a number of Mudders has had the flu too. They have encouraged the kids not to come to class when they are sick and to my knowledge the professors have been accomodating on extensions for assignments for those who have been sick. The other thing is that the first semester is pass/fail, so there is time to pull up the grades and pass the core classes.

braden · 10-24-2009, 07:43 AM

As a current student, I can indeed attest to the fact that many of my peers are sick right now, and none have been required to take in-class exams at the same time. All who have talked to the profs have been accommodated to ease their workload and help them get rest and get their health back.
BicoastalMomma, I would say that the students would be much better judges of their own school, and I would say that all my friends are absolutely in love with the place. We are working hard, yes, but we're having a wonderful time, and our spirits are fairly high in general. I am not crushed, I am not concerned about having my record destroyed (I'm on pass-fail right now, first semester, woo!), and overall I'm having a lot of fun. And I am definitely not some super-prepared natural-born genius.

BicoastalMamma · 10-24-2009, 07:45 PM

I am posting to warn other parents that Harvey Mudd actively recruits minority students who do not have the educational background to survive Harvey Mudd. I don't want to see another smart, formerly successful child left a broken wreck. I would never have suggested that my son apply to Harvey Mudd if they did not recruit him actively, because I know there are natural math geniuses out there. I also thought there would be some classes or options for the non-genius. I realized there was core, but I did not realize that everyone has to take the exact same courses at the exact same level. Just about everybody there is a math genius with an excellent education. There are also some smart kids with an excellent education. It is not a place for a smart kid with a bad education. I trusted the admissions people to tell me whether it was doable, and I think they lied. They must have known he would be going to school with kids from excellent prep schools, who had done all kinds of math programs. This is not the school for the maybe I would like engineering crowd, but I have only done whatever math I had to do to graduate high school crowd.
I am mostly upset because he was very heavily recruited and I believed the recruiters against my better judgement. They had to know he had no chance against better prepared students.

geek_mom · 10-24-2009, 07:50 PM

So BCM, if you will, let's run with this new charge of yours for a little while instead of just clocking up a few more drive-by rants. Are you saying that of the 2,000+ applicants they received last year, the HMC Admissions staff deliberately selected one or more students they knew could not handle the curriculum (and if this one is from the inner city, presumably received financial assistance from HMC) and would end up dropping out, thus reducing the College's graduation rate?

What, exactly, would be their motivation to do that?

BicoastalMamma · 10-24-2009, 07:57 PM

Braden, my son asked not to take the in-class exams because he was sick and he was forced to take two of them. He had a awful headache, bad cough, and incredible fatigue. He lost his voice completely for a few days. He had a note from the health center, too. All of my son's high school math teachers were awful. Unless, you went to awful high school, Braden, you are better prepared. Braden, how were your friends' workloads eased? Honestly, I think my son could pull it off despite the background if he were given any reasonable accomodation for being sick as a dog.

BicoastalMamma · 10-24-2009, 08:32 PM

To geek_mom --

It is competitive to get the supersmart, inner city minority student. Most go to a local state school, the Ivy league, or a known liberal arts college like Reed, Mt. Holyoke. I don't blame them for trying, but when I told them that his school was terrible, the math was pathetic, they should have had a realistic discussion with me.

If he gets help or some way to make up the work/tests during his illness, I'll post a retraction.

I just want to get a warning up while recruitment season is full blast.

geek_mom · 10-24-2009, 08:42 PM

BCM -- If I were in the position you describe, my focus would not be on lashing out at the college; it would be on doing everything I could to help my son. If you are for real, help your son -- email Mary Cardenas now.

BicoastalMamma · 10-24-2009, 10:49 PM

You won't hear from me again. The warning is up. I was also looking for useful suggestions. I received some privately.