<p>geek_mom said:
“reserving 10% of admission slots for a “special category” of students who lack the traditional qualifications, who in her words “are just as smart, but may not be as well prepared and will need some extra help”. She didn’t elaborate as to how “just as smart” would be measured or what “extra help” Mudd would provide or how it would be funded, but she went directly from this point to her points about recruiting black students (please note that she made an explicitly racial connection here, not me).”</p>
<p>Ok, I find this a little disturbing… my daughter self-identifies as African American, so she is covering two underrepresented groups at HMC. She was just accepted to HMC, and very excited and honored to have been. She was under the impression that her 800 SAT Math score; 800 SAT II Math score, straight A’s in all her math/science courses including AB/BC calc, AP Stats; AP Physics… 800 SAT CR; 700 WR… etc. were the kinds of skills that HMC looked for in all it’s admitted students. Now, should she wonder if she was part of the 10% “just as smart but needs extra help” group? Frankly, I’m not sure why you felt the need to post this, do you want every female student or student of color wondering if they were only accepted because the qualifications were bent for them? And, having other admitted students wondering that too? One of my D’s essays discussed how hard it was to be taken seriously as a woman of color in her science/math classes even when she was at the top of her classes. Frankly, she handles it better than I do.
sigh.</p>