<p>Congrats to you Mom2kids!</p>
<p>Question:
The website says that women are eligible for this scholarship, but are there really many white females getting this minority-focused award?</p>
<p>I know at least one in my grade (and i believe there’s only around 5ish total)</p>
<p>Mudd has been focused on achieving gender balance; the last incoming class has a majority of women. White women were recipients of the Presidential in the past. How Mudd chooses to use this scholarship to recruit underrepresented minorities, and whether white women will continue to be considered as a target groups, will probably depend on the applicant pool each year. Mudd overall still has more men than women, and STEM fields, especially engineering, are still predominantly male. Also, I have heard that more women than men transfer out (Mudd’s graduation rate has been in the 85-90% range), but this is just what the kids say–I haven’t seen any data to that effect. </p>
<p>Note that “underrepresented” can be interpreted somewhat broadly. A white male from an unusual geographic region could be considered underrepresented. A physically handicapped individual of any ethnicity could be considered underrepresented. And so on…It is the whole picture that matters–unusually talented, motivated, high-achieving, responsible kids among the accepted group, who add to the class composition, and, I think, who Mudd knows they have to lure from other top colleges.</p>
<p>PSP isn’t really a “minority” focused scholarship, rather an “underrepresented group” scholarship as it has been pointed out. My daughter received it last year, accepted it and has had a great time so far her first semester. She is a 1/4 black & 3/4 white, but I’m not sure how much her 1/4 minority status affected her being chosen. There are lots of different reasons for choosing students for the scholarship, I’m sure -life story, need, interests, how excited about HMC you are – and my daughter knows of winners from many different ethnic backgrounds.<br>
Anyway, to answer the more direct question, my daughter knows of at least 2 white female PSP winners at HMC in her class. Unless you count my daughter… 2 & 3/4 white females at least in her group?</p>
<p>Academics is the number one factor in this scholarship, yes?
(and then ECs, etc.)
My mother is trying to convince me to apply, but I got less than a 750 on the SATII, so I don’t think I could even pretend to have a shot.
Agreed?</p>
<p>I agree with your Mom. You should try. You have nothing to lose but the time it takes to write the application. Even if you don’t win, you might get a visit paid for–more time to see if it is the right place for you.</p>
<p>Thanks for the vote of confidence. I’ll try to work through that app, then. Or at least, I’ll think about it, and if I figure out how to address the essay, I’ll send it off.
(But I really doubt that someone in the bottom 25% of Math II scores could get (or even be interviewed for) their enormous merit scholarship, even with decent ECs.)</p>
<p>Maybe23 – I really think you should give it a shot. The only guarantee is that if you don’t apply you won’t be chosen. I think the essay is key. Just be honest in it - talk about yourself and your passions. Have someone you knows you and, if possible, has experience as an “underrepresented person” in STEM fields read over it. I’ve never seen the stats on who receives the scholarship, so I can’t say what the academic minimum is, but I would guess if are accepted into HMC you have the academics, at least, to apply for the scholarship. It really can’t hurt to try! And, don’t be discouraged if you don’t get an interview, people who succeed in life are the ones who are willing to try and fail. Good luck!</p>
<p>maybe23: Go for it. You have nothing to lose. As I understand it, “under-represented”-ness is the first qualifier for PSP. SAT scores will not be the determining factor; you’re all in about the 98-99+ percentile. Mudd will look at the whole picture.
Again, go for it.</p>
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<p>I’m with geek_mom and Mom2kids, maybe23 - you get 0% of the scholarships you don’t ask for. HMC is NOT all about the numbers. Show who you are and hope for the best.</p>
<p>I’m definitely applying, then. Just for the fun of writing another essay, I suppose.</p>
<p>Any guesses how many apply?</p>
<p>I see on the application, it asks for ethnicity. If you were 1/2 Puerto Rican, 1/2 Caucasian, what would you check? Hispanic and Caucasian? Multiracial?</p>
<p>I’d put hispanic, but I don’t really know</p>
<p>Thanks, maruhan2. I guess the college could probably answer my question.</p>
<p>Hi everybody, i was just wondering if any of you know what the policy is for US citizens applying for the PSP while living abroad. Im just scared i wont even be considered because im not living in the States at the moment.</p>
<p>well,i applied caltech with a 730 on one SATII and got accepted. so sat is not the only factor.</p>
<p>I hope I’m not being obtuse by asking this: have the President’s Scholar finalists already been notified? </p>
<p>Additionally, does anyone happen to know about when admission decisions are usually mailed? </p>
<p>Thanks very much.</p>
<p>*EDIT: Just saw an HMC blog post that implies PSP finalists have not been notified. So I was being obtuse.</p>
<p>Victorbsv: I’m in a similar situation so I guess we will find out soon - good or bad.
Any idea when they send psp notifications?</p>
<p>As the HMC admissions blog says, the PSP are notified by email a little early so they can make travel arrangements. However, last year they were asked not to talk about it until they received their official letter. I don’t know what they will do this year.</p>