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According to my son, the class of 2013 is one of the most well-prepared in Mudd history. For an “average” Muddfrosh this year, comparison with his classmates could actually be misleading and demoralizing… at least, it was for geek_son for a while. All’s well that ends well, in his case. Like BcM’s son, he found himself considerably less prepared for the Core than most of his peers. He struggled until late in the semester, but then it started to “click” right at the end. He says that’s the Mudd effect at work! I think AE was a godsend for him, and several of the profs were remarkably accommodating and helpful.</p>
<p>geek_son also told me that he knew of only one student who was likely to flunk out this semester. They call him “ITR X” (where X is his first name). This student showed up for chem lab only a couple of times this year… didn’t show up to class very often, and slept through class when he did. Perhaps he was conserving his energy for the ITR games, for which he showed considerable enthusiasm (for those who don’t know, ITR games are late-night battles that involve running around in tunnels armed with a 12" tube of paper wrapped in duct tape – not to be confused with “Ineligible To Register”).</p>