Harvey Mudd requires an additional essay and a short answer: up to 500 words on how an experience or community shaped the problems you want to solve and the impact you want to make, and up to 250 words on a time asking for help made a difference in your work or wellbeing.
Mudd frames the first essay with its interdisciplinary curriculum and its mission to give students a clear understanding of the impact of their work; its FAQ says the most important quality in an essay is authenticity.
Harvey Mudd's questions at a glance
| Question | Limit | Who answers it | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| The problems you want to solve | 500 words | Required | Community |
| When asking for help made a difference | 250 words | Required | Challenge |
How to plan the Harvey Mudd supplement
- 1Let the 500-word essay connect a lived experience to a technical problem and to people.
- 2For the help essay, choose a real moment of asking, including what made it hard to ask.
1. The problems you want to solve
Harvey Mudd's wording · 500 words · RequiredThe problems that Harvey Mudd College students hope to tackle are shaped by their experiences, values, and communities. Through our intentionally interdisciplinary curriculum and our mission to develop “a clear understanding of the impact of their work,” Mudders develop the skills needed to address these complex challenges and contribute meaningfully to society.“Share how an experience you’ve had or community you belong to has shaped the kinds of problems you want to solve and the impact you want to make.”
What it is really asking. How an experience you have had, or a community you belong to, shaped the kinds of problems you want to solve and the impact you want to make.
How to approach it
- 1Start with the experience or community, shown.
- 2Name the problem it pointed you toward, precisely.
- 3Describe the impact you want, including on people, not only technology.
Mistakes to avoid
- A problem with no origin in your life.
- Impact as a slogan.
Full guide: How to Write Harvey Mudd's "Problems You Want to Solve" Essay
2. When asking for help made a difference
Harvey Mudd's wording · 250 words · RequiredNo one succeeds alone, and at Harvey Mudd College, no one expects you to. In and out of the classroom, HMC students are encouraged to embrace challenges, collaborate with one another, and ask for support when they need it.“Describe a time when asking for help made a difference in your work or wellbeing. What led you to reach out, and what did you take away from the experience?”
What it is really asking. A time asking for help made a difference in your work or wellbeing, what led you to reach out, and what you took away.
How to approach it
- 1Show the moment before you asked.
- 2Be honest about why it was hard.
- 3Say what changed and how you ask for help now.
Mistakes to avoid
- A story where you only helped others.
Full guide: How to Write Harvey Mudd's "Asking for Help" Essay
What our grader checks in your Harvey Mudd answers
Every answer is judged against a checklist for its kind of question plus one check written for Harvey Mudd's own wording. Each area comes back Met, Partly or Missing, and those verdicts (with the word limit) set the answer's readiness: Ready, Nearly there or Needs work. There is no score out of 100.
| Question | Harvey Mudd's own check |
|---|---|
| The problems you want to solve | Connects an experience or community to the problems the applicant wants to solve and the impact they want to make. |
| When asking for help made a difference | Covers when asking for help made a difference, what led the applicant to reach out, and what they took away. |
The type checklists are on the supplemental essay grader page.
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