What does a “Day in the Life” look like as a Thrive Scholar attending Harvey Mudd College?
First, I should tell you a little bit about Harvey Mudd College itself and why I am here today. Harvey Mudd College is a very small liberal arts STEM college located in Claremont, California. The college’s curriculum combines STEM and liberal arts courses to create scientists and engineers who fully understand the holistic nature of what it is they are doing, which includes both their technical skill plus their corresponding impacts on society. It is one of five undergraduate colleges in the consortium that makes up the Claremont Colleges—more commonly connoted as the 5C’s.
Why Harvey Mudd College?
One of the most prevalent reasons I am here today is the tight-knit and collaborative community here at Mudd. With only about 900 undergraduate students, everybody gets to know each other. I personally feel that the community at Mudd is like no other. Students, faculty, and staff are all sincere and genuine in building connections and building relationships. As a first-generation college student trying to navigate the college experience, this environment is exactly what I needed. The support and the resources that Mudd provides have made my first-year here such an efficient and enjoyable experience. Whether it be support from the office hours of professors or wellness events hosted by the Office of Wellbeing, navigating college has been a very simplified and pleasant experience.
Morning
Now, what does a typical day look like as a first-year attending Harvey Mudd College? Throughout the majority of my second semester as a freshman, my day begins bright and early, waking up to make my 8:10 AM class: HSA-10. I want to preface this by saying that another great thing about Mudd is that they emphasize knowledge and proficiency not only in STEM but in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Arts (HSA). As a first-year student, everyone has to take HSA 10, which is essentially an introduction to writing and research course that contains different sections of interest. My HSA-10 course was about comic books (or graphic novels) and how graphic storytelling is a medium that conveys significant narratives within society. After my 8 AM course, I was off to my Physics: Mechanics lecture that all first-years take as well—which, reflecting back on this after having just completed the course’s final exam, was quite a difficult and rigorous class for me and other students as well. Finally, after the lecture, I head to my final class of the day, Cardio Fitness—a PE course held at the gym on Claremont McKenna College’s (CMC’s) campus.
Afternoon
By now it’s noon, so I am off to grab a quick lunch with some friends at McConnell, Pitzer College’s dining hall. (Another note to add is that as a student in the 5C’s, we are allowed to swipe into any of the various dining halls in the consortium of colleges.) Now, the rest of my day begins! After lunch, I drive over to one of the local elementary schools in the Pomona area to volunteer as a teacher’s aid, an opportunity which is a part of a 5C Initiative called LINC. From 1:30 till 2:30 PM, I work with first-graders, teaching them math and reading skills and helping them with their projects. Afterwards, I head back to Mudd’s campus and clock into my job as an Events Intern at the Office of Admissions. Here, I create activities and help lead the programs for prospective and incoming students for events such as the Admitted Student’s Program (ASP) to give an example. After work, I walk over to Pomona’s campus for my Executive Board meeting for the same initiative I mentioned earlier, LINC, in which we discuss things such as volunteer engagement, grants and funding, activity planning for students we work with, etc.
Evening
By the time the meeting is over it’s probably about 6:30 or 7PM, and it is dinner time! I head over to the Hoch (Mudd’s dining hall) with a couple friends and chow down on some Korean Galbi. Once dinner’s over, I work on a couple problem sets for other classes (Linear Algebra and Chemistry usually) for a few hours and then hang out with my friends in the dorm—which can mean various things such as playing basketball in the dorm courtyard, watching a movie in the lounge, etc. Now, it’s about 12AM, and I am about ready to knock out for bed!
All this in a day’s work as a Thrive Scholar and a first-year at Harvey Mudd College!