Harvey Mudd College 2025-26 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Harvey Mudd College 2025-26 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essay of 500 words, 1 short essay of 100 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why, Oddball

Harvey Mudd College seeks to educate engineers, scientists, and mathematicians well versed in all of these areas and in the humanities, social sciences and the arts so that they may assume leadership in their fields with a clear understanding of the impact of their work on society.

“Scientific research is a human endeavor. The choices of topics that we research are based on our biases, our beliefs, and what we bring: our cultures and our families. The kinds of problems that people put their talents to solving depends on their values.” – Dr. Clifton Poodry

How has your own background influenced the types of problems you want to solve, the people you want to work with, and the impact you hope your work can have? (500 words or less)

Admissions wants to know how your background has impacted your passions and vision. Which stories do you carry with you and how does your upbringing impact the way you interact with the world around you? What you focus on here can be reflective of larger cultural constructs or specific to your family or lineage. Harvey Mudd is looking to add diverse perspectives and introspective minds to the melting pot that is their student body. Maybe your grandparents used to tell you stories about their experiences as refugees. How did those stories shape you or inspire your work toward a more peaceful world? Perhaps you come from a long line of fierce women who worked hard in low wage jobs so the next generation could have more opportunities. How do you honor these ancestors? What has influenced your identity? What do you believe and how will your worldview bring something of value to the community at Harvey Mudd and the world at large? 

Many students choose HMC because they don’t want to give up their interests in the Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts – or HSA as we call it at HMC. Briefly describe what you’d like to learn about in your dream HSA class. (100 words or less)

If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to geek out, then look no further! What are your favorite things and how would you want to learn about them? What’s the most interesting class you can dream up? This is your shot to not only wax poetic on your many passions, but also to show admissions how well-rounded you are. Maybe you’re passionate about environmentalism and looking #fabulous and would jump at the opportunity to take a class called Sustainability in a Fast Fashion World. How do you unite your many interests? And how would you go about drawing those connections for others? Perhaps you love to paint watercolors of the local flora and fauna and would love to take a class in which the final project was a herbology-focused picture book. Once you decide on your topic, commit to the planning process. Craft a comprehensive syllabus and try to come up with a memorable course title. In other words, take this opportunity to build your brand!