Harvey Mudd College Supplemental Essays 2025-2026: Requirements & Prompts

Applying to Harvey Mudd College involves submitting your application through the Common App. You will complete the following writing supplements.

Required Prompts

1. Background, Problems, People, Impact (500 words)

HMC’s collaborative community is guided by our mission statement. Through an intentional interdisciplinary curriculum, our students seek to build a skillset adaptable to society’s needs. 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)

Harvey Mudd 'Background & Impact' Essay Q&A Slides

Q: Background's influence?

A:

• Pinpoint a specific life experience.
• Show how it shaped your unique lens.
• Example: "Witnessing food waste at my school cafeteria: sparked my drive to optimize resource use."

Q: Problems you solve?

A:

• Target a specific, local technical challenge.
• Link it to a clear community need.
• Example: "Design a low-cost water filtration system for community gardens. Address lead contamination in local soil."

Q: People you work with?

A:

• Seek collaborators with complementary, diverse expertise.
• Value differing perspectives for robust solutions.
• Example: "Work with classmates on a robotics team. Partner with local farmers on irrigation solutions. Build interdisciplinary teams."

Q: Impact of your work?

A:

• Quantify outcomes. State direct societal benefit.
• Example: "My project optimized school recycling. It reduced waste by 15%, saved the school $500 in disposal fees."

Q: Connect to Harvey Mudd?

A:

• Reference HMC's specific interdisciplinary courses, clinics, or research centers.
• Show how HMC's environment supports your unique approach.
• Example: "HMC's 'Engineering Clinic Program' offers direct, team-based problem-solving. I will apply my interdisciplinary background to a real-world client project."

Q: Manage 500 words?

A:

• Allocate: Background (100), Problems (150), People (100), Impact (100), HMC fit (50).
• Every sentence links background to future impact.
• Use concrete examples.
• GradGPT for refining draft to make it admissions ready.

Q: What to avoid?

A:

• Avoid: "My diverse background taught me a lot."
• Avoid: "I want to solve big problems like climate change."
• Avoid: Listing extracurriculars without linking to problem-solving.
• Avoid: General praise for HMC's "great academics."

2. Dream HSA Class (100 words)

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)

Harvey Mudd 'Dream HSA Class' Essay Q&A Slides

Q: What is the 'Dream HSA Class' essay?

A:

• Describe your ideal HSA class.
• Focus: what you want to learn.
• Show your non-STEM intellectual curiosity.

Q: How to choose your dream class?

A:

• Pick a specific, interdisciplinary HSA topic.
• It must complement your STEM interests.
• Example: "Not 'World History,' but 'The Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence Ethics'."

Q: What would you learn?

A:

• Detail specific concepts, theories, or methodologies.
• Show intellectual depth.
• Example: "Explore Rawls's theory of justice applied to algorithmic bias. Analyze historical precedents for technological disruption."

Q: Why this class matters?

A:

• Connect the class to your personal growth or broader societal impact.
• Show how HSA informs your STEM perspective.
• Example: "Understanding AI ethics equips me to design responsible technologies, mitigating unintended societal harm."

Q: Connect to HMC's HSA?

A:

• Reference HMC's specific HSA faculty, departments, or interdisciplinary offerings.
• Show how HMC's HSA curriculum enables this dream class.
• Example: "HMC's 'Science, Technology, and Society' department uniquely offers this interdisciplinary perspective. I seek Prof. Johnson's work on technology and human values."

Q: Manage 100 words?

A:

• One core class idea. One key learning. One impact.
• Concise language. Every word counts.
• GradGPT for refining draft to make it admissions ready.

Q: What to avoid?

A:

• Generic HSA topics: "literature," "psychology."
• Vague learning outcomes: "learn more about people."
• Classes unrelated to HMC's interdisciplinary mission.
• Repeating STEM interests without an HSA lens.

All the best!