Know Your Ambassador: Rapid Fire with Rohan@Harvey Mudd College

Name: Rohan Nagpal
High School: Delhi Public School, RK Puram
College: Harvey Mudd College
Major: Economics with a minor in Mathematics
College Year: 2017

Q1: When did you decide that you wanted to study abroad?
A1: 9th grade

Q2: Why did you want to study abroad?
A2: Found the Indian system extremely restrictive in nature and wanted a curriculum that was more amenable to my chosen direction of study. While in my first couple of years I perceived Mudd to be fairly restrictive--but less so than my high-school curriculum--it would've been nigh-impossible for me to sample a variety of STEM curricula before finally settling on Economics at any other school.

Q3: Who helped/guided you with the College process?
A3: A private college counsellor in Delhi NCR, Arjun Seth.

Q4: What was your proudest accomplishment(s) during your High School years (in or outside of school)?
A4: My record on the Delhi quizzing circuit.

Q5: Why do you think your College admitted you?
A5: I honestly have no clue.

Q6: What has been the biggest surprise so far in college?
A6: The concept of time debt, and how quickly it accumulates.

Q7: Something that you know now, that you wish you had known in High School?
A7: People aren't always exaggerating when they say college is hard.

Q8: Are you happy with your College decision?
A8: I'm happier after graduation; wasn't too happy with my decision in the first couple of years.

Q9: How many students from India are in your batch in College?
A9: About 10

Q10: Your advice to College-bound aspirants? (2 or 3 things)

  1. Never make decisions regarding your major on a whim--use a week (or two) to peruse the academic catalogue, map out the classes you'll take for the next four-five semesters for each of the two or three (or four) majors you fancy, and then come to a decision on which path you'd like to follow. Any other means of deciding is likely to, at best, result in a little heartache or, at worst, a five-semester journey through three majors that leaves you with three semesters to complete your major of choice.

  2. Identify the extra-curricular activities that you enjoy in high school, and check to see if your college(s) of choice offer avenues for those activities. If you spend a lot of time in high pursuing these activities, being able to do the same in college will give you a sense of continuity, help you find a community quickly, and maybe even early social confidence that can be super beneficial later on.

  3. Get some practice with academic writing before you leave for college. It is a time suck and a little bit of preparation can go a long way.

Hope you liked this Rapid Fire. If you have questions for Rohan about Harvey Mudd College, now is the time to ask!