| "The core math requirements at Caltech are calculus with proofs, linear algebra, multivariable calculus, differential equations, probability, and statistics -- five terms in total past AP Calculus BC. Core physics requires a term of mechanics, two terms of electricity and magnetism + special relativity for people taking the analytic track, waves, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics."
yummy!
i guess that anyone who REALLY wants to go to caltech will probably realize it by 11th grade..so he has 11th and 12th grade to show his potential and his skillz in math/physics/biology/whatever and to push himself to have at least 2200 on SAT. those things show commitment, and if you send an additional letter where you explain how the first 2 high school years you didn't know what you want, and then you realized, so you got to work, and you have results that back up that, you can with even being a "weaker" student get in caltech.
on the other side if you are mediocre all the time, that's everything you'll ever be. you're not pushing your limits, and why would they even want somebody like that? if you have better results in swimming then on science competition i think it's really clear what occupied your mind for the whole time.
when caltech decides to admit people the way HYPetc and lately MIT does, it will stop being caltech, and that sucks.. the diversity of colleges disappears, and you end up without choice, you have 7 same, yes great, but still the same colleges, with only difference being location... st00pid. |