California Institute of Technology

Visit Report by averin (Member since May 07 2006 with 25 posts) Visit Date - June 2006

8 of 8 people found this visit report helpful
Visit to California Institute of Technology in June 2006 by averin (Student, HS Class of 2006)
Visit Activities:
Campus Tour: Yes - Campus Tour: Yes - The information-person seemed friendly, approachable, and very into his research (economics).
California Institute of Technology Campus:
Friendliness/Courtesy of Students: 4 - Very Good - The three undergrads I spoke with were more than happy to tell me about life at the university. One mentioned you absolutely had to love science to be happy there. Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff: 5 - Excellent - I only actually met one, who was VERY friendly. He lets students run into his office at any time if they've got neat results, and he jokes a lot about eating vegetables and going to the pool. Appearance of Campus: 5 - Excellent - Absolutely gorgeous. Except it's easy to get lost in because some of the buildings look really similar. I'm guessing it's better than other places in that respect since it's so sma Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness: 4 - Very Good - It depends on the building. The Kerckhoff elevators run really slowly but the Beckman building is sterile. Dormitories: 4 - Very Good - Fun. I liked the handdrawn pictures of Dexter and the Powerpuff Girls in one of the houses. They were very accurate. I only saw two houses, though, so I can't rate them too highly. Security/Safety: 3 - Good - One twentysomething year old wacko tried to sexually harass me on the streets around the campus. Aside from that, it's a really safe place. Overall Campus Impression: 5 - Excellent
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 5 - Excellent - The community is pretty, and almost everything is within walking/biking distance. There are lots of little restaurants right off campus. City/Town/Community: 4 - Very Good - There's a "hangout" area within easy biking distance with movie theaters, shops, restaurants, etc. There's a rather interesting beach an hour or so away (by car).
Campus Visit Notes for California Institute of Technology:
Visit Description: I worked in one of the Caltech labs over the summer. Yes, the graduate students seem to have lives -- they go surfing and own hot red convertible sports cars and whatnot. One invited me to go ice-skating with her. Yet they're also really into their research; they never hesitated to explain it to me and I sometimes saw them doing experiments at 10 pm. The ones I talked to did say they wouldn't want to have come to Caltech as undergrads. I couldn't remember if they said it was because there was too much work or the people were too nerdy. The research experience itself was awesome. It seemed like there was always something getting done. I could run into the other room at any moment and ask my labmates and advisor for advice and they'd be happy to hear from me -- it really felt like we were a team, even though they were all experimentalists and I was a modeler. I don't think I can say much more about it without launching into a long explanation of how our research is the coolest in the world. :) I did attend the Caltech Preview session in July, which wasn't especially remarkable except for the tasty donuts and juice, and the fact that the admissions people seemed to talk straighter than those at other universities. The tour guides were nice, though. And liked the stuff they were doing. Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments: I stayed with my brother. He's got a nice apartment nearby. Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments: Chandler (on-campus cafeteria) is a good place to eat -- the food stations have nerdy names, such as "comfort equation" and "tech tonics." The food is nice, too. Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.): Everything is reachable by bike. There's a SuperShuttle if you want to go anywhere far.
8 of 8 people found this visit report helpful