<ol>
<li>Talk to a professor at least once a month your freshman year (don’t be a mute frosh). </li>
</ol>
<p>There are few things about Caltech that make me angry, but the failure of many students to meaningfully engage with a significant number of faculty members is one of those things. Do not fall into this trap.</p>
<p>Caltech has a truly world-class faculty. Fewer than half of students will ever have an opportunity to interact with a group of this caliber again. Don’t waste the present opportunity. </p>
<p>First, some professors actively encourage getting to know them. Nate Lewis takes his Chem 1 students to the Ath (faculty club) for lunch once a week — all you have to do is raise your hand and you get to go one week. The Master of Student Houses invites people to option dinners to meet faculty. If you take these opportunities alone, you’ll end up getting to know a significant number of professors.</p>
<p>You can also just drop in during office hours. If there’s not something wrong, you should have many of questions and avenues for further thinking opening up as you learn stuff in your classes. (Why is this? Is anything else known about that? Isn’t there an easier way to do this?) There’s no reason not to talk about them with your professors. Go to office hours and say hi.</p>
<p>Except being within a few feet of a faculty member isn’t enough. You have to actually speak. Don’t be shy. The most common reason I’ve heard for not speaking around profs and other “important people” is that people are afraid of saying something stupid and making a bad impression. First, note that it’s pretty hard to actually do this. Second, being inert is certainly among the worst impressions you can make.</p>
<p>Still, getting past shyness is hard for people who are naturally not so outgoing. Here’s an idea. Work your way up. Start by talking to a grad student TA. They are essentially your age and probably shyer than you are. Do this enough that it doesn’t take effort anymore. Then, go to the office of hours of the friendliest-seeming professor you have. Having talked about the same type of stuff with graduate students will make you more comfortable and more confident in your ability to intelligently interact in this context.</p>
<p>It’s always a little bit stressful to interact so closely with these great minds, but if you’re not going to do it, transfer to Berkeley or something and save your parents some dollars. The things you gain by doing what I suggest are tremendous. You’ll get tons of good guidance from people who actually know what they’re talking about (in case you were turned off by high school guidance counselors). Also, the faculty are incredibly well-connected people. The number of jobs you will be offered and luminaries you’ll get to hang out with if you just know some professors will probably surprise you.</p>
<p>Small caution — don’t be obnoxious. Respect professors’ time, etc. But if you’re not talking to at least one faculty member at least once a month for an appreciable amount of time, you’re erring on the low side and not the high side.</p>