<p>With regard to breaks, I presume you will come home for winter break, spring break, and for some portion of the summer. There are actually a fair number of people (including all of the international students, many people who live on the East Coast, and anyone else who would rather not travel for four days so late into the term) who stay at Tech over Thanksgiving. Each house has a Thanksgiving dinner together (Caltech dining provides turkeys!) and I’ve heard it’s a really fun time. Over parts of winter break and spring break, too, there are a lot of people who stay, partially because it’s awesome to be at Tech (and in so cal) with your friends when you don’t have any schoolwork. </p>
<p>I definitely understand that your parents would like to see you more than three times a year, but if you have to stay over a break, Caltech will certainly not be deserted.</p>