I don’t see the parents as giving options. It’s cal tech. Disdain enough then Columbia.
The UCSD app almost seems done as a just in case, throw away.
But this student is so strong, they’re giving him the top award at UCSD.
In the end it’s an individual and family call. I hope op has a wonderful experience wherever they land.
OP reading this initial post it seems your parents are willing to cover the costs for all options and are encouraging (not demanding) you attend Caltech, but allowing you to decide.
Seems like at the time of your original post you and your parents were largely aligned.
Please talk to your parents.
I shared a bunch of different examples of Caltech grads I know for whom the school worked. They are not all the same, and they did different things while they were there. Anecdotes are useful up to a point and I believe that her kid had a rough go there. I don’t think the school is for everyone. But it was actually a happy, affirming place for a lot of people that I know, and they are smart but not superhuman. Just high functioning. I wouldn’t send a kid with underdeveloped study skills (like my son) there. But I think for a lot of kids it’s Hogwarts.
Once again, CC is not a debate society. Everyone who has already been participating on this thread has made their point about Caltech. Take further conversation to PM please. TIA!
Talk to your parents. That’s the thread theme here.
If you and your parents decide unanimously that it’s Caltech, then that’s where you should go.
I just wanted to describe some of the things that my son experienced. It didn’t align with what your perception was. Now that you know, you’ll be aware and prepared.
But should people sacrifice their financial and mental heath for other people’s perceptions? And once you have been out in the working world/proving yourself, I think where you got your degree matters less.
I see a lot of people around me who did not graduate from tippy top schools, or even graduate from any school, who are at the top of their chosen field.
People need to stop caring what they think everyone else thinks and do what works for them to have a healthy, happy, fulfilling life.
Agree with other posters’ that visiting the schools. That could really help make the decision easier (or harder 
) Good luck!
OP’s parents have saved for this and are encouraging him so they wouldn’t be “sacrificing” their financial health.
OP is leaning towards Caltech but being thoughtful, doesn’t seem like they are “sacrificing” their mental health.
@RookieCollegeMom you seem to be asking earnestly a question that doesn’t apply to this OP or this thread. The question isn’t “should people….”. OP asked specifically “is there anything else to consider” and certainly academic reputation is one of those considerations.
Please keep responses focused on the OP. If you find yourself responding to another user, and repeating talking points you’ve already made, please use the PM function and do not respond on this thread.
Thank you for your cooperation!
It sounds like they don’t think very highly of UCSD. Do you know if it is because UCSD is a public school or is there another reason? Did you complete the UC application for one or two schools and add others just in case? Were your parents involved in the decision to apply to UCSD?
aquapt mom suggested up thread that you start by eliminating one school. While you may have eliminated Columbia, they eliminated UCSD. In your mind, it is Caltech vs UCSD. In their mind, it is Caltech vs Columbia. Sounds like you are going to Caltech. Congratulations!
Hopefully you are better aware of the Caltech environment. Be kind to yourself. Look for hobbies and interests that you can incorporate into your schedule for a healthy school-life balance.
We may be beating a dead horse here, but there are two things that I thought might be worth saying.
The overall “university and employment” system here in the US might be a bit different compared to some other parts of the world. In some other countries the reputation of the university you attend for your bachelor’s degree may be important. In the US there are hundreds of very good universities. You can attend any one of at least 100 different universities and probably more than 200 universities, or any one of at least 100 different liberal arts colleges, and still do very well in life, still attend a prestigious graduate program, and find yourself working alongside graduates from MIT and Harvard and Stanford and Columbia and Caltech. Our university level education system in the US is expensive, but it is also very good and very broad.
We have seen lots of examples where students attend universities ranked lower than any of the Universities of California and then go on to very good careers and to very good graduate programs. If you look at the current students in highly ranked graduate programs you will see that they came from a very wide range of universities and colleges, most of which will be ranked lower than any of Caltech, Columbia, or UCSD. It is not unusual to see a student get their bachelor’s degree at a school ranked anywhere from 50 to 150 and then get a graduate degree from Stanford or MIT or Harvard or Columbia or some other university ranked in the top 5 or 10 in the world for whatever degree the student is getting. I have personally seen quite a few examples of this.
It is also common for the overall ranking for any particular university to be very different from the ranking for any specific major. This might be particularly obvious in my older daughter’s major which is veterinary medicine. The top two DVM programs in North America (both of which are superb) are at universities that are not in the top 30 overall, and one is not even in the top 100 overall, but their DVM programs really are superb. Something similar is true to some extent in many other fields. Because there are so many very good universities in the US, many universities specialize in some specific areas.
And you might at some point run into a top expert in some field or other that attended almost any university that you could think to name.
The other thing that may be worth saying is that Caltech really is a very good university. It is academically very demanding. It is a lot of work. If you want to do it, then you can get a great education there and learn an enormous amount. One thing that you will most likely learn over four years at Caltech: You can do it.
If you can succeed at Catech then you can succeed anywhere. Admissions officers at Caltech know what it takes to succeed there, and they have already given their solid opinion that you can succeed there if you want to do it.
Have you looked at UCSD and the vibe at the campus? It has a great academic and research reputation, but its kind of an isolating, empty campus
It’s entirely possible that OP’s well meaning parents don’t understand how different Caltech is from, say, Harvey Mudd or MIT.
If we’re doing analogies, UCSD vs Caltech like a 5 star cruise vs a mount everest ascent. One has it all, the other is pretty miserable yet highly desired for the inherent thrill and a transcendental opportunity of doing something very very hard.
Personally, I would be talking to as many Caltech students and ERC students as possible
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