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<p>Well, that’s why I favor having both writing and speaking as part of the process. The purpose of a Caltech interview need not be to figure out who’s a slick interviewer, it can simply be to get a feeling for what this student really is like when he/she talks about math/science.</p>
<p>I’m not talking about an interview where the student is forced to solve math problems on the spot. We have high school grades, standardized tests, math competitions, whatever, for those purposes. If a goal of Caltech is to select people who’re intelligent and genuinely intrigued by math/science/engineering, I think having them actually talk about what they’re intrigued by is quite a nice thing.</p>
<p>For instance, if someone could give a really mature answer to collegealum’s question, I’d think that’d be a plus point. Remember, the fellows with less than adept social skills may also have less than adept writing skills, regardless of how less stressful it is to write to someone you’re far away from. I firmly believe there are aspects to any application process students will fumble up on, and very smart, potentially better qualified, more driven individuals can get weeded out on accident – I personally am looking to produce as many means to achieve Caltech’s mission as possible.</p>