caltech's admissions policies are ridiculous

[IMSAgeek]

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@mathboy98

Right, exactly – I agree with you both greatly. That is the one problem and major flaw I see. Caltech’s process, else, is virtually flawless. The problem really is that people who have less of a passion can make it seem like they have a great one in their essays (of course, it isn’t quite <em>faking</em> but it’s called presenting the right aspects of yourself), and people who breathe and do math/science in their spare time may not show it in their applications very well.

I agree with you, but I don’t see this as a problem with Caltech’s system so much as a problem with college admissions as a whole. There is simply no way to get the full picture of a person from a college application. Admissions readers do the best they can with limited information, and I don’t think you can really blame them if a student fails to present themselves adequately/ presents themselves “too” adequately. This is why I try to tell people applying to Caltech that they should make sure to get their passion for math/science across, but only if its genuine. It’s really the student that gets hurt in the end if they end up coming to Caltech without passion.</p>