<p>For my latest WashDad Jr story… <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=273290[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=273290</a></p>
<p>Heh heh heh.</p>
<p>WashDad, I saw your post on the Caltech forum. My son is a freshman at Caltech this year. When I read your post, I wanted to respond but I thought I’d see if the Caltech kids would respond. My sense is they may not. If you read the post there about the honor code, one thing you learn about Caltech is there isn’t competition between students. And bragging about grades or how much one knows is something that isn’t done. If you talk to Caltech students you’ll find they’re really not interested in how much anyone else knows. What they’re interested in is learning the material. Somewhere on the Caltech forum is a post by Ben that talks about who does well and who doesn’t at Caltech. (If I wasn’t sitting here waiting to head off to the airport to pick up my son from winter break I’d search for it). But what Ben says in that post is that the kids that thrive at Caltech are the ones that understand they have more to learn, they’re the kids that know they may be really good at something but they don’t think they’re the best. They want to be the best and they know that even after they graduate they’ll still be learning. The kids that fail at Caltech - they’re the ones that come in thinking they’re better than anyone else. So maybe you can pass that on to your son. (and I truly hope your son isn’t writing an essay about knowing more about physics than anyone at Caltech…my sense is that’s a sure way to get rejected. someone who is thinking that way is not a good fit for Caltech).</p>
<p>You might want to tell your son this story from my freshman orientation at MIT: the Dean of Students asked all those in the freshman class (over 1000 students that year) who were first in their class to raise their hands. A lot of people raised their hands. Top 10%? More people. Top 25%? Almost everyone. Top 50%? Everyone’s hands are up. </p>
<p>“Okay,” said the Dean, “Half of you will be in the bottom half of the class here.”</p>
<p><em>ROFLMAO</em> Maybe I’m the only one, but I admire the kid’s moxie! 
He’ll learn, just like everyone else!</p>
<p>And an old story from a retired Princeton admissions officer - Sure, we could admit only valedictorians - but after the first semester half of them will realize they’re in the bottom 50% of the class- and we don’t have the mental health facilities to handle them!</p>
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<p>Do you have to be a math genius to get into MIT? :D</p>
<p>It reminds me of the story of the famous conductor who is booed by the audience. He gets mad and shouts: “Half of you are idiots.” More boos and demands for apologies. The conductor comes out and says: “Okay, I should not have said it. I’ll rephrase it: Half of you are not idiots.”<br>
Kindergarten-level arithmetics.</p>
<p>Love this thread! 
WashDad-- You have a great sense of humor!</p>