Dilemma between Caltech and Columbia

artiesdad
Tue, 18 Apr 2006 14:52:18 +0000

cadad,

I understand the time pressure, my daughter is down to her last two schools and we know she only has two more weeks to pick one!

Let me share a bit more of what I have seen from my son. It may give you a bit more information about Caltech although I am not sure it will help in the final decision since it is only about one of the schools.

When my S left HS he had the label of Math/science “guru.” He was the go-to-guy if you had questions or needed help in those subjects. It took only a few days at Caltech for him to realize that was not going to be his role in Pasadena. There were many other students smarter than him. I imagine this happens to a vast majority of the freshmen.

I mention this because of your comment about other students getting the same grades as you son. This can go in one of several ways. From the point of view of competition it is not an issue. Because of the breadth and depth of the core, not too many students can be the best at everything. Instead it is very likely you son will find his niche and be able to do his part in the collaborative environment that Caltech inspires (maybe demands is a better word).

Regarding the amount of work, that is hard to tell because HS standards are so lax. Chances are you son is doing a much better job than the other students but the bar is set too low. That will not happen at Caltech. His ability to do a thorough job will come in handy although I have heard from my S that in order to make the workload manageable they have to learn to choose where to invest their efforts. It is not clear you can go all out on every task.

Regarding your comment about your son being able to remain the same person after four years at Caltech, I am not sure I agree. For one, I am pretty sure he will have to articulate his thoughts and position even if only in a small group. In the broader community he may also have to present to larger audiences. For example, there is SURF day in the fall, when every student that did a SURF in the summer has to present his/her findings. There is even a speaking competition associated with SURF Day.

A quite personality and lack of interest in socializing is not uncommon at Caltech and the school has the support environment for that kind of person. My son was a bit more outgoing when he went in, but even there I have noticed a change in him. He has become more outspoken and better able to take on leadership positions. One of the things that surprised me about Caltech was the wide variety students it accommodates. Granted, they all share a common trait (passion for math and science) but that set aside you can probably find as broad a range of interests and behaviours as you can imagine. The surprise for me was to see this in a 900 student population.

My last comment is about the “fishy” responses, particularly ranking Princeton>Caltech>Columbia. This is indeed a prestige-based ranking. If he is placing Caltech above Columbia because of the prestige and the weather there is a danger. Normally I would say that a student that has been accepted to any two top schools cannot go wrong. This is not the case when Caltech is involved. Attending Caltech can be the wrong decision. In fact, every years students come to that realization the hard way.