I feel like Princeton, socially, is REALLY different from CalTech/MIT here… seems like an outlier of the 3… a HUGE aspect of one’s 4 years is outside the classroom with your peers.
This may mean nothing to you, but both my kids think the chance to work at MITs reactor is the coolest thing ever, and if they had the grades, that would be their choice, no question - lol. And Lincoln Labs is right near Hanscom, private pilot central if flying is something you want access too (though I have no clue if access to flying is easy at Princeton/CalTech)…
My kids used to watch some YouTuber who was the youngest to do something aviation-related (don’t remember what - go around the world solo?), and he ended up at MIT, so I somewhat associate it with pilots…that was a while ago now, though and I think he was a mech-e, not a physicist.
Parchment cross admit data suggests kids prefer mit over Caltech 62 to 83% vs 17 to 38%. From this I inferred that mit is harder to get into. Princeton vs Caltech cross admit data is not available, but mit vs Princeton range for parchment is closer to 50/50 but still in favor of MIt. From this I inferred that the Princeton to Caltech rate may be in favor of Princeton, and on the margin Princeton may be harder to get into. In fact the physical stem entry class at Princeton is comparable to the entry class at Caltech. So it is not that far apart in size for the major that you are interested in.
FWIW, I have a kid who would think Pasadena was too hot based on that graph - they LOVE cold weather and want to be cold in winter.. (I agree that is unusual though).
I would agree if you were talking about ED and choosing a school based on perceived advantage rather than other factors, but there is plenty of evidence that applying EA at publics that have it is an advantage admissions-wise. There are simply less spaces left available in RD. (If OP’s school has naviance/scoir/maia etc they can also check this on the scatter plots in terms of the offers in each round. For our school there was often a clear difference with most of the rejections coming in the RD round.) That’s not “gaming” the process, that’s being rational. Moreover, a lot of these - where they offer merit to OOS - either give preference to or only consider those who have applied by the EA deadline for merit. And so what if it’s not top choice, when EA isn’t binding? A bird in the hand, etc.
OP: as I read the between the lines, I noticed that you repeatedly say “fit with my profile” instead of “fit for me.” Maybe there is a difference and maybe that is why you are having a tough time with this decision. That could be something to think about
I haven’t looked at the apps for any of them, but of the three Caltech is not typically on the hit list of the high stats kids posting on youtube, who all seem to apply to HYPSM. It’s the rare student who is applying to Caltech without making a very deliberate decision to do so.
This is a very good question. For someone who is interested in scientific research, a related question might be: If you do have a budget, does it include the possibility of graduate school? Master’s degrees are usually not funded. PhD’s are typically funded, but the stipend is minimal and some very limited additional help from parents can make the rather long marathon that is a PhD somewhat more tolerable.
One daughter was offered merit aid by UC Boulder with stats that were slightly lower compared to the student in this thread, but that was a number of years ago. In-state (or WUE costs for someone who is eligible) would have been less and she did go somewhere closer to home. Of course for a student who does not apply ED anywhere, they can get to see what the price will be before making a decision. To me this can be a significant plus (and is one reason to avoid ED, not having a clear first choice is another reason, liking schools that do not offer ED might be an even stronger reason).
Regardless these are all very good universities (at least for someone who is a very strong student and wants to work hard for four years) and it will be hard to go wrong at any of them.
You may have mentioned this upthread, but where else are you applying? Since these three schools all have extremely low acceptance rates even for excellent students, knowing the rest of your list might help us better tailor the advice we give.
OP, so glad to see UCSB on your list . I assume you will be applying to UCSB’s special program in Physics that is part of their College of Creative Studies? This is almost like graduate school at the undergraduate level and is very research focused . I think you have a great chance of acceptance — but it does require an additional application in addition to the regular UC app.
Budget has actually been a source of contention between me and my mom… she thinks applying full pay with no budget will maximize my chance of getting into the most prestigious school. Personally, I’d prefer to save money and go to a lower-ranked but still amazing school, rather than pay an absurd amount for, say, UC berkeley OOS.
I am from Oregon–that’s where OSU comes from. If I get in, it will be near-free because I have a ton of Oregon scholarships, so it’s a fantastic option. And I’d be happy to end up there. But I also want to shoot my shot elsewhere
Wow, I didn’t even notice that!!! Thanks for pointing out. This is absolutely true.
My mom and counselor want me to optimize my admissions chances by applying to the school that most values the type of awards and ECs I have, but I don’t yet know if that aligns with the school I’d be happiest at. I will give this some thought. Thanks again
Thanks! My health issues are like 95% resolved, thankfully, so it will not affect my college choice at all.
My initial thought was also to skip the EA/REA and do RD so I could have stronger LORs. But my college counselor said that was a mistake due to the boost offered by EA. I was a little skeptical which is why I sought further advice online.
Wonderful to hear that your health issues are largely resolved.
Many of the elite colleges are need-blind for admissions so applying for aid would not hurt your chances.
In terms of applying early, my belief is that: 1) EA/REA for top colleges does not provide the type of boost that ED does since there is no obligation to attend if accepted. 2) For the hyper-competitive colleges you want to present the strongest possible application. LORs can help to differentiate one outstanding candidate from other outstanding candidates.
Also great that you have an academic and financial safety that you would be excited to attend.
(I agree that is unusual though).
