Ivy League vs The Rest. NEED HELP!!!!

Kamikazewave
Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:50:32 +0000

This thread is a font of misinformation. I feel I have to defend my alma mater a little bit.

First off, UCLA is not 2 hours away. It takes half an hour to get there.

Second, Caltech is in a league by itself in the STEM field compared to the other schools. If you’re definitely going to go to STEM, Caltech is the place. If you’re not sure, probably somewhere else.

Third, someone mentioned that the “Yale name” would open a lot of doors for you, and implied that Caltech wouldn’t. That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Everyone involved in science and technology knows what Caltech is. That place opens up doors everywhere: financial institutions (at career fairs, financial institutions pretty much crowd for people), defense industry (Every single MechE that applied got in), pretty much any science technology industry.

Academically, ask yourself if you’re looking for a challenge. If you want an easy time of college, go to another school. If you’re looking to challenge yourself academically, Caltech is the place to be. It is also very possible to do well academically and play a sport (sports are actually encouraged, as having a physical outlet lets you think clearer). Also ask yourself if you enjoy math and science. If you do, and you know for sure it’s what you want to learn, and learn well, Caltech is the place for you. If you’re unsure, and you think you might want to switch to a humanities major in college, then obviously Caltech isn’t.

Socially, it’s whatever you make of it. Once again, Caltech’s next to a bunch of huge party schools. If you really want to party, you can find huge parties any day of the week. Caltech itself is pretty fun. There’s 8 Interhouse parties (giant parties each of the Houses at Caltech throw once a year, open bar), and one combined Interhouse party (several thousand attendance) a year. Are there some people who can’t enjoy the social life? At a high STEM place like Caltech, of course. Caltech has a high percentage of socially awkward people who you probably won’t enjoy hanging out with that much. It also has a lot of people who know how to have fun and are awesome to hang out with.

Once again, it boils down to how sure are you of your interest in science.