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<p>Well first off, even if this is true, think about it – your everyday studious high school student probably has seen some physics, chemistry, and biology in high school. Would it not be foolish to go to a school where there’s so much math/science stuffed down your throat that you’re struggling to survive, if you didn’t naturally want tons more math/science involvement in high school? I.e. if you didn’t do math/science for fun back then, good luck motivating yourself later…</p>
<p>I can totally imagine Caltech students not doing very much outside of their schoolwork, and “just” getting their degrees, taking interesting classes, doing some summer research, and all that. But we put quotes around the “just” here, because all that amounts to a lot, and it’s not for everyone. My dad has a colleague who went to Caltech and studied computer science. He often said that he sort of just went there because it’s prestigious, and he always was quite sharp at math and science, but ultimately he didn’t have a great experience. First, he felt like he couldn’t meet enough girls during college, and felt that made things feel less healthy to him. Second, he really just wanted to get out of college and get a job, albeit a nice one that challenged him, but a practical one. I don’t think he exactly wanted to go through the core curriculum of Caltech, and I don’t think he wanted his classes run with anything but a practical approach leading to success in industry. </p>
<p>Even to someone who loves, say engineering or CS, thus, Caltech may not be the proper fit. The man I describe above is an extremely sharp, intellectually competent individual who definitely likes computer science. And yet Caltech wasn’t the place for him. To the point where this guy tries to tell people not to go to Caltech, even though he professes deep respect for his colleageus who went there.</p>
<p>I think one needs to have (1) some commitment to mathematical/scientific/engineering breadth to the point of actually wanting to go through the core curriculum, (2) at least some liking for theoretical things, (3) some less than normal genes, meaning as Lizzard says, preferring math/sci to many other more normal extracurricular activities, (4) a liking for a small school atmosphere, and last, (5) a very specific kind of positive attitude towards life and learning, because studying what you love, as I’ve posted many places, is a stressful thing anywhere; being around people who love things similar to what you do doesn’t help you just “forget about work” – sure, all Tech students probably want to “chill out” at some point, but the positive peer pressure certainly would make one think about work more often, and that can be highly psychologically damaging and painful to some very bright, math/science-obsessed individuals.</p>