<p>
</p>
<p>I think there’s a little more pressure when you get a full-ride scholarship to a top prestigious school and you want to go somewhere that maybe doesn’t have a full ride…</p>
<p>But yes, there is a problem with people coming here for prestige, but it’s a combination of prestige and lack of knowledge about Caltech. Few parents would want their kids to be at a school like Caltech unless they really enjoyed it (especially for 45k a year!). By educating potential students about what Caltech is like, we increase the chances that those who end up coming here will enjoy it more. This is a good thing for us and for them. This is why it is important that you present the whole picture.</p>
<p>As for you only knowing three individuals doing research, that simply highlights your lack of knowledge. I can name five people in my year, in my major (which is Electrical Engineering) that did research during the year, last year. Given that there are only probably fifteen others in my year and major, this is approximately 25%. </p>
<p>Yes, people tend to do research more in bio or chem I think–it’s not just a difficulty question but also people in these fields are more likely to want to go to grad school / do research later on. A lot of engineers want to go into industry.</p>
<p>Edit: Mathboy, great description!</p>