People at Caltech v Stanford

SilvaRua
Sun, 09 Sep 2007 21:14:05 +0000

Speaking strictly about chemistry and physics, Caltech is better than Stanford. (If you were interested in biology and computer science, the answer would be reversed)

However, Stanford has an excellent chemE program, so if you wish to pursue that, realize that the two places are roughly equal in the discipline.

Then again, what do you mean when you ask which department is stronger? Strictly textbooks, strictly teachers, strictly research opportunities (and the answer to the last question depends on how good you are), or a mixture of the three?

Textbooks between the two are roughly equal in quality, and so are professors (each school has its share of good and awful), but research is a lot better at Caltech, and it’s easier to get in contact with grad students, postdocs, and professors.

But with that said, it might be easier to stand out at Stanford as opposed to Caltech in those fields. I don’t know. You need a really deep knowledge of your own abilities, research desires, and professors at the two schools to be able to accurately answer that, which none of us have.

As for social life…that’s an even more complicated question. I can’t say a thing about which one you would enjoy more without personally meeting you, and even then, I might not have a clue.

I can’t even answer that question for myself…and I’ve spent two years at Caltech, and live a few minutes away from Stanford, and visit there all the time.

Honestly, just visit and attend the classes. If you want to be thorough, do so during a period other than the two admit weekends.