Transfer to Caltech as a University Freshman?

QEDEE5
Fri, 17 Aug 2012 01:26:14 +0000

Hello! I’m going to be a freshman at UIUC, and I really want to transfer to Caltech. I will be doing an EE/physics dual degree. From the Caltech admission website, I’ve seen that the application deadline is Feb. 15 next year, so it is only a short time for me to prepare.

Now I’m wondering, what can make me being attractive to Caltech? I’ve gotten an idea from the past threads that Caltech does not really care about non-research/science-orientation extracurriculars.

So this is what I’ve done and my future plan, and I hope people can give me some suggestions on what I need to work more and what may be redundant:

1. attended international masterclass in Illinois (particle physics)

2. got a summer internship from fermilab

3. going to attend The National Particle Physics Masterclass in UK (but that’s after the application deadline…)

4. going to get a cooperative education program from Argonne National Lab (this is ok)

5. fall or spring internship in Argonne National Lab (this “might” be ok too…)

6. have gotten a research opportunity from an ECE professor

7. going to attend The University Physics Competition and Putnam (although the result may be really bad…)

and here is the courses I’ve completed, my fall course load, and what I’ll be taking in spring, I will not be taking any general education:

Completed:

1. Calculus single/multivariable (AP/UIUC proficiency exam)

2. Ordinary DE (CC)

3. Intro Physics classical mech/EM/thermo/modern (All UIUC proficiency exams)

4. Intro Chem (AP)

5. Intro Computer Science (CC)

Fall:

1. Real Analysis (have “proficiencied” out multivariable calculus)

2. Abstract Linear Algebra

3. Introduction to Electrical Engineering (required)

4. Computing System (required)

5. Discrete Structures

6. Relativity and Math application

Spring:

1. Vector & Tensor Analysis

2. Partial DE

3. Classical Mechanics I

4. Electrodynamics I

5. Analog Signal Processing

6. Computer Engineering

My senior year of high school was pretty screwed since my high school does not offer any of AP computer science and AP physics C; thus I’ll have to take them in CC. While the schedule of my high school and CC conflict a lot so I did bad in both places… I had no science class in high school in my senior year and I got a “C” in ODE since after the second semester started I was pretty much not attending (although I aced all of the exams, but no assignments/quizzes/discussions grades). I’ll explain all of this in additional information section of Common App.

High school GPA: 3.74, CC GPA:3.34 <- screwed, although I don’t know whether getting a 4.0 honors in UIUC and having a lot of technical upper division classes will help this situation… Seriously, I’m even thinking, “whether it will be a hurt to take such many upper division courses as an incoming freshman?”

Assume if I can complete most of the researches/internship/masterclasses, get a 4.0 GPA in those upper division classes in UIUC, and do really well on transfer exams, do I have some small chance to get into Caltech transfer as a freshman? Or should I truly do it after my sophomore year…