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Good point. I just looked at Mudd’s page on transfer admissions; the application checklist is very similar to that for freshman admissions (Common App with supplement, recs, test scores, transcripts, &c). I was all ready to write that this is a big difference; then I looked at Tech’s page on transfer admissions and saw that pretty much all the same paperwork is required. So the placement exams are the only big difference, I guess.</p>
<p>cmosr, have you looked into enrolling as a visiting student? If MIT would recommend you, it looks like you might be able to do a sort of “year abroad” at Caltech. Provided everything transfers back to MIT, that might be a nice option that gives you a break but doesn’t really set you back. Trouble is it would be junior year, the time when most majors are really gearing up, and it’s often more difficult to get transfer credit within your major. But might be an option worth looking into.</p>