<p>Being a senior here at Caltech, I think people tend to exaggerate how hard Caltech is. It’s tough, but if you’re willing to put in the work, it’s definitely manageable. Also, the first two terms are pass/fail to give freshmen time to adjust to the school.</p>
<p>The main difference (I think) between Caltech and other colleges is the way it handles exams. All exams are take home, and almost all are open note and book, and so they tend to be longer and more difficult than proctored exams at other schools. But again, if you take the time to learn the material through homework and collaborating with classmates, you should be fine.</p>
<p>And in response to Foraminifera, I don’t think Ma 1a is nearly as difficult as people make it sound. It’s basically a proof based approach to single variable calculus. It was challenging for me my freshman year because I had never taken a proof based mathematics course, but it’s really not that bad. Plus, it’s pass/fail.</p>