<p>Formal dinners are House events that happen once a term, wherein Caltech Dining Services provides the food that they should be giving us instead of the usual slops (30% gravy, 70% “other”). People like to play dress-up to celebrate this cherished event. I did once go to dress dinner in shorts and an AC/DC hoodie, but in deference to the etiquette of the occasion, I wore a bright orange striped tie on top of that.</p>
<p>As far as packing, don’t bring too much stuff. You can do fine with just a computer, a pillow, soap, and some spare underwear. If you need tools or exotic electronics, you can always find someone on campus to borrow them from. If you need anything else, there’s a convenience store on campus, a Target a few blocks west of campus, a J. C. Penney on Lake, and a headshop somewhere on Colorado.</p>