This is anecdotal but I was recently chatting with a recent Cal Tech grad. Physics major working in high tech. Incredibly nice guy but not an extrovert. 6”6 and a power forward on the basketball team (a muscular and not a thin guy). I was a D1 scholarship guy long ago and so we talked about sports, including UCLA basketball. I was struck by his intensely cerebral approach towards basketball. He was extremely close with the coach, who was about intellectual development as much as athletics. It is hard to describe, but it appeared he chose the absolute right place for him. That is all that matters.

I went to Caltech, but it was 20 years ago so I'm not sure how much the culture has changed.

Back then, at least, yes it was a place for super nerdy kids who wanted to do research. But they also embraced a "work hard play hard" approach to life. Some kids party a lot, some are really active in extracurriculars, some spend all of their free time in the lab.

It's a really small school, so the pool of people who have similar interests is going to be very small. Most personality types are represented (at least they were 20 years ago). The trick is to find the small set of kids who do crazy research during the week and then go backpacking on the weekend (or party, or play sports, or whatever your jam is) - they exist, but there will only be a few of them because you only have 1000 students to begin with. There were plenty of parties on campus, interhouse sports, clubs, etc. But all of the people doing them will also be super nerdy and spend a lot of their time studying.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIT and CalTech are such fierce rivals because they have so much in common. CalTech does have a distinct SoCal vibe while MIT has a MassBay vibe - not surprisingly.

Are they fierce rivals? In what exactly?

I have never heard the two schools described that way, but maybe at those college math competitions the two are fierce rivals.

If you don't know that the two schools are rivals, you really don't know much about them.

Great…what are they rivals in? Please, let us know since you know so much about them.

Their dance-offs are legendary.

lol

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIT and CalTech are such fierce rivals because they have so much in common. CalTech does have a distinct SoCal vibe while MIT has a MassBay vibe - not surprisingly.

Are they fierce rivals? In what exactly?

I have never heard the two schools described that way, but maybe at those college math competitions the two are fierce rivals.

If you don't know that the two schools are rivals, you really don't know much about them.

Great…what are they rivals in? Please, let us know since you know so much about them.

Their dance-offs are legendary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIT and CalTech are such fierce rivals because they have so much in common. CalTech does have a distinct SoCal vibe while MIT has a MassBay vibe - not surprisingly.

Are they fierce rivals? In what exactly?

I have never heard the two schools described that way, but maybe at those college math competitions the two are fierce rivals.

If you don't know that the two schools are rivals, you really don't know much about them.

Great…what are they rivals in? Please, let us know since you know so much about them.

Anonymous wrote:MIT and Caltech are great for neurodivergent students. For "normal' students interested in tech, Stanford is a better fit.

Also because CalTech is ranked behind Stanford.

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate?myCollege=engineering-doctorate&_sort=myCollege&_sortDirection=asc

Anonymous wrote:In terms of science lab facilities, Caltech appears at the top of this list:

Best Colleges for Science Lab Facilities | The Princeton Review https://share.google/1rwSW1TXPL6WDYEIX

Followed by Lake college, Union College and St. Olaf's. All seem to only be small private colleges. Not so convinced by the list.

In terms of science lab facilities, Caltech appears at the top of this list:

Best Colleges for Science Lab Facilities | The Princeton Review https://share.google/1rwSW1TXPL6WDYEIX

MIT and Caltech are great for neurodivergent students. For "normal' students interested in tech, Stanford is a better fit.

MIT is a more traditional college experience, with a STEM focus. Caltech, I'm not sure. We always hear how hard it is to get in, but the one student who was accepted and attends from our HS was rejected by every other similar caliber private school she applied to. It kind of makes me think there was something unlikable about her application but Caltech overlooked it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Cal Tech and MIT seem like dreadful college experiences. Trade schools basically. I mean they offer no traditional college experiences.

MIT has a very strong social life, lots of parties, lots of activities. Socially it's a very different place than CalTech, not to mention a student undergraduate population that is > 4x bigger. And in the middle of a very fun city, while CalTech is in the 'burbs.

Pasadena is a great energy; it's Caltech student life. Frankly, throwing it in LA would not make it more fun or interesting-it's the students they attract.

Boston though is a boring, sleepy ass place. It's not exactly peak entertainment either. Agree on MIT parties though, attended a few during undergrad.

Caltech is lame

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Cal Tech and MIT seem like dreadful college experiences. Trade schools basically. I mean they offer no traditional college experiences.

Says who? I was an athlete (MIT protects sports hours between 5 and 7pm- no academic study hours can happen)

Also 45% of the kids are in the Greek system. Many of whom live in Boston.

Plus most people do research in undergrad.

So it's not like we are in basements studying 24/7

But that’s what they want people to believe, a narrative that their dumb kids are not intellectually inferior, but just didn’t want to work on it. A bunch of losers.

What the hell are you talking about? What don't you calm down and try again. This time make your two sentences coherent.

Anonymous wrote:Both Cal Tech and MIT seem like dreadful college experiences. Trade schools basically. I mean they offer no traditional college experiences.

MIT has a very strong social life, lots of parties, lots of activities. Socially it's a very different place than CalTech, not to mention a student undergraduate population that is > 4x bigger. And in the middle of a very fun city, while CalTech is in the 'burbs.

Anonymous wrote:Can a normal smart kid fit in and be happy there? High score and GPA from rigorous school. LOVES school and learning. Happy when doing homework and studying for tests but not a nerd. Looks and acts nothing like those guys in the Big Bang theory - it’s actually a pretty fashionable and popular girl but just happens to really love science

What do you mean by a "normal" kid?

The Caltech undergrad population skews heavily towards students interested in research and pursuing PhDs. It's very small and very intense, even for the outstanding students they admit. Their real strength is in the physical sciences, moreso than CS or engineering (which are obviously still very strong but consider carefully if that's what your student is interested in).