A question for (mostly) Ben Golub

<p>So I was at your graduation today (my brother's getting his PhD) and I'd like to congratulate you on the many awards you received (how many times were you listed in that book? like, five?). But as an incoming freshman, I'm curious: what's your secret? How do you manage to be among the best of an already stellar class? Like, do you just work hard (as in, significantly harder than most Techers)? Or are you some sort of IMO-quality math genius? Or is it really about getting to know the professors?</p>

<p>Basically, my question is (I'd appreciate if others responded as well): how does one go about standing out academically at Caltech, while still maintaining some sort of social life?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Ben is a genius.</p>

<p>Combination of high intelligence (there is still high variation in intelligence at Caltech - as there is in any institution of the highly intelligent - since differences in intelligence really show out in the top 0.5th percentile), not submitting to distractions like computer games, and being socially adept and mature enough to find the right opps and knowledge that takes him places.</p>

<p>And I'll have to admit to having taken a peek at Ben's curriculum vitae (it's on his website). :p His 12th grade year was very good - 4 math classes in that year + organic chemistry, despite Calculus BC in 11th grade. EDIT: <a href="http://www.its.caltech.edu/%7Ebeng/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.its.caltech.edu/~beng/&lt;/a> (so it's an old CV I looked at)</p>

<p>A lot of it has to do with what opportunities one prioritizes. I know for one that I'm never going to be the most socially successful person (for whatever intelligence I have) since my curiosity is nonspecific and I don't constrain my curiosity for other things whenever I have a project or assignment that is due soon.</p>

<p>A lot of people do study all day and don't gain a whole lot out of their studying that is actually relevant to doing research. It's often the case that you need to study the right things that are relevant to your research. </p>

<p>And Ben Golub indeed excelled at that research. Very few Caltech students win Goldwater Scholarships. It's interesting too - I know people who turned down Caltech who won Goldwater scholarships elsewhere - I wonder if they would have won Goldwater had they stayed at Caltech (it can be harder for students to do research over the school year at Caltech - and school year research is often instrumental in such awards).</p>

<p>hi all. sorry about delay -- was busy graduating.</p>

<p>first please stop with this nonsense :). if you looked at the book, you saw that there are numerous seniors much more accomplished and distinguished than i am. you should be asking people like po-ru loh and emily russell how they do what they do.</p>

<p>i've been extremely lucky. in high school i lived a few minutes away from princeton university, which was nice enough to let me take math and physics classes there as a high school student when i exhausted the high school classes. that put me a little ahead at caltech. it is a lot less intimidating to start at caltech if you have written proofs before, etc. so a lot of it was just a head start.</p>

<p>i worked hard on my classes because i was well aware from the start that in the top half of the caltech class, native talent matters much less than effort. even at caltech, where i would say the students are the most academically committed in the country, people just don't take initiative, on average, to know more than they really need to. so by doing that a little -- by reading math books over the summer and doing extra exercises and things like that -- i managed to know a little more and get a little farther. </p>

<p>talking to professors is a big deal. it gives you focus and a feeling of what true research is like and where you should be aiming. good relationships with profs won't get you any success if you don't also excel at your work, but the relationships can make the work a lot more meaningful for you and can make you more motivated. also it does not hurt to be more than just a name on a paper when it comes time to decide about academic honors etc.</p>

<p>i worked pretty hard, but not because i am particularly disciplined. instead, to motivate me, i tried to keep alive my original childish passion for math from high school and my desire to someday do something "important" and intellectually deep and meaningful. it's a lot easier to put in lots of time struggling against an annoying theorem if there is some bigger aim to it than a diploma.</p>

<p>finally, i tended to aim high. evariste galois invented abstract algebra before he turned 21. john milnor solved a big open problem on the total curvature of knots as a freshman at princeton (and got a publication in the most prestigious mathematical journal). these people were extraordinary, but they are made of the same meat and dna as you and me. we can't all accomplish what they did, but we can hope to do a little better than just finishing homework on time. </p>

<p>those are my scattered thoughts.... :)</p>

<p>Another great post from Ben. Thanks</p>

<p>
[quote]
so by doing that a little -- by reading math books over the summer and doing extra exercises and things like that -- i managed to know a little more and get a little farther.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I've always thought of this as quite important. Numerous people don't even do anything academic over the summer (especially if that requires self-motivation) and as a result find themselves pressed for time once they start on the math courses. Hell, one can even self-study an entire Caltech course over the summer if one wants to (the materials are all online and Apostol can be retrieved off a school library - or BitTorrent, for that matter)...</p>

<p>Mathematical problem solving is a skill that takes time to develop. Unfortunately, many people never have the opportunity to develop it until their freshman year in college - and by then - they're so overrun with other commitments and classes such that it's often difficult to put too much time into it.</p>

<p>that is very well said. and thank you for telling me that there are math books on bittorrent :)</p>

<p>
[quote]
you should be asking people like po-ru loh and emily russell how they do what they do.

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</p>

<p>So Ben,</p>

<p>Can you tell us about these folks? I know and respect your accomplishments but you made me curious about these less [CC] public folks. I presume you think we should be watching for these young scientists too, and I'd be curious to learn a little more about their careers and achievements, if you can share this.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I've always thought of this as quite important. Numerous people don't even do anything academic over the summer (especially if that requires self-motivation) and as a result find themselves pressed for time once they start on the math courses. Hell, one can even self-study an entire Caltech course over the summer if one wants to (the materials are all online and Apostol can be retrieved off a school library - or BitTorrent, for that matter)...</p>

<p>Mathematical problem solving is a skill that takes time to develop. Unfortunately, many people never have the opportunity to develop it until their freshman year in college - and by then - they're so overrun with other commitments and classes such that it's often difficult to put too much time into it.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Sweeeeeeeeeet. I am forever grateful, IK. :D</p>

<p>i know emily from the physics olympiad (she was a junior coach last year for the us physics team). i haven't talked to her for a while, but i know that she was one of 12 people in the united states to win a full scholarship at Cambridge for graduate school (or something like that). she does astrophysics.</p>

<p>she is also the best SET player i have ever met in my life.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.amstat.org/publications/amsn/lohfamily.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.amstat.org/publications/amsn/lohfamily.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>about po-ru loh</p>

<p>A</a> more recent article on the Loh family.</p>

<p>purple -- much as i'd love to tell you how hardcore these kids are, i wouldn't want to say anything that they'd be uncomfortable with. in any case both are easily googlable. the point is, there are some AMAZING caltechers for all of us to look up to :).</p>

<p>Thanks, you're right about that, I should have googled first. </p>

<p>It's fun to read about the next generation of scientists.</p>

<p>just out of curiosity, what typeface did you use for that resume ben?</p>

<p>i set it in latex, using a template i found online. my computer is currently down, but when i get it back up i can tell you what template i used so you can replicate it exactly. :)</p>

<p>
[quote]
and thank you for telling me that there are math books on bittorrent

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</p>

<p>I know right? Who would've known....</p>

<p>cool, thanks ben!</p>

<p>how bad is grade deflation at cal tech?</p>