<p>I'm mom to a homeschooled/part-time college senior. Years ago, my son had expressed a strong interest in Caltech but over the years, he decided it seemed too intense and not friendly enough and not focused enough on undergrad. As of now, it's not on his college list but Harvey Mudd is very high on the list. He's gone to both schools for math competitions and did prefer the Mudd campus.</p>
<p>My son got an email today from an athletic coach at Caltech asking if my son was interested. This is a first. My son has played a certain sport for many years but isn't recruitable by normal standards because, as a homeschooler, he couldn't play varsity except for last year (he found a small homeschool team but they had their CIF status taken away) so his skills aren't top notch.</p>
<p>My son loves math and physics and is doing some graduate level physics research at the local state uni. and is doing dynamical systems with his online tutor. He's got the gpa 4.0/4.84 and SAT 2320 (SAT II 800, 800, 730) and some national stuff (physics olympiad semis for 2 years, AIME for two years) to be competitive. He's also a URM but that doesn't matter at Caltech, I'm pretty sure.</p>
<p>However, he really is hesitant to apply. We are a conservative Christian family though all of the schools on his list are secular because of the depth he needs in math and physics. He's also a procrastinator and while he's intense, he's also laid back and loves to do lots and lots of music (violinist and worship guitar) and other fun stuff with friends.</p>
<p>Caltech does not recruit for athletics, but coaches are still interested in students who may be an asset to their teams. Most (possibly all) of our teams are walk-on, so if your son is interested in continuing his sport he would almost certainly be able to do so.</p>
<p>It sounds like it would be a fit for him. I know there are some Christian groups on campus, though I have no personal experience with them. There are also lots of music opportunities (guitar classes, guitar ensemble, chamber music, band/orchestra, choirs). I would recommend that he apply, and attend prefrosh weekend if he is accepted. However, if he really is against applying, I wouldn’t worry about it. Harvey Mudd is also an excellent school, and if he likes it better there then it’s likely a better place for him.</p>
<p>Thanks for your response. Do you play a sport at Caltech? If so, do you have other interests (like music, computers, whatever), as well? It seems that Caltech is the most rigorous of all the schools out there and the time it takes to be decent in a sport might cause major stress for students already trying to keep on top of the coursework.</p>
<p>DS was a student at Caltech (graduated last year). He was on a team - had lots of fun getting to travel a bit with team(my son had no sports experience in high school - his high school was very small and had no teams), did theatre, was president of a club. Yes, school was hard, really hard, it took him 4.33 years to graduate but he did it. And he had a great time while he was there.</p>
<p>Thank-you for your response, Oaklandmom. Do you mind if I ask what your son is doing now? Also, did your son come in with college credit or place into higher level classes? My son’s on what he calls the “10 year plan” for college; that is, he began part time at age 12 but would like to graduate on time after 4 years of full time college and get out by age 22 . I’m glad to hear that it can be manageable to do a sport along with some other activities in addition to the extreme academics.</p>
<p>I strongly recommend your son come to Caltech because it is an excellent university and a lot of fun. If he is interested, the main Christian group on campus is the [Caltech</a> Christian Fellowship](<a href=“http://ccf.caltech.edu/"]Caltech”>http://ccf.caltech.edu/). They meet often and bake cookies.</p>
<p>n,
I actually looked up the Caltech Christian Fellowship just last evening. It seems very organized. I thought it was pretty cool that there were song lists and a list of local churches with contacts on campus and transportation ideas for getting to the churches.</p>