<p>My son wants to go to CalTech pretty badly. He is a National Merit Semi-Finalist (getting to Finalist as we speak).
He has 4.3 grade point average, by the end of senior year he will have 11 AP classes (average score of 4.5) and dual enrollment with 2 college calculus classes during his senior year. He has very little academic extra activities - he plays baseball almost year round. I know athletics are not big at CalTech. He has 2250 on SAT and 35 composite on ACT (with 36 in science and math). He is taking the 2 SAT subject test in October for Physics and Math 2. He wants to major in Physics. He is finishing the essay, etc for the application. He did participate in Junior Achievement program last year and his company won National Company of the Year.
Will his lack of academic extra activities hurt his chances?
Should he go Early Decision.Action?
Does that help his chances?
Please advise.</p>
<p>Hello gabaseballmama - I asked the early vs regular question of a Caltech Admissions rep last year. Her comment was to apply early if student had AP Physics grades to submit, otherwise even if application was strong, student would likely be deferred pending physics grades. Since my son took AP Physics as a junior, he applied early and was accepted. I don’t think your son needs alot of extracurricular activities, but he should showcase the ones related to science/math . </p>
<p>Standardized testing wise, he should be fine. GPA should be okay as well (though I don’t know what his school’s weighting system is) assuming he’s been getting mostly, if not all, A’s. His lack of scientific/academic related activities will hurt him. NM scholars are not uncommon, so unfortunately, that’s not going to boost his standings. the National Company Award thing should help him. </p>
<p>I was accepted EA without having any physics classes’ grades on my transcript (I was taking my only physics class senior year: AP Mech), so it shouldn’t be too much of a concern if he has no physics grades yet as long as he is performing well in other challenging courses.</p>
<p>Also, it’s Early Action at Caltech (please help your son by being aware of the differences between ED and EA). Make sure he’s spelling Caltech as such and NOT CalTech. If he wants to be at Tech, he needs to have his desire show through in his essays–he must demonstrate a serious passion for science and/or math as well as an interest in the campus and its distinct culture. In this regard, if he would like a review of his essays by a current techer, I’d be happy to assist; just PM me.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the input. He did take AP Physics B in his junior year and got a 5 on test. He is taking AP Physics C this year. He has rough draft of all essay and we will be editing this week. I will be reaching out for reviews shortly.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son! He sounds like a great candidate for applying early. I did want to share one comment about the essays. I remember arguing with my son over the unconventional content. As it turns out, he submitted his quirky responses and Caltech was fine with them. </p>