<p>i would like to apply to caltech for chemistry but i've heard that they only consider scores such as SAT, GPA, SAT II, etc as their admissions criteria (for the most part)</p>
<p>is this true?</p>
<p>I have not heard that , but S1 would love it if that were the case. Cal Tech is his top choice. He had a 1560 on his core SAT and 800s in Math II and Chemistry subject tests (790 in Spanish). His UW GPA is 3.7 or 3.8 IIRC. He is still thinking this is an extreme reach.</p>
<p>Caltech frequently writes personalized notes on their letters of admission and none that I have heard of ever say “congrats on great scores”. Recognize that Caltech applicants are very self-selecting and it is safe to assume that a high percentage have very high percentage scores. Caltech does not have a 90% admissions rate. They are most definitely looking at more than high scores. My personal belief is that they are looking for those who go above and beyond “normal”, they do things and think outside the box. I believe that recommendations are very important in this process as well.</p>
<p>Not scores. Deferred with 2400 SAT, triple 800 SAT2, 8 AP 5’s, valedictorian (4.8W/4.0UW) here. And decent ECs/essays/recs too.</p>
<p>daaaaaaaaaaaaamn gatsbydies! deferred? what the hell?</p>
<p>@chem92128 i think my essays weren’t specific enough; or my common app was really bad. I think my essays didn’t show why I wanted to go to Caltech instead of MIT lol, and i have that ea instead of the other way around ._.</p>
<p>Scores are an important factor for admission but doesn’t completely determine one’s decision.</p>
<p>I am similar to @gatsbydies and I can confirm that scores are not everything. The greatest predictor of whether you get in, on the contrary, is probably if you have a big-shot math/science award or your gender. </p>
<p>I wish scores were everything, because I would love to go to Caltech.</p>
<p>Lol don’t even go with the big-shot math/science awards. Had 2 of those (ISEF-level). gg</p>
<p>If scores were everything, then you have to pick which standardized exam would be valid especially if the scores were discordant. Then everyone would fight whether the SAT, ACT, SAT II or AP were more important. These exams do not evaluate work ethics, personalities, or even passions for subjects. At some point these students have to enter and work in the labs. No exam in the world would accurately evaluate abilities to work with others and follow directions from superiors. The exam scores help narrow the pool and all of the supplemental information help with evaluating the subjective qualities of the applicants. Of course, the people who complain the loudest would benefit the most if the admissions were solely based on scores.</p>
<p>i know scores aren’t everything but i have heard that caltech is much more heavy on objective than subjective stats</p>
<p>^ This is kind of true. For example, many ivy-league schools have a 25%ile ACT score of 31 while Caltech’s is closer to something like 33 or 34. However, the students applying to Caltech are highly self-selecting, and there aren’t too many spots to go around (yield isn’t super high, though). So while the baseline scores to have a good shot may be higher, they still are not going to seal the deal.</p>
<p>^In fact, Caltech’s yield is sort of pathetic (I feel bad for it) for such a highly ranked/prestigious/well-known research university. I believe it floats at somewhere around 37%, on par with or a bit lower than Cal’s. This is because many of the students who are of Caltech’s caliber are also accepted to the large HYPSMetc. institutions and will choose those instead.</p>
<p>@gatsbydies :
how do you get a 4.8 Weighted… Can you walk me through the math! I am impressed!</p>
<p>Did you take a whole bunch of AP’s in freshman year?</p>
<p>At our son’s school the top students are around 4.8 weighted. The school gives an extra point for AP, Honors, and dual enrollment classes.</p>
<p>Ah, now I get it. My sons HS does not weight Honors and does not count Concurrent.
I could not fathom how someone could get a 4.8.</p>
<p>My son has 4.0 UW, and will have completed 10 AP classes, and his Weighted gpa is only 4.4</p>
<p>Like to tease my son: Dude, for MIT and Caltech, you are below average!</p>