CalTech and Comm Service

Colleges & Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
1

<p>From what I've heard, I get the reputation that CalTech cares only about your math/science achievements and little else. I might get a B+ in AP Calc BC, but it's largely b/c the courseload I've taken this year is decently hard (in the science arena, I have AP Chem and AP Phys C. as well - both As). I will also be taking additional Physics (my favorite) courses at Rutgers. I'm worried, though, that the B+ will take away.</p>

<p>But I'm wandering away from the point.</p>

<p>Partly because it's my other passion, and partly to make up for the grades, I engage in a lot of political oriented community service (canvassing votes; get-out-the-vote efforts, etc) and will volunteer at a Tsunami relief camp in India this summer for around 6 weeks.</p>

<p>Does CalTech care enough about comm. service that it'll make up for those iffy grades?</p>

2

<p>No. Your impression is correct. Anyone can do community service, but the applicants you'll be competing against are spending their time doing research or winning math competitions. I'm not on the admissions board, but I'm sure that the only condition that would cause your service activities to be important would be a tiebreaker between you and another otherwise equally qualified candidate.</p>

3

<p>SteelPangolin is essentially right, though we are favorably impressed with truly serious commitment to anything (lots of highschoolers are pretty lightweight.) However, the majority of our admits spend their free time doing something scientific. You should at least have something along those lines, and then your community service will fill things out nicely.</p>