This is the first year of REA at Caltech. Likely to lead to high yield? Waitlist will not move I suppose?
That’s entirely possible, but I know a lot of research and olympiad kids with significant enough awards to end up at MIT also got in Caltech. GPA is still well within top 5% at my school though, I think people call it deflation or smth like that?
1 Like
Wishing you the very best!!
Wrong forum
2 Likes
Any pros & cons about Caltech for a premed student with Biology major?
Thanks
1 Like
Hello @David_D, Congratulations! My D got in to Biology. Do you know more about Pre-Med in Caltech?
Thanks
To be honest, Caltech is fantastic for careers in many fields but premed is not one of them. Not to say that you wouldn’t be prepared for any med school out of Caltech, you certainly would! But with GPA being of utmost importance when applying to med schools it wouldn’t be the best place to go. It’s a school for all things STEM.
2 Likes
I disagree. Yes GPA matters but at Caltech he can study anything. The ones that struggle with GPA are computer science and physics. The CalTech name alone is unique in any medical school program and the best medical schools strive to sculpt a class with unique and different experiences. Studying amongst the smartest students in the world will warrant a spot at any good medical school.
2 Likes
Your student should pick a field they can do well in . It can be anything for medical school. Many doctors were art history majors who became surgeons. Studying for the MCAT and getting into medical research and out into the community is what will help her the most. No medical school will say no to a Caltech grad.
2 Likes
Calling @WayOutWestMom to opine on this (plus, any thoughts on premed at Caltech).
1 Like
You may want to speak to its pre-health advising office:
and take a look at this admission blog also:
In addition to what @noodles3 has said, premed students at Caltech aren’t in competition with one another as they’re in many other schools. It has a highly collaborative culture for everyone, including premeds. If your D is into medical research, Caltech could be a great choice. Famed virologist David Ho graduated as a premed from Caltech.
2 Likes
Oy!
I wish it were so but it doesn’t work that way.
Med schools get so many applications they use computer algorithms to make the first round of cuts. If your child doesn’t surpass the minimum expected GPA, no set of human eyes will ever see the application.
Med schools do not boost/add points GPAs based on undergrad attended or the difficulty of the student’s major.
Few med school adcomms will be familiar with the rigor of CalTech simply because it’s outside their own scope of experience/range of familiarity. Don’t expect a committee reviewer to swoon over the CalTech name.
Med school admissions make the first round of cuts based on GPA and MCAT scores. If an application gets past the computer screener, it will be reviewed by usually 2 readers and put into one of 3 piles: interview immediately; interview if space allows; reject.
The determination to interview or reject is based on more than academics. It’s based on the overall impression the applicant makes based on all of the following:
- physician shadowing
- clinical experiences
- community service with disadvantaged groups
- demonstrated leadership skills
- clinical or lab bench research
- quality of LOEs from science and non-science professors
- personal statement and secondary essay qualities
- demonstration of the inter- and intra-personal qualities deemed to desirable in a physician (see: Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students)
- mission fit with the school
Most med schools get 8-15 applications for every available open seat. They can afford to be very picky.
~~
A issue I foresee with Pasadena is the biggest hospital in Pasadena is Huntington Hospital (it’s within biking distance of the CalTech campus) and they generally don’t accept college student volunteers. Most of the medical offices in Pasadena are Kaiser Permanente and I don’t know willing they are to host college students either.
Your child will need a car to access other medical facilities for volunteering and shadowing.
Parking on Cal Tech for undergrads is difficult and expensive.
I do agree with t he statement that your child can major in anything and still go to med school so long as they complete their med school pre-reqs classes. One of my daughters was physics & math double major–she’s now a doctor who occasionally moonlights in Pasadena hospitals. Her sister was a math major and is now an attending physician in a high demand specialty. They had classmates with majors in things as diverse as forestry, English lit, theology, Italian & enology, and applied music.
3 Likes
My nephew went to a small school in Indiana few have heard of and was accepted to wash u medical school. There was a student from Caltech in his class and recieved a full ride based on MCAT score.
1 Like
I agree noodles–it doesn’t matter where you go to undergrad when it comes to medicine.
But the name of the undergrad alone will NOT open doors for med school admission.
2 Likes
Who told you this? Just because a student studies at Caltech…it’s not a guarantee of medical school acceptance at all. It’s not even a guarantee for an interview invite. Like anyone else applying to medical school, the whole application needs to have strength, not just the name of the undergrad college which won’t get anyone anywhere regarding medical school….without a strong application otherwise. And even that strong application isn’t a guarantee of medical school acceptances.
1 Like
No…if they received a full ride for medical school it was based on the complete strength of their application, not on the MCAT and their undergrad degree from CalTech.
But we are digressing here. Maybe there needs to be a Caltech and medical school thread!
2 Likes
is it guaranteed? No . However medical schools admit a diverse class. Name a Caltech grad who applied to medical school and didn’t get into their top choice? I’ll wait…roughly 230 kids a year graduated from Caltech. Say 1 student a class chooses medical school. Do you honestly believe that student will have a hard time? Few universities offer the ability to dive right into research. The training provided at the school alone for problem solving is worth accepting a Caltech grad for. The only issue is many kids choose not to attend medical school, they do other things. The ones that do …are NOT at a disadvantage. Good medical schools are filling their classes with students with a variety of backgrounds. John Hopkins admits all kinds of students , not just students with an ivy background.
um… probably not.
2/3rd of WashU SOM matriculants get full or half tuition scholarships.
Scholarships are awarded on a combination of academics AND financial need.
It was my nephew. I know exactly what the scholarship was for. It was for having the highest MCAT score
My nephew got the scholarship (he attended Loyola) not the Caltech grad,