<p>From my experience, as an undergraduate female, that magazine article couldn't be further from the truth. I have never once heard of anyone being stalked here, though I'm sure it happens every once in a while, like at any other college. I liked how they didn't even have an undergraduate write it but a grad student repeating a handful of played-out stereotypes, out-of-context stories and rumours. With inaccurate junk like this getting sent around so much it's small wonder that Caltech used to have such a low yield for admitted girls. I even remember reading it when I was a prefrosh and being a bit concerned.</p>
<p>"Glomming" usually refers to two things: a bunch of guys talking to one girl in a group (usually during Rotation when everyone is meeting new people) or, less often, when a guy hangs around a lot with girl, presumably to entice her into his Star Wars 30th Anniversary commemorative pocket protector, if you know what I mean. I've never seen either of these done maliciously in any way. The latter is just the shy nerd way of courting. The times I've seen it happen, the girl just has a mutual friend tell him gently that she's not interested, he gets the hint that she just wants to be friends, or it works and they start dating. If there is something that is really making you uncomfortable and you don't want to confront someone about it, I guarantee you that there are upperclassmen who are willing to help you out. No one wants to be seen as creepy or annoying, so if anyone hints to them that they are being that way, they'll stop. In my experience, Tech guys are nice and respectful, not to mention fairly apathetic to sex and dating, in comparison to most college guys. Guys don't usually glom a girl unless they have some reason to think that the attraction might be mutual, so it leads to a relationship a pretty large amount of the time. Keep in mind that "glomming" usually just means trying to seduce someone by socializing with them a lot, doing sets with them (HOT!), or whatever, not hacking her computer to read her sexy, sexy Haskell code on her hard drive and setting up hidden cameras in the shower, or whatever this article would imply, since that is obviously a brilliant way to convince someone to date you! </p>
<p>"The Ratio" is something the prefrosh care about, the frosh joke about, and the upperclassmen don't even think about. One of my favorite parts about Tech is that no one cares what gender you are, particularly the administration itself. Admissions does not consider gender, and tries to increase the gender ratio the way most Techers would want it, just by making Caltech more appealing to women or encouraging more women to go into technical fields. You can have a roommate of any gender that you wish and, at least in the South Houses, the bathrooms and showers are all coed. They all have individual stalls and everything -- I want privacy no matter who else is in there! I would feel absolutely comfortable rooming with a lot of the straight, male friends of mine. However, I've also noticed I have a lot more female friends at Tech than in high school. The nerdy girl to nerdy guy ratio seems a lot higher here than in the general population, and I generally hang around people who are pretty nerdy.</p>
<p>ps: I totally got my boyfriend by "glomming" him for a while since I was too shy just to "ask him out" or whatever you're actually supposed to do. It works both ways. Also, "Do you want do go work on the physics set with me?" is the best pickup line ever.</p>