<p>I'm applying to caltech, but i'm not sure how high it is on my college list. I've heard from many people that everyone that goes there studies all day everyday (though i'm sure there are exceptions). What is the environment like at Caltech? Is it a well-balanced place? Are there fun things to do off the campus in pasadena? </p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>I'm curious who these people are that you talk to. Everyone that I have talked to about Caltech has told me that I shouldn't go to a Cal State. Are you sure these people actually know anything?</p>
<p>Most of them are students who were thinking of applying there but were turned off by what i previously mentioned after visiting the campus. Others were parents of students who had been considering the school. I am definitely still applying there because I have heard many good things about the school. This was in no way meant to be offensive . I just want to gather as much information/opinions about the school.</p>
<p>It's a reasonable question to ask, and it's one we get a lot.</p>
<p>In my opinion, Caltech is not even close to being "one-dimensional". There are people that study all day and never leave their rooms, but they are a relatively small minority of the population.</p>
<p>That being said, we're not a party school. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by well-balanced. Caltech is a very focused and difficult school--that doesn't mean people don't have fun, but it does mean that studies are in general taken more seriously here than by the general populations of most universities. People come here because they want to become very good at math, science, and engineering. They set this as a priority. If it's not a priority for you, this probably isn't the right school. But if your question is, "This is a priority for me, but I don't want to spend all day studying because that REALLY SUCKS, can I do that at Caltech?" The answer is yes. </p>
<p>I guess I can conclude this by saying your sources should be Caltech students and not parents of people who considered the school (or others related to us through some tenuous link). I'm a Caltech student, and I definitely don't study all day. (Although I've got to end this post now so I can study Chinese hahaha!)</p>
<p>By the way, there's going to be a resource dedicated to answering questions like these in a more... creative way very soon. I'll make a post about it when it happens.</p>
<p>Edit: ThisCouldBeHeavn: hahahahaha. My neighbors are convinced I go to Cal Poly SLO.</p>
<p>I also want to note that sometimes we (the students) tell you (the prefrosh) not to come here because you'll study every single hour of every single day. In most cases, it is said with [quite noticeable] sarcasm. Also, while there are certainly people here that study all the time, you generally don't get a chance to meet/talk with them for the same reason.</p>
<p>I was worried my son would have to study every minute of every day after reading enough things online. He attended a small rural public school without a lot of resources, which seems to be very different than most of his classmates. He's only a frosh, so things will probably change, but he seems to be doing well with plenty of free time on his hands. I think every school has people who study 24/7. My guess is that if you are smart enough to get into Caltech, you will be able to handle the work and still have some leisure time.</p>
<p>Caltech definitely caters to people who enjoy the work. If you don't think you'll enjoy spending many hours struggling over math/physics problem sets, you should re-consider attending Caltech. You can definitely find time for other hobbies or sports and clubs, but you won't have tons of time to screw around (ie, you won't see people spontaneously taking day trips to the beach or Vegas). I kind of liked the feeling that my time was important and that I accomplished a lot each day.</p>
<p>I like to make day trips to the beach on the weekends :)</p>
<p>Also, I don't enjoy most of my problem sets. I do love my research though.</p>
<p>If you know your string theory, then Caltech is 11-dimensional school, lol :)</p>
<p>do u guys have time to read books and magazines other than sciences and engineering stuffs?</p>
<p>Edit:</p>
<p>With string theory, Caltech is 11-dimensional, with GR, Caltech is 4-dimensional, with galilean relativity Caltech is 3, with some other theories, caltech is 7 ,...so on.</p>
<p>Caltech is whatever you make out of it (I really mean this)</p>
<p>My son reads lots of sports magazines and has seen lots of movies since he got there.</p>
<p>I read a lot more books and magazines that aren't science oriented than ones that are.</p>
<p>Granted I'm still a happy little frosh on pass fail, I don't think that's true. I definitely don't spend everyday studying all the time. But then again, I'm still a frosh. Haha</p>
<p>One of the happy ironies of Caltech was that it was easier to get involved in a wider range of activities than at many schools. When I was a student (admittedly a very, very long time ago) I was exposed to writing classes, school drama, music, literature, the social sciences, etc. that might not have been as easy to get into elsewhere. Working as an usher at Beckman allowed me to attend many great concerts. Moreover, those into sports found it easy to get onto the varsity teams. Also, at many large schools, one often finds a diversity of students but not high diversity within the students. That is: engineers hang out with engineers, political activists with the like-minded, economists with econ/business students, sports buffs with other athletes. Usually frats and sororities are the glue that helps to bind students from very different majors. At Caltech, all the Hovses are frat-like and encourage students to mix with kids in very different majors. I have taught at many different colleges since finishing and I often talk to students. I do not have the impression that students at most places have as diverse a mix of activities and friends as I did at Caltech. So obviously, the preference for math/science activities will be strong as will the pressure of the workload. But ironically, the uniformity of that atmosphere discourages clustering of students on purely vocational grounds and gives you freer rein to explore your other interests, if that's your inclination.</p>