Caltech Question Thread

<p>I believe so.</p>

<p>Does Caltech offer any special deals on computers for prefrosh?</p>

<p>Yes; we got first computer from CaltechWired, a part of the bookstore. Lots of free downloads. 3 y warrantee. Check out the site</p>

<p>As September quickly approaches, I keep finding myself under increasing pressure from parents to start at least thinking about what to pack.</p>

<p>1) For the Orientation I just want to bring some change-clothes and bed sheets, blanket and a pillow. The rest, I'd rather have it shipped (my parents disagree here, but that's besides the point =)).
So, when it comes to shipping, what address should I use (I've heard there is some sort of storage room to which all mail arrives)? </p>

<p>Also,
2) I am still not sure what textbooks will be used for Chemistry and the last time I checked Caltech Book Store, all Ohanians and Markerts (Freshman Physics) were sold out. When will they tells us (if ever) the information about classes? Or, will students be able to find out by themselves once they receive their email addresses and Caltech accounts?</p>

<p>Oh, and one more thing,
3) Is there a machine building room at Caltech (I am not sure if that's the right name in English, but it's a place where one gives a draft of a thing (a machine or a holder or something else) that needs to built, and the people who work there make it). If there is one, how easy can an undergrad place an order and how much such an order could cost him? </p>

<p>Thanks for your responses!</p>

<p>1) I would bring as much with you as you can, and ship as little as possible. It'll be easier this way, and you won't have to worry about shipping. They should have given you the address to ship to, if not, you can call and ask- I don't remember what it is exactly for new students (who don't have a MSC yet)</p>

<p>2) The bookstore will have plenty of textbooks for you. You'll find out about the classes and their respective books on your first day of classes- there's no need to buy books before then (the bookstore doesn't usually run out, and if they do, profs are understanding). It's definitely too early for you to worry about books.</p>

<p>3) There are couple of machine shops on campus. There's the student shop, which any student can join and use equipment they've been trained on. There is also a mechanical engineering shop, which you pretty much have to be a mech e to use (or have taken ME71, end of sophomore year). The MechE shop has staff that can build stuff for you, but I'd imagine it's not cheap.</p>

<p>How do freshman go about finding a roomate? After rotation is done and you pick your choices for houses, how are you then matched up with a roomate? Is there some questionaire you fill out when you get to orientation and then those who pick a particular house are then matched up based on basic preferences, like loud vs. quiet, late sleeper vs. early riser, etc.?</p>

<p>It may vary from house to house, but I think generally it's much, much less formal than that: you just go around and ask people if they want to be your roommate! There's only 20-30 frosh per house, so it's not that difficult of a thing, usually.</p>

<p>Also, note that several of the houses have singles.</p>

<p>Some houses do have a post-rotation "roommate rotation".
Also remember that you will have been with your class for two weeks by the time you move, so if you are reasonably sociable you will have already met many of your frosh housemates.</p>

<p>999) What can I do to increase my chances of transferring to Caltech after my sophomore year at another university? What kind of transfer students get accepted? Do you know anyone who transfered? Is there anything else about transferring to Caltech or transfer students you'd like to tell me?</p>

<p>zsdn2k-</p>

<p>You have to take take an entrance exam, and there's a good chance you'll be enrolled as a sophomore despite already completing two years of undergrad. </p>

<p>The best way to increase one's chances is probably by studying for the exam.</p>

<p>Are there sinks(ie wash basins) in all rooms?</p>

<p>Also, what are the prospects (for a frosh) of getting a single in 1 of the South Hovses and what is the procedure for getting 1? Do we have to mention the type of room we want when rating all houses after rotation?</p>

<p>anuj44-</p>

<p>As far as I'm aware, yes, there are sinks in all the rooms. As far as getting a single goes, the chances are pretty good. Most of the South Houses only have a few doubles, so the majority of rooms are singles. The actual prospects depend on what the upperclassmen picked, and the particulars of the House in question, but I'm pretty sure it's at least better than a half chance. (For example, in my House, there are 28 spots left open for frosh, and there are only 4 doubles not taken. So there's a 20 out of 28 chance that you'd get a single. It's possible I'm misremembering the number of doubles open, but it's no more than four.)</p>

<p>I don't know how other houses work for this, but I'd guess it's not too far off from ours: when you get in the house, we assign a roompick ranking at random (we use playing cards), and you pick from the available rooms in order. As long as there are singles available when your pick comes up, you can pick any of them.</p>

<p>You don't specify a room preference (single/double) during Rotation. Although you might be adverse to having a roommate, it's not that bad- you're not going to run into the horror stories you hear about. During Rotation, you should rate the houses based on the one that fits you the best, <em>not</em> on whether or not you'll get a single.</p>

<p>Thanks si1verdrake and jdhutchin..
Also, I will make a choice based more on which house I like more..I just feel that I'm gonna like the South Hovses more..Plus, I do generally prefer older architecture to newer architecture..</p>

<p>While architectural concerns may be important, they shouldn't be your primary reason for choosing a house. Yes, the south houses are fresher, have more singles, and, in my opinion, are better looking - but none of that will matter if you can't stand the people around you (or if they can't stand you when they figure out you just wanted a single). People are the most important thing!</p>

<p>I thought I may like the South Hovses more due to the descriptions of the people, traditions, etc. I read about them on wikipedia..So, if that article is pretty accurate, I would like the South Hovses more..The fact that only South Hovses have singles is an added bonus..Also, architectural concerns aren't really that important in my decision(which is why I put in the word "plus"..again, just a small bonus..)
So, no, I'm not going to pick the South Hovses just because they have singles..</p>

<p>By the way, that wikipedia article was written by techers, right?</p>

<p>Although I won't say the wikipedia article is inaccurate (it actually seems pretty good from the short glance I gave it) it is definitely not even close to giving a really good indicator of the house's personalities. </p>

<p>Just wait for rotation, and then you'll get a much more full picture of the houses here.</p>

<p>Ah, ok. I still have to wait a while then.
Anyway, I was just citing my sources of my preconceived notions that I'd like the south hovses more and that I'm not going to prefer them just because they have singles.
I don't know why halfthelaw thought that having a single is what matters to me the most, anyway.</p>

<p>
[quote]

By the way, that wikipedia article was written by techers, right?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I agree with lizzardfire. It's important also to realize that the wikipedia article is written by some techers - and can be very, very unbalanced and inaccurate. It's not as if each House gathered and came to a consensus - "Okay, here's what we're going to say about ourselves." You will get that kind of information during rotation, however.</p>