<p>webhappy - i meant on campus. as far as i can tell, MIT is the same mix of several nice places (like Avery) and many mediocre places (like the N/S kitchens) just scaled up to the populatoin.</p>
<p>there is definitely good cheap thai place within wakling distance (prez2, they deliver too). and a great chinese delivery place in arcadia where people and i ordered from last weekend, except i forget the name.</p>
<p>The other thing about the food is that, in my opinion, it would be easier to find a ride to get food here than at MIT. Students are more likely to have cars here than in a big city and (from what I've seen) people are always really willing to give rides to those who don't. As for good, cheap Chinese that delivers, I like Grandview on California. It's definitely going to be easier to find good cheap Chinese here than in Boston. :)</p>
<p>Din Tai Fung is an incredible chinese dumpling house in Arcadia (Life Plaza)... more expensive than others though</p>
<p>Ah, Grandview palace, that's what it was :). Thanks alleya.</p>
<p>Great Read -</p>
<p>[link</a>]</p>
<p>While its true that more people have cars at Caltech, the thing is we don't need them at MIT because we can walk to about any restaurant we want, and if not then definitely take public transportation. That is one of the nice things about living in a big city. The downside is our campus is pretty rough looking being so urban, but actually, compared to some other universities in Boston, we actually have a pretty nice looking campus!</p>
<p>I think angrod is right. My girlfriend tends to complain about the urban, cold-looking campus and the fact that there are few restaurants or other establishments that cater directly to MIT students. One has to take a somewhat nontrivial walk across the bridge to Boston or take the bus/T to Harvard Square. This might not seem like a big deal but apparently it's enough to make the activation energy pretty high when one wants to plan a night out without making it a big deal. But maybe this varies by person.</p>
<p>I'd say that Caltech has more restaurants within comfortable walking distance (15 minutes or less) than MIT does, but MIT has a big city within slightly less comfortable walking distance.</p>
<p>As long as we're talking about distances and campuses, it should be pointed out that the longest walk between home and class for most students here is four minutes or less. At MIT it can be 15. For me this didn't matter (one can get a bike) but maybe for some people it does.</p>
<p>Well, there is one apartment complex that's a bit farther. I have a 8 minute walk to the building with all of my CS classes, and my roommate has about a 12 minute walk to her physics classes (which are on the opposite side of campus). Either way, we're in the farthest housing (a block and a half) from campus, so those numbers are upper limits.</p>
<p>Yeah, my estimate was for the houses/Marks/Avery. I have a friend who lives in the same apartment complex and she just bikes to class, takes her about three minutes.</p>
<p>Rigor: Caltech > MIT
2. Difficulty: Caltech > MIT aren't rigor and difficluty the same?
3. No of specialization: Caltech < MIT
4. Overall Faculty strength: Caltech = MIT
5. Best Professors in the field: Caltech =MIT
6. The strength of American student body: Caltech > MIT
7. The strength of International student body: Caltech < MIT
Weather: Caltech > MIT
Beauty of Campus: Caltech < MIT
Big-city, bustling, fast-walking feeling: Caltech < MIT
Number of clubs and activities: Caltech < MIT
Close-knit, homelike, fun feeling: Caltech =MIT
Respect of administration and professors for students / student freedom: Caltech = MIT
Engineering/business orientation of students: Caltech < MIT
Closeness to lots of big cultural attractions: Caltech < MIT
Ease of working closely with professors/general accessibility of faculty: Caltech > MIT
Food: Caltech <MIT</p>
<p>In terms of rigor they could be equal depending on the classes you pick.
Food is better ,. Boston is a college town ,you can easily get delivery or food 24 hrs a day. You dont really need a car in Boston unless you plan on moving sofas / fridges from one side to another on a daily basis. And if close tight knit feeling is what your looking for east campus dorms/ or fraternaties can give you that. beauty of campus i personally like mit mix in architecture it combines classical structures like the great dome with modern structures like the stata but beauty is in the eye of the beholder just my opinion</p>
<p>"Beauty of Campus: Caltech < MIT"</p>
<p>Ummm... I completely disagree. Caltech is gorgeous -- roses year round, flowers everywhere, sidewalks lined with orange trees or olive trees or trees that rain purple or orange flowers during different parts of the year, the mountains in the background (only about 2 miles away)... I could go on and on. </p>
<p>"Close-knit, homelike, fun feeling: Caltech =MIT"</p>
<p>I disagree with this one too. I defy any university as large as MIT to be as close-knit as we are. That's just one of the pros of a smaller university. Not only is it a small university, but our housing system makes it even smaller, placing you in a dorm with around 80 people of the same personality. This is the around the same size as a fraternity (I think) and is more inclusive (it's not nearly as much of a popularity contest to get in).</p>
<p>"Respect of administration and professors for students / student freedom: Caltech = MIT"</p>
<p>I disagree with this one as well, though I don't have any first hand information for MIT, so someone can feel free to give examples proving me wrong. I've always been amazed at the respect we get as students. My freshman year, Caltech decided to put up a sculpture. They'd contacted the guy and he'd done preliminary plans, but when the students saw them, we hated them so much that the administration ended up dropping the project. As for professors trusting us, in three years I haven't taken a single test in a classroom. Almost all of our tests our take-home. The prof tells us how much time we can use and what materials we get, and then trusts us to follow the honor code. So, I'd bet Caltech students get more respect from the faculty and administration than students at MIT.</p>
<p>An old article - most of the folks here should've read it - listing the important aspects about Caltech as a whole:</p>
<hr>
<p>An old campus saw describes Caltech life as follows: "Grades, social life, sleep: Pick two."</p>
<p>Ahhh Feynman. In my mind, he is the most interesting physicist of all time. If any of you have not heard much about him, read "Surely your Joking Mr. Feynman." It is one of my favorite books.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'll agree with alleya about all three of her points.</p>
<p>Beauty: I wrote a long answer to this but just deleted it. Come and spend a few days here :-). That will gently conclude all debate. But I will say that, for most tastes, green is a more pleasing predominant color for a campus than grey.</p>
<p>Close-knitness: So, it's certainly true that MIT can be a very close-knit, happy place, in some places especially. BUT it's much easier to get left out in the cold there. A few of my close friends have relayed firsthand how the more dormlike places to live can leave people very socially isolated. YES, it's possible to be socially isolated anywhere, but at Caltech you have to try much much much harder. At MIT it's possible to be lost in the crowd by accident. Not just possible -- it happens regularly.</p>
<p>As for the respect of the administration and faculty, I do agree that among large universities MIT stands out, but Caltech is #1 in this category anywhere. How many other schools, including MIT, give students a key that opens most buildings on campus (and let you in to the others)? How many of them have virtually no in-class tests? How many tacitly encourage students to explore tunnels and roofs as long as they're not stupid about it? (MIT recently instituted a fine for being found on a roof.) How many have students treated as equals on pretty much every policy-setting committee (including undergraduate admissions)? The list could go on, but honestly, I think one can't find a university that treats undergraduates as equals to the extent that Caltech does.</p>
<p>"But I will say that, for most tastes, green is a more pleasing predominant color for a campus than grey."</p>
<p>When I visited Caltech, it was REALLY nice.. I think I was sitting outside one of the cafes (umm... red door or something like that? I can't quite remember) in the shade, and the campus atmosphere just seemed very welcoming and supportive.</p>
<p>"How many other schools, including MIT, give students a key that opens most buildings on campus (and let you in to the others)?"</p>
<p>Hm, the only one I can think of is Harvey Mudd. But then again, they probably have more restrictions than Caltech about WHICH doors to give you the keys to.</p>
<p>"How many tacitly encourage students to explore tunnels and roofs as long as they're not stupid about it? (MIT recently instituted a fine for being found on a roof.)"</p>
<p>Hahaha that's hilarious... a fine for being found on the roof. But that sounds pretty exciting, exploring tunnels and roofs. :D</p>
<p>2bad4u,</p>
<p>No, difficulty and rigor are not exactly the same. Rigor refers to the atmosphere, workload and the environment, e.g. since many Caltech undergrad take about 6 classes (for Physics, EE and ECE) the atmosphere become rigorous. On the other hand, for a similar subject, I would claim that Caltech teach slightly more deeply than MIT, i.e. the homeworks are harder :).</p>
<p>I thought rigor meant how proof-based classes are. In calculus, when we say a rigorous class, we mean that proofs and formal definitions are provided for every theorem and concept. Could some one clear up what the ops meant by "rigorous"?</p>
<p>Well depending on your own definition on 'rigor' you can formulate the comparison yourself. However, since it is my comparison here in this issue, it's reasonable enough to take my definition to clarify my comparison :)</p>
<p>rigor still is in what and how many classes you decide to take ,for example Caltech has Physics 1A which covers what 8.01 covers but if you wanted rigor you could take 8.012 which covers the same material with more rigor and insight than caltech does it uses Kleppner/Kolenkow book which is much more rigorous than Serway or Feynman <a href="http://www.cco.caltech.edu/%7Etmu/ph1a/geninfo.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~tmu/ph1a/geninfo.htm</a> (i own all 3 volumes of Feynman and have used Serway's book) although Caltech used k/K in the past that was in the past. Same goes for e/m. Rigor depends a lot on you and your choices.</p>
<p>regarding close knitness its a matter of choice, each hall on EC is a very close knit group and has its own personality , deciding on where you fit in best and the fact that the school has an nearly even male to female ratio means you wont have too spend 4 years in a borderline all boys school. Central Square is right next door and has a whole lot of restaurants that cater to mit students.Delivery food is common. </p>
<p>as native californian i could tell you that although roses and flowers are nice, having more than one season is also a thing of beauty. The beauty argument is more of an individual matter </p>
<p>as a side note i have never heard of anybody being fined for being on the roof . The fine is just to appease the city of cambridge. Hacking and Pranks are still common and if prefrosh want to be a part they should go on some of the tours that take place in CPW. There are also bigger buildings and miles of underground tunnels and hallways to explore.</p>
<p>2bad4u,</p>
<p>You seem to enforce your definition on rigor, which undeniably confirms your own justification. Your intertwine <em>my</em> definition on rigor and depth of the class. Notice also that textbook by itself doesn't justify how hard the class would be. Am I right to say that you consider K/K as more rigorous as it requires more mathematical fluency? When Feynman himself taught the physics class at Caltech, whatever its name then, the class was notoriously perhaps the hardest physics class you may find in the States. And yet, his questions are based on his lectures, compiled in the form of the 3 books (you might also notice that the 3rd vol is much harder than the 1st or 2nd vols). Hence your perception on the rigor fails here as it doesn't necessarily materialize as the rigor of the class itself. </p>
<p>However, based on <em>my</em> definition, I consider rigor as typically how many classes an average student tend to take every term/semester. While you can of course take as many courses as you are capable to, there's indeed some invisible pressure from the environment and atmosphere of the school to dictate it. In this regard, the more nerdy environment of Caltech impose its society taking heavier workloads (than MIT) and hence spirally elevates the rigor of the atmosphere.</p>