I got into Caltech a week ago and am anxiously waiting on Princeton, so I may be counting my chickens before they hatch. But I couldn’t resist.
I am heavily leaning towards studying math, getting a PhD, and becoming a professor. Math rankings always put Princeton above Caltech, and when people list top math schools they always say Princeton and often leave out Caltech. Why?
I assume the strength of a school’s undergrad math education can be judged using the following criteria:
Faculty
Research opportunities
Student body
Class offerings
Teaching quality
2 and 4 seem comparable while 1 and 5 seem marginally better at Princeton. I am not sure about 3.
What am I missing? Is math at Princeton really much better? Should I make my decision based on nonacademic factors? If so, I’d probably choose Caltech since its intensity appeals a lot to me.
@pleekey have you visited either campus? They are completely different. While Princeton screams “I’m a university” Caltech is very much made up of a collection of houses affiliated with Caltech, with a main campus.
With that said, consider the endowment of each. Caltech is 2.2 billion. Princeton is 22 billion, meaning more opportunities for you! I can’t say much, but a girl I met at UC Berkeley said that she ultimately chose Cal over Caltech because Caltech was very academia focused, which sounds like something you would want. I can’t say much about Princeton but be glad that either one are great choices. I would look more into the type of work faculty members are doing to see which one piques your interest.
@pleekey it depends on how the university uses the endowment, but larger endowments can attract renowned professors; I still really recommend looking at what each school’s faculty is doing. My friend who goes to Duke tells me about that she can request her study abroad/summer programs to be waived because Duke’s endowment is so large. Of course that wouldn’t matter for you, the only way endowment could affect math academia is the faculty is attracts, and thus the research opportunities.
I feel both choices are very comparable. I think the rigor will be more intense at Caltech, which says a lot since Princeton is already very rigorous. Also class sizes are smaller at Caltech. In general the perception is that Caltech is made up of a self-selected group of really intense geniuses. I think you will have a more well-rounded and humane college experience at Princeton. I think if you want to do applied math then there would be a reason to choose Caltech over Princeton but again when you are talking about schools at this level i think fit matters more since they are both excellent.
Browsing their websites, Princeton’s math department is certainly larger, which I think I like. I recognize John Conway from Princeton. Princeton apparently also has an associate professor named Adam Levine http://www.math.princeton.edu/directory/adam-levine
A very close friend of my son’s (senior BSE) is a math concentrator at Princeton. My son says his friend was accepted to all the top math programs in the country and chose Princeton because its math program was top notch but Princeton campus life also really appealed to him. For what it’s worth, the friend has now been accepted at a number of top PhD programs in math and is feeling well prepared for graduate studies.
Princeton’s math department has 64 faculty members and 70 undegrads while Caltech’s has 17 faculty members and 67 undergrads. Does this suggest that Princeton undergrads get more individual attention and research opportunities?
@pleekey Conway is brilliant. I have sat in a lecture by him. I think Andrew Wiles teaches undergrads at Princeton too which is unbelievable!
For your purposes I would say Princeton if you can get in. The math education (if you can handle it) is unparalleled there particularly in theoretical fields which is what you sound like you are interested in.
I got into CalTech too so congrats there! It’s a phenomenal school with an amazing undergrad experience with how small it is and how close you are to top notch faculty. If you’re focused on research and science there’s nowhere better imo. Not feeling too hot about Princeton but I would really love to get in as their undergrad experience is top notch and they have an amazing ORFE program.
Same question here… I got into Caltech and I’m waiting for Princeton. But I intend to major in physics. Caltech’s physics seems to be at the very top? And Princeton is also famous for its physics.
I’m kind of introverted and don’t socialize much. Would it be better for me to go to Caltech?
I think after spending a few days at each school, you’ll know which you will prefer. My son attended Caltech, and his close friend P-ton.
Caltech has 7 houses, grouped close together. You arrive at campus a week early and are given temporary quarters. You spend time at each House during that week. You select your top choices, and the Houses do the same. This is the core of your social life, especially for freshmen. If you don’t like these Houses, there is an 8th House which doesn’t have the weekend barbecues, movie trips, hiking, swimming events. You also get to chose your roommate or a single.
The meal plan covers 5 days. Weekends are often House events or local restaurants. There are plenty of places to eat on campus.
Because of the small size, my son was able to rise in 2 ECs.
Son’s friend loved P, but I’ll let others talk specifics.
After World War II the math center of the world shifted from Cambridge in the UK, to Princeton. It has remained the math center of the world ever since. I don’t know why, but lots of math greats have worked or taught at Princeton such as John Nash Jr, Ed Witten, Einstein, Manjul Bhargava more recently. In fact, if you count Fields Medals, Princeton crushes Caltech.
