<p>Got into both. Both are for Biochemistry and Biophysics (CalTech) or Biophysics (Stanford). Enjoyed both of the interview sessions a lot. Both have lots of professors I'd want to work with. I know this will probably be slightly biased, but give me any pros/cons there may be...This is a really hard decision. </p>
<p>I'm from the LA area, so neither is really that big of a change in terms of environment. Never lived away from home though.</p>
<p>Maybe a revisit to both will help you make your decision.</p>
<p>I would go to Caltech for grad school (EE), except I went there for undergrad. I am going to Stanford for grad school (also EE). I think both places are cool, I would maybe advise that you get farther away from home though…</p>
<p>Visiting might be a decent idea. Easy to visit CalTech, hopefully I’ll have the cash to make it back up to Stanford…</p>
<p>^I’m shocked there isn’t an admitted student’s weekend. You shouldn’t have to pay for the trip or even the hotel.</p>
<p>Collegealum, there is an admitted student’s weekend. Most people have to pay for the trip itself, but some people do get financial aid for it.</p>
<p>Grad schools do typically cover expenses for a visit weekend. I’ve heard that Stanford is not as generous with their visit weekend as other schools. I remember my friend was expecting things to be covered like other schools and instead Stanford sent him information on how much parking would cost.</p>
<p>hey all, may i know what is considered a good GPA for grad schools like caltech, stanford and mit?</p>
<p>The last few posts seem to have gotten confused…I was invited to visit the campuses. </p>
<p>However, I felt the group interviews at CalTech limited my ability to assess if I would like working in their labs. It was 2-3 people for 20-25 minutes at a time, so we basically just watched presentations on their research. I’m emailing professors I didn’t get to interview with to set up more meetings at CalTech since I live in LA. Stanford’s offering me a slightly higher stipend but living in LA is far cheaper (since I wouldn’t live in Pasadena…). The CalTech Biochem/Biophysics program doesn’t have quals, but I would be required to teach unlike at Stanford (and there I can get an extra $3-7k if I want to teach). I heard the quals at Stanford Biophysics are pretty laid back anyways, so thats not a big deal. </p>
<p>As a more general question, what is graduate student life like at CalTech? I’m prepared for very “hands off”/absent professors since I already work with one. Do you feel there are sufficient resources on campus in regard to student life (ie. gym, study space, break rooms, student groups, etc)? Do you feel that a strict science/math environment is an enriching one? I’m a fairly well rounded person, not your typical “science geek”, and coming from a giant university to a small institute is a pretty big change. </p>
<p>Is the insurance/medical care suffficient? Coming from UCLA I’ve been really happy with the student insurance, but theres also a medical school/top ranked hospital on site. I got a few health problems, so its kind of a big deal for me.</p>
<p>All responses are appreciated!</p>
<p>Go to Stanford. Better ranking, better women, better existence.</p>
<p>Health insurance for grad students used to be free until about three years ago when they changed it to something like $150 a quarter. Coverage isn’t bad, you can see an outline here: [Student</a> Health Insurance](<a href=“http://www.healthcenter.caltech.edu/insurance.html]Student”>http://www.healthcenter.caltech.edu/insurance.html) The only kind of annoying thing is the high deductible since three years now I’ve visited the doctor once, and each time I’ve had a pretty decent bill since it didn’t reach the $500 minimum.</p>
<p>Graduate life is alright, a bit is lost since you’re at such a small campus with a very large foreign population. Many foreign students tend to stick with their own ethnicities, so you’ll find the Chinese association to be one of the most active groups in the grad communities. The Caltech Y is pretty active if you’re into outdoor stuff, though. A bunch of my friends go hiking all the time through them, and save quite a bit of money by borrowing supplies.</p>
<p>The gym facilities on campus here are definitely really good for the size of the school. There are a couple of good study spaces on campus (libraries and inside/outside of the dining hall are the most common), though I imagine there’s many more places to choose from at Stanford. There also aren’t a whole lot of public computer labs open to grad students; I guess they just assume we prefer to do our work in our offices.</p>
<p>How hands on your professor is is entirely dependent upon your lab. My advisor travels a bit, but if you ever need to talk with him he’s always in his office.</p>
<p>Also, about being a TA, it’s not necessarily bad. I’ve learned a ton out of the two classes I’ve had to TA. There’s actually a bit of competition to TA various classes within my department since it really is the best way to learn the class’s material (and get paid while you do it). That said, I’m certainly not getting a $3k bonus for TAing a class. This last class I think I got $350 for TAing. :(</p>