<p>First to those rejected, there are plenty of other great schools out there and I'm sure you'll get into many of them.</p>
<p>To those waitlisted, it's a dreadful place to be in (WL'ed then rejected at MIT last year) but fall in love with another school. If you end up getting in later, great but depend on it even less then the regular admissions process.</p>
<p>To those accepted, congratulations! You have been admitted to one of the best math/science schools in the world. </p>
<p>My message to those accepted is: COME TO PREFROSH WEEKEND!!</p>
<p>PFW was what convinced me that Caltech was the right school for me and made me not care about MIT at all. If you can't come to PFW, try to at least come to campus for Caltech in a Day and I don't know if this is possible but try to stay overnight in anyway possible. Almost all of the interesting things that happen on campus happen at night and you'll get a much better feel for the campus then. </p>
<p>If you can't come to campus at all, ask questions on the Facebook group, participate in the TecherChats, etc. </p>
<p>To those of you worried about whether Caltech is too nerdy and has no social events (one of the things I was worried about before I came), I say that Caltech is definitely not antisocial. People are really friendly, have social skills, and are really fun to hang out with. We do have parties (with alcohol but if that isn't your thing, you're just as welcomed) on a regular-ish basis.</p>
<p>Congratulations again to those accepted and I hope you come to Prefrosh Weekend!</p>
<p>@Hitman - we’re trying to make some of our plans. I’d read on some old threads (using a search) that the prefrosh can probably stay until Sunday if they want to see more of the campus. I’m planning on staying with family while my son is at the visit and would just like to know if this is true or if he’ll probably be back with us on Saturday. Also, do you know how much there is for parents to do during any of these days? I’m planning on hanging with family and going to Disneyland, but don’t want to miss anything critical that I should be there for. Thanks!</p>
<p>About staying until Sunday, I’m not sure. It would depend on your son’s host. I’m guessing it would be okay but I don’t really know. </p>
<p>About parent activities, I remember my mother telling me about some of the cooler things she went to: prank club lecture about what kind of pranks Caltech has pulled off, campus tour because she had never seen campus, and dinner (or dessert can’t remember) with the president of Caltech. </p>
<p>But in general, many of them were uninteresting for her (financial aid sessions which is luckily a non issue for me and sessions about college life in general or what Caltech will do for your child which didn’t interest her as I am a third child).</p>
<p>Where do kids and parents stay? Can someone come for a portion of the weekend, say just Friday and Saturday am? Also, is there a time when accepted students can meet with sports coaches?</p>
<p>@sbjdorlo: Kids are assigned a student host and sleep in their host’s room both nights. (Usually they stay on the couch/floor, so bringing a sleeping bag is a good idea.) Parents make their own reservations at nearby hotels. I think the admitted student website has some hotel recommendations.</p>
<p>I would recommend that your student stays for the full duration of Prefrosh Weekend, unless he/she has a major previous commitment. If your student will be checking in late, please let Admissions know so they can arrange that with the host. </p>
<p>There is usually an athletics open house event where students can meet sports coaches. If there is a particular coach you’d like to meet, you can also see about emailing them (find their email address through Admissions or on the gocaltech.com website) to arrange a time to meet during PFW.</p>
<p>@zach12: The content covered in the panels at PFW and PFF are the same, and prospective students can visit classes in both, but since PFW is longer and overnight it gives more of sense of what the nonacademic side of Caltech is like. If you can only attend PFF, that’s fine though–you’ll still get the opportunity to meet current students and learn about residential life.</p>
<p>Prefrosh Friday is one week after Prefrosh weekend. Kids can visit on their own for either program. It’s relatively common to come to PFW without parents. I’m not sure what the case is for PFF. I think this program is utilized more by people who live nearby and who can drive to campus or fly down just for the day or for one night. Caltech does not arrange overnight visits for PFF, so if you were to stay overnight in Pasadena you would have to make hotel reservations or arrange to stay with friends in the area.</p>
<p>Ok, thanks for the info. That won’t work as my son will be at Princeton.
He’ll just have to decide to miss his other commitments if he goes to PFW.</p>
<p>For those reading this to learn about Caltech fir next year, PFW was what completely sold my son on Caltech though he had for years planned to go to MIT and was considering Carnegie Mellon for the more connected atmosphere. For him, Caltech has it all. I practically had to make him apply because he thought it was too nerdy. We felt guilty going because he didn’t plan to attend. But, he said the kids there were like him and the lifestyle was so pleasant aside from the admittedly brutal workload. The collaborative atmosphere and honor code (you take tests home and help eachother with homework is conducive to learning versus trying to best out your classmates. He describes himself as “extremely happy.” And, despite the gender balance, he met his girlfriend fall term and is still with her. It is not hard to date there. Just understand that the girls are there to learn like you and won’t spend hours primping. They are naturally beautiful, and they can match your intellect so you can be yourself with them. Girls, you do have an advantage, and there are some awesome, cute guys at Caltech. See for yourself.</p>
<p>Interestingly, Journier, pfw is what convinced my son that he didn’t like Caltech, <em>at all</em>. He is usually a very positive person but he did not enjoy his experience at PFW. </p>
<p>I would say that Caltech and MIT are very different places and each has an appeal to a certain kind of student.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son, Journier! I’m glad it worked out for him.</p>
<p>Check out this … It looks to be true sentiment for most colleges incl. caltech. <a href=“http://www”>www</a>. U n i g o .com/articles/top<em>10</em>colleges<em>that</em>will<em>kick</em>your_butt/?taxonomyId=0
Caltech mit penn all made the top ten list :D</p>
<p>Note: u need to remove spaces beteen ‘u’ and ‘n’ etc. it must be a competing site to cc</p>
<p>SBJ, I sure your son will be happy at MIT. It is sad that that weekend was unusually rainy. </p>
<p>To this day, my son has no regrets about Caltech for UG, and MIT for grad school. Even with some other heavy hitters, like PY/CMU/Cal in the running, tech schools won out. I don’t think there is a perfect college, and I think it is just so hard to chose based on a few days, especially when the weather is so poor. Honestly, I think any of your son’s choices would have been good. What matters most is that you gave him permission to pick, regardless of his criteria. </p>