<p>Both schools are notorious for being ridiculously hard. Can anyone comment on which school is generally more difficult?</p>
<p>Caltech requires five terms (trimesters) of physics (through quantum) and five terms of math (with lots of proofs). The MINIMAL requirements at Caltech are much more stringent, and the median student almost certainly works harder.</p>
<p>However, if you specialize in math or physics, for example, you will probably end taking equally rigorous courses at either school, so in that case the difference will not be large.</p>
<p>MIT is also a little easier on you in that if you end up disliking your quantum physics, etc., courses you can switch to another major and never hear of them again, whereas at Caltech everyone has to take them no matter what.</p>
<p>So Caltech is certainly harder on average, but whether it be harder or easier for you depends on what you would have chosen to do at MIT.</p>
<p>Wow, I didn't know about all that required physics and math. That's pretty insane. Do you have a link to their core requirements? I couldn't find one on the Caltech site.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Both schools are notorious for being ridiculously hard.
[/quote]
My favorite response to this (although entirely off-topic), from this</a> article in The Tech:
"Question 4: Is MIT hard?</p>
<p>Proper Answer: No, not at all. In fact, the entire place is made out of soft, pliable materials which make it easy to mold and redesign year after year."</p>
<p>Caltech is probably also similarly pliable. :D</p>
<p>Easy capsule descriptions: <a href="http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/education/core/%5B/url%5D">http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/education/core/</a></p>
<p>For more details, you can look at <a href="http://pr.caltech.edu/catalog/pdf/catalog_05_06.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://pr.caltech.edu/catalog/pdf/catalog_05_06.pdf</a> (use acrobat to search for "core" or "core curriculum") and then you can look at the course descriptions in the same document.</p>
<p>Is there a reason why Bi 1 is "Drugs and the Brain" and not general freshman biology? It seems kind of random and specific.</p>
<p>Because freshman biology is kind of boring (so goes the consensus) so they try to go from a more biochemical/psychopharmacological angle to interest people. However, this is the last year of the current Bi1, and next year it will be a different professor and a different topic (not yet announced).</p>