<p>How difficult is it to do a double major in Caltech, in Math, and Computer Science. I don't care specifically about the exact GPA, as long as its good enough to get into the top Masters programs for Double Masters in Stat, and Econ (Stanford, Berkeley, Chicago, Harvard)?</p>
<p>Also, I want to try and take a few econ and stat courses, so that I can actually do a double masters in stat and econ.</p>
<p>It’s probably the easiest double major at Caltech. Which is to say, plenty of perfectly smart people try to do it and fail, but it’s not impossible.</p>
<p>You should probably be aware that Caltech only has three statistics courses, though. And one of them is really a probability theory course with some statistics glued onto the end.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks for the heads up about the statistics. How hard would it be to keep my GPA up in that major?</p>
<p>Depends on your standards.</p>
<p>A 4.0+ is extremely difficult. You’ll be taking five to six classes a term; getting As in all of them basically requires you to be both one of the smartest and one of the most dedicated people in the world.</p>
<p>A 3.5 or so is completely doable. I won’t lie and say it’s easy, or that anyone can do it, but if you’re good at math and put in the work it’s not unreasonable to hope for.</p>
<p>Okay, but could i get a a 3.5 and still have a social life, albeit small?</p>
<p>Also, would a 3.5 with this courseload be good enough for Stanford, Berkeley, Chicago, or Harvard, for Masters?</p>
<p>You can’t have a social life at Caltech regardless of what you do :P</p>
<p>Math and CS are both “easy” majors, but that’s not because the work is easy; it’s because dumping a lot of time into the classes is completely useless. If you aren’t doing well after 40ish hours a week, bumping your work up to 70 or 80 hours a week isn’t really going to help anything. (For hard majors like chemical or electrical engineering, you’re doing 60+ hour weeks regardless of how good you are, because that’s just how long it takes to complete the work.) So you can have a social life with the double major you picked, but only because you’ll end up forced into a different major if you can’t handle it.</p>
<p>I don’t know about those programs specifically. But in general, graduate programs outside of medicine/law are fully aware that Caltech classes are very hard, and consider your GPA accordingly.</p>
<p>That double major is very realistic if you are extremely (even at caltech) gifted at Math. Both majors probably have the fewest requirements and the most flexible scheduling issues. Still, it’s very difficult. If you double math and CS, you won’t have a social life whatsoever, though.</p>
<p>Okay, will I have any free time at all? Ever?</p>
<p>You’ll have time that you’re not working, yes. What you won’t have much of is time that feels free; the time you have to spend on things other than work will feel more like a much-needed break than time to just kick back and do whatever.</p>