How Caltech Admissions Works

<p>Maybe the title is a bit too weighty since I don't intend to write a book on this subject (which wouldn't be so hard to do). But I've gotten questions in a few places (and private messages) about how our process works -- the role of faculty, students, etc. -- and thought I could at least note the more unique aspects here. Essentially all of this has been posted before on this board in separate places, but putting it all in one place is probably helpful.</p>

<p>Basically, the unique thing at Caltech is the very high level of involvement of senior faculty and students in the reading process. The majority of schools relegate the admissions process completely to an office that exists just for the purpose of admissions. Caltech has a committee of faculty and students giving input on every aspect of the process, from broad policy questions (affirmative action or not, more girls or not, etc.) to the actual reading of applications and voting on them. The group of students is chosen by a branch of the Student Government.</p>

<p>Essentially every application gets three reads -- one from a professional admisions officer, one from a professor, and one from a student. Each of the three people sees the full application and, like at other schools, every reader writes about a half-page summary noting the nuances of your case, pros and cons, etc., along with a "vote" of whether to admit/(defer if early)/waitlist/deny. If everyone agrees, the director usually checks over and confirms the decision. Any case where there is disagreement goes to a committee that is usually about 5 or 6 people in size, typically 2 admissions officers, 2 faculty, 2 students. There cases are discussed in detail and voted on.</p>

<p>As far as logistics go, we read applications over a period of about two months (for the regular round). Committee meetings take place over several days at the end of the reading period.</p>

<p>In general, I think this process results in extremely good decisions. I am very proud of the fact that we have active members of the academic community involved in choosing the next entering class. That keeps the process grounded and connected to the larger purpose of the Insitute. It also helps applicants, since you have a chance to appeal to three different audiences who will be able to appreciate different parts of your application. For instance, "nerdy" and sceintific boxes (essay III) that might not be completely appreciated by a professional educator (which is usually what the admissions officers are) will often produce a good comment from a prof or a student. At the same time, the latter two groups know from firsthand experience what it takes to make it at Caltech. We're willing to take risks when we see real talent despite problems, and I think we are often good at detecting the presence of absence of passion for science/math/engineering. I'm not saying the admissions people (who are really wonderful, dedicated people) are bad at any of these things -- in fact they are quite good -- but it does help to have the scientific perspective in there, since it often takes one to know one.</p>

<p>As for my posting on this board, the policy is that I separate my role as a student member of the committee this year from my work here answering questions. That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to explain nuances of admissions that are helpful to you and which I understand better as a result of my work; however, as applicants, your contact regarding your application should be the admissions officer assigned to your region, who are listed at <a href="http://admissions.caltech.edu/contact/staff%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.caltech.edu/contact/staff&lt;/a>. This is because it helps them to make a record of contacts with you (which can often be quite helpful to you). Secondly, they are the ones who will certainly be involved with YOUR application, and will be able to look at it as they talk to you. Any particular student or faculty member will probably not have read a given application -- and will probbaly have forgotten the details of many of the ones we read, since there will have been so many by the end.</p>

<p>In any case, it's a pleasure to answer your questions and hopefully make the stressful process of applying a little less scary and more transparent.</p>

<p>Very interesting post. I had no idea that faculty had such a large role in the admissions process at Caltech. I havn't heard of many other schools that do admissions in the way you described. Is the faculty member that reads our application from any specific department based on what we list as our intended majors? Also, how long would you say you spend on one person's application, including reading essays and research papers etc?</p>

<p>Just wondering, a while back you had said that the Director of Admissions wanted to delay releasing information/numbers for early applicants (ie. number of applicants, number accepted, deferred, rejected etc). Is the Admissions Office planning on releasing this information anytime soon?</p>

<p>The applications, as far as I know, aren't sorted by field in order to get to a faculty member in the area you are interested in. However, if there is a serious research paper of some kind or some specialized knowledge necessary to properly evaluate your application, it is not uncommon for someone to direct it to an authority for an opinion. So the short answer is that in most cases there is no sorting, but when it is necessary, we get an expert opinion.</p>

<p>As for the time it takes, it varies. Sometimes an application is so amazing that it takes only about 15 minutes of looking at scores, grades, recommendations, awards, and essays to see that there is no question abot an admit. Usually this would involve seeing "Gold medal at the International Math Olympiad" or something. In that event we are skimming for something seriously wrong with you, which doesn't take that long and usually isn't found.</p>

<p>Most take closer to 45 minutes to an hour per read (experienced admissions officers do it in about half an hour, from what Matt McGann at MIT says). I often read everything, then go to sleep or do something else, all the while thinking about an application. Later, I'll go back and review anything I've been thinking about (maybe an essay) and write out the summary and the vote. So occasionally something like 12 hours of (albeit intermittent) contemplation will go into a vote. Everyone whom I know on the committee takes the job seriously, so you can be sure that the effort you put in will be properly appreciated. This is another advantage of the unique Caltech style of doing things -- with so many readers, the caseload can be spread out so that more time can be devoted to each application.</p>

<p>As for the numbers, the office isn't releasing them yet. I'll ask next time I talk to the director.</p>

<p>Ben Golub,</p>

<p>I gather that you are an admissions officer from Caltech. I have a very quick question (and maybe more later):</p>

<p>i read this on the Caltech website:</p>

<p>"In the case of international students, however, the total amount of funds available is fixed. Financial need, therefore, might be a factor in the admission decision of an applicant who is not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States."</p>

<p>From your experience, if I am a Canadian applicant, will the need for aid significantly decrease my chances? I am very concered because I know that Caltech is already a verr, very competitive school to get into for a Canadian; and if the need of aid will hurt my chances, then things will be even harder. I had always thought by "international", most school mean countries other than US, Canada, and Mexico. If you could, please help me and clarify this.</p>

<p>Thank you</p>

<p>this thread is worth a bump.</p>

<p>They really do pay a lot of attention to you as a person--
I was pleasantly surprised at how if you just walked up to your admissions officer and talked to them they would know who you were & remember details about you</p>

<p>Hey,</p>

<p>I was wondering if is it ok for me to submit my CSS PROFILE mid-dec instead of nov. 15th if I am doing early action? I mean, I won't get rejected just because I didn't turn in my CSS PROFILE until mid-december, right?</p>

<p>My parents does not want to submit CSS PROFILE in november, because we are still having some money issues we need to figure out.</p>

<p>Call the finaid office and ask. Three years ago when my son was accepted EA, Caltech included their financial aid offer along with his acceptance. It was so helpful to know we could afford it in December!</p>

<p>"...I had always thought by "international", most school mean countries other than US, Canada, and Mexico..."</p>

<p>Canadians and Mexicans are international students.</p>

<p>Hello,
Does this mean we should contact our regional admissions staff about nuances?</p>

<p>For instance, I'm wondering if I should include a brief summary of my internship this summer. Since I was helping out my mentors with their projects and not working on my own, I don't have any research per se, but I gained a lot of experience from it. Should I still write something about it under the Research section? Or just leave it out?</p>

<p>Are these the type of questions we should ask admissions officers? I've just been trying to puzzle them out myself (researching online, talking to guidance counselor, etc.)</p>

<p>(yes, I do realize this thread is four years old)</p>

<p>Whoa, interesting! I had no idea that faculty and students were involved in the admissions process. At least to that extent- for faculty. I'm really surprised that students are involved at all.
Do other colleges/universities allow students to weigh in on prospective students?</p>