<p>I've heard Caltech is cutthroat place where its pure academics and antisocial people...but its friggin near LA!
Are parties uncommon? Are dates uncommon? Do people socialize? A lot of people I know turned down Caltech for UC Berkeley because Berkeley was more of a jolly place...</p>
<p>My experience is only from Pre-Frosh Weekend this year so its probably not exactly how the school year would be like but my favorite thing at PFW was the people. Granted there were a good amount of socially awkward people, but a majority of the people I came across were the regular people you’d meet at any college that were very social and fun to hang around. I’ve heard from the students I met there that all out parties are treated as special events and the houses do a lot to prepare but that there are also regular not planned get-togethers through probably less than state schools that are usually known for partying. There was not a lack of drinking as every day I saw a group of people in front of a certain house chilling with an inflatable pool full of beer and thats traditionally the college party thing so at least to me it shows that there isn’t really a socializing problem. I think that’s just a stereotype carried over from a long time ago as at least from my four day exposure to the school I found that most people were just as social as anywhere else and that even though there might be less huge parties than a party school that by no means means there isn’t a social life.</p>
<p>From what my son tells me, it is definitely NOT cuthroat. Students rely on one another to work on sets. It is definitely a collaborative, rather than cuthroat, school. My son is one of the few in his group of friends who regularly attends lectures and he regularly shares his notes with anyone who wants them.</p>
<p>As for the social life, there appear to be plenty of house events, and while it is not a party school compared to others, there seem to be plenty of parties to be had. What sold him on the school was the other students. If you are looking for huge parties all of the time, I don’t think you’ll find that, as I’m not sure anyone could handle the work load if they partied that much. It is not, however, a monastery. People date.</p>
<p>well personally i socialize more here than i ever did in high school,
i spend more time in other people’s rooms than my own room
seriously, don’t miss out on this place because you’re afraid of the social life, the people here are really great
in my experience caltech is a great place for meeting people with similar tastes and backgrounds</p>
<p>It’s the exact opposite of cutthroat. People do spend a lot of time on academics, but they still (usually) have time to socialize. Some people are antisocial, but I haven’t met anyone who competes for grades. There are probably a few, but they’re hard to find. Ruined experiments and sharing fake notes with someone who missed a lecture just don’t happen. </p>
<p>The traditional parties are uncommon, but houses have social events that, from what I’ve seen, are far more interesting than usual college parties. Trips to the desert, beach, downtown are some examples. Another one went up to the mountains to gather snow in a u-haul truck and have a snowball fight on the lawn. </p>
<p>People do socialize a lot more than is stereotypical for nerds. As for dates at a nice restaurant, they do happen, but you’re better off with a car or willingness to walk a few miles.</p>
<p>As others have pointed out, Caltech is not cut throat, especially as compared to other high ranking universities such as the ivies, so I hear anyways.</p>
<p>Socially, Caltech is definitely different than what you’d find at a “typical” college. Whether this difference is positive or negative is relative. From my experience, many people at Caltech use the house system as a crutch to socialize and much of their social activity relies upon it. I think for the majority, the structure the house system provides is beneficial. I , however, never really liked the house system very much. In my opinion it segregates what is already an extremely small student body, and in addition many seem to lose touch with the real world, getting caught up in some of the absurd traditions and what not associated with their respective houses. </p>
<p>That being said, if you have a car and have a group of friends who are willing to venture out, it is very possible to explore LA and the surrounding area. Despite not taking to the house system, my friends and I have had plenty of chances to do stuff around SoCal. But I imagine this would pretty difficult if you don’t have a car or have friends who do.</p>
<p>This thread’s a little bit stale, but…</p>
<p>With rare exceptions, Caltech is more cooperative than competitive. Most of the students are here because they absolutely love science and can easily meet other people who share the same passion. I think the social awkwardness thing might be an artifact of an intense interest in the subject matter: there are a few people who don’t make much of an effort to socialize, but this is usually by choice. Generally people are very outgoing (almost by necessity–sometimes we need a break from that firehose!), and it’s not too hard to get a group together and go on a coffee crawl, see a movie, or whatever. It’s mostly what you make of it.</p>