<p>Wow I am kinda shocked to see all the Caltech hate on hear. Caltech is challenging, but its not like any other top tier school is going to be a piece of cake. As someone who played a sport in college, I found that it was a good way to get acclimated with the new college. Unless you know people at the other colleges you are looking at, having a good group of people to hang out with right when you step on campus is great. </p>
<p>Plus, for as much as people say Caltech is exhausting and such it is perennially ranked as a top ten college in happiness. How they measure that I am unsure but here is the link for it [The</a> 100 Happiest Colleges - Galleries - The Daily Beast](<a href=“http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/1515/1/?redirectURL=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-04-11/the-100-happiest-colleges/#]The”>http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/1515/1/?redirectURL=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-04-11/the-100-happiest-colleges/#)</p>
<p>I went undergrad in the northeast and did my grad work in SoCal and I will say that the weather is so much nicer. I definitely would go after the better academic school (especially for math and science), with a group of kids that you already know, and a chance to play sports. Just my opinion though good luck!</p>