<p>Hello. So I am a pretty good student who wants to study Comp. Sci. who applied for lots of top schools in the field i.e. (MIT, Caltech, Stanford, CMU, Cornell, Georgia Tech etc.) I was rejected everywhere except for an acceptance to Caltech, GT, and my safety and a waitlist to CMU SCS. (My first reaction -> ???) I had no desire to go on the priority waitlist to CMU, considering the $800 required deposit upon admission, even though it probably is better in CS than Caltech, plus the decision doesn't come until May 3rd. I don't really know how these results can happen. I feel kind of trapped into Caltech, and even though it is an extraordinary school, I'm worried that if I don't like it during Prefrosh Weekend that I won't have much of a choice. I don't know what to do. I'm worried that the Caltech CS curriculum is too theoretical and that I won't get a whole lot of technical experience and that I would benefit from a larger course selection. Any advice from Caltech CS majors on the curriculum or people who can explain how such strange results like this can possibly happen would be greatly appreciated. </p>
<p>How did such a strange result happen? It wasn’t a strange result. You applied almost exclusively to schools which have less than a 12% admission rate and one which has a 50% admit rate. You’re not just competing against students in your high school for a spot at one of the few elite schools, you’re competing with the valedictorians, the 2400 students, the olympic gymnasts, the people who’ve been taking post calculus math since 9th grade, the people who’ve won National History Day, the people… Well you get the idea. That you got into Cal Tech means you essentially won an admissions lottery. </p>
<p>You were accepted to two of the best engineering schools in the nation (and the world) and you’re feeling trapped into a lack of choices? </p>
<p>tell me what are your concerns with Caltech CS? How did you write in your “Why Caltech” Essay?</p>