Please Don't Ask What Activites Will Get Me In Questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
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<p>Please stop all of these what activities will get me into Caltech questions. I assure you that, given a certain threshold for intelligence and for motivation, I could tell you exactly what you should do to get in here and it would above the admissions rate at a statistically significant level and, if you press and search hard enough on these forums, I also assure you that all this advice already exists in the Caltech section of this site. </p>

<p>See, Caltech admissions are very much different than typical elite school admissions, as Caltech is a very different school from even our most similar university (MIT). Caltech is hard. Caltech is specific. Caltech is relentless. And, finally, Caltech is weird (applies to most top universities actually). This results in an admissions process designed to sort out a few issues above all else: (1) are you smart enough, (2) are you 'quirky' enough to fit in here, (3) are you in love with science so much that you will sacrifice other elements of your life to be given the opportunity to study science at its finest, among its finest scholars.</p>

<p>(1) and (2) are actually pretty ****ing common. Lots of people are really smart and, if you go to any 'elite' school, lots of people are really strange. (3) is by far the most important as this will be the best indicator as to whether you will graduate from Caltech.</p>

<p>(3) is also important because it is best demonstrated through continued pursuits in your extracurricular (as well as your essays). The problem is that with good guidance, you can know which activities to pursue and, given enough exposure to these subjects, you can convince yourself that this IS what you love and what you SHOULD do with your life. You will then be admitted to Caltech.</p>

<p>And you will be miserable.</p>

<p>So, please, just do the activities that interest you, your future will thank you. If you need advice on what opportunities exist for a certain interest, that is a far more reasonable question and I encourage you to explore those options and ask those questions.</p>

<p>But, please, do not ask on this forum what extracurricular you should be taking. </p>

<ul>
<li>A Caltech Junior</li>
</ul>

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<p>^^well said. Outside of academics…what you do for extracurricular activity(ies) is totally up to YOU…it should not be up to Caltech students/alumni/parents to advise you on such a personal matter…find your passion whether it be research, writing, athletics, music, art, whatever…pursue what you love…not what would “look” good in your application.</p>

<p>…one’s extracurricular endeavors plus one’s essays become the INTANGIBLE components of your application that no one can predict…no one can predict how the admissions officer(s) are FEELING (they may have awoke on the wrong side of the bed) when they read your file…there is and always will be a certain amount of uncertainty in college admissions…c’est la vie.</p>