Question for Ben Golub or any Caltech students

<p>I am an junior and Caltech is one of my top choices for college. Going there will good for my parents becuase it is close to home and since my dad works there, I can go for free. But my question is that is Caltech very tough to get through?? I know that the freshmen returning rate is not very high, which is unnerving because freshmen year is just pass/fail right? Also, do you guys know about the Caltech-UCSD program? Or anyone who is in it? For the requirements, one has to maintain a 3.5GPA, is that difficult for Caltech students?</p>

<p>thanks in advance!</p>

<p>I'm actually not a Caltech student, so please take my answers with several pounds of salt.</p>

<p>"is Caltech very tough to get through?"
Yep. It's definitely one of the most rigorous (if not the most) programs in the world. However, if you are bright enough to be accepted by Caltech and have a very good work ethic (or know that you can easily develop one) you should be OK.</p>

<p>"which is unnerving because freshmen year is just pass/fail right? "
Pass/Fail actually means considerably less stress. It's there to help you adjust. Think about it - Getting a 'C' in a non pass/fail class would be bad for your GPA. Getting a 'C' in a pass/fail course doesn't hurt you at all. Caltech doesn't want its Freshmen obsessing over their grades while trying to get adjusted to college. As for the low freshman retention rate, it is because plenty of people transfer out. Caltech is not for everyone, and from what I've heard, it can be a very unpleasant place for certain types of people. On the other hand, some people seem to love it.</p>

<p>The freshman retention rate is not so bad. Over 93% of people graduate in 5 years according to the most recent numbers. So there can't be that many people who drop out.</p>

<p>In general, Caltech is not hard to get through for those admitted if you do the right things. Most people who decide to quit do it because their interests change (often they are doing just fine academically) or because they aren't willing to seek help from the many sources where it's available (profs, TAs, dean's office, counseling center, peers and upperclassmen in your house, etc.).</p>

<p>So, if you are determined to make it through and you can sometimes swallow your pride and ask for some help, there is a very hihg probability of making it through. </p>

<p>Fellow Techers, you should also provide your perspective.</p>

<p>I'm a physics junior at Caltech, so I'll give you my perspective.</p>

<p>


I think you're not exactly interpreting the 'low' freshamn retention rate properly. It's not that these people are failing out, but rather, they're transferring to other, often excellent, schools. The main reason for this, as I've seen, is a realization that a person does not want to major in a science related field. The great thing about pass/fail is that, even if a person doesn't do well in the first two terms, they can still rely on their great high-school record to transfer to a different school before they get bad college grades.</p>

<p>


A 3.5 is highly non-trivial for a pre-med. All students must take on grades: 1 term of E&M + special relativity, 1 term of thermo/stat mech/optics, 1 term of quantum mechanics, 1 term of multivariable calculus, 1 term of statistics, and 1 term of differential equations. These grades tend to be pretty low for people who are interested in medical school, for obvious reasons. </p>

<p>In general, I'm willing to say that most anyone who is accepted to Caltech is able to get a 3.0 GPA with hard work. To get higher though, one needs quite a bit of aptitude / previous preparation. A 3.5 is by no means guarenteed and may very well be impossible for a decent number of people accepted. I know several incredibly capable, dilligent pre-meds who would love to have a 3.5.</p>

<p>That being said, the screening for this program seems pretty rigorous and people who can be accepted to that may have a much better chance of actually getting a 3.5 than the average accepted applicant.</p>

<p>Complete agreement with cghen about the 3.5.</p>

<p>Btw, if you are going here free, the UCSD thing isn't so essential, right? You can just worry about med school later. Also, don't go to med school.</p>

<p>(Only the last sentence is a joke.)</p>

<p>


Wow, I didn't know it was free - that's a pretty good deal then.</p>

<p>Oops, sorry. I meant the OP has a parent who is employed at Caltech, so the education would be free... the UCSD thing is not free, as far as I know. </p>

<p>Actually, it's not clear what I was thinking. I guess the UCSD thing would have all the same benefits as it does for anyone who does it.</p>

<p>wow guys, thank you soooo much for the help. I considering Caltech for EA now (haha :-D). It seems like it is very difficult to get through Caltech, but also very rewarding at the end.</p>