<p>Can you get into Caltech without having done any research in high school?</p>
<p>My son was accepted to Caltech without any research experience in high school..what he did do was to demonstrate clearly his passion (for mathematics) and I think that is what made the difference.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Can you get into Caltech without having done any research in high school?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yes, there exists a student S such that S got into Caltech and S did not do research in high school.</p>
<p>I did no research. :-)</p>
<p>And as lizzardfire demonstrates, you don't have to be smart to get into Caltech either.</p>
<p>Correct!</p>
<p><--- official dumb waitlist kid :-D</p>
<p>... you sure don't have to be nice, either.</p>
<p>:-(</p>
<p><em>poke</em></p>
<p>Ben's nice, though! :-P</p>
<p>Yes, but is Ben a representative sample?</p>
<p>I am in the same situation as the op. i m sure a lot other people do not have the opportunities to do research in high school.</p>
<p>If you have it, it'll help show your passion for science. If you don't, it's just one of many things looked at- and I'm sure the people in admissions understand that not everyone has the oppertunity.</p>
<p>My story, I was just starting on a research project when I applied. I didn't have any results, just had that I was working on it.</p>
<p>I don't think it's even a case of lots of people not having the opportunity--if I had to guess, the vast majority of accepted students did no significant research in high school. It is a more rare opportunity than it seems to anxious applicants. Not having research experience, that is, is not going to be 'overlooked' or 'forgiven' because you didn't have the option--it's the default assumption.</p>
<p>This is, of course, based on no evidence whatsoever. Except possibly but not quite Ben's statement that "sending a serious research paper along with evidence of passion for science" is one way to stand out for an Axline (not just admission). Hmm. I really worry about the neurons that are devoted to remembering posts like that.</p>
<p>Hmm... flierdeke is right. While research experience is great, it's not typical even in the pool of admits. I worry about the neurons, also.</p>
<p>(And there's backlash, too. With lots of eager but not particularly inspired kids who think they need research washing test tubes at some lab, you might be better off doing something quirky and all your own, even if it doesn't have the official "research" label on it. Like writing an impressive video game (which you shouldn't then play) in which you invent a new algorithm. Anyway, if you do research, make sure you really care and that it's good. Don't do it because you think you have to. We can smell that kind of thing.)</p>
<p>I wonder if research opportunities are really that rare. If you live near a reasonably large university (and I admittedly have no idea what percentage of applicants this is), there is probably <em>someone</em> doing research there who would like real (i.e. not labware washing) help from a smart hs student. The hard part is, of course, finding that someone.</p>
<p>you know, that's what I've been thinking, too</p>
<p>but I guess it also depends on where the person lives... If one has a couple of colleges within a train-able distance from home, it's not that hard to find an opportunity to do research... as opposed to someone living 60+ minutes of driving from the nearest community college...</p>
<p>Speaking of required stuff...</p>
<p>The awards aren't required, are they?</p>
<p>Well, you should probably have at least one or two awards of some kind, but they're not requred.</p>
<p>I don't have any awards. :(</p>
<p>Don't worry zeta, I can't remember having had any awards really. I might have, but they rarely meant much for me, I was more interested in the work itself. So, not having an award won't break an application, I'm pretty sure.</p>
<p>Edit: I am sure that I didn't put anything in the awards section of the application, whether or not I got anything.</p>
<p><em>sigh</em></p>
<p>thanks for the relief :)</p>