<p>CalTech’s predictability comes from the fact that there is less emphasis on the euphemistic “holistic” criteria that many schools use and more emphasis on “passion for math and science”. As mentioned in another post,</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/california-institute-technology/442418-anyone-wanting-know-their-chances-getting-into-caltech.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/california-institute-technology/442418-anyone-wanting-know-their-chances-getting-into-caltech.html</a></p>
<p>*
The single most important thing for being admitted into Caltech is a passion for math and science. It’s so important, that I’ll say it a few more times-- passion for math and science, passion for math and science, passion for math and science. It doesn’t have a definition, but if you’ve got it, you know you’ve got it.*</p>
<p>Where things get complex is that the CalTech class is very small, just about 225 students per incoming class. So having a passion for math and science is not sufficient, you have to have a good academic record, in the very top of the applicant pool. This gives a certain measure of predictability, but as has been pointed out, the culture, the tough core, the emphasis on reserach, etc. appeal to only a limited number of people. So there is a lot more self selection in the applicant pool. Hence a visit is very important to make sure that you like it.</p>