this...seems...hmm...

Colleges and Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
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<p>So I read Cosmic Variance from time to time, and like to read Sean Carroll's posts. And then I see this post...</p>

<p>
[quote]
Focus
Sean at 12:09 pm, May 9th, 2007</p>

<p>A true story.</p>

<p>I’m sitting on the graduate admissions committee for the physics department at a major research university. Across the table, fellow committee member Prof. A is perusing the file of an applicant who is on the bubble. Prof. A turns to Prof. B next to him and says, “Did you see this one? The student has a Masters degree in Divinity.”</p>

<p>Now, you know me. Not really the Divinity-School type. But still, I’m thinking, that’s interesting. Shows a certain intellectual curiosity to study religion and then move on to physics. There’s some successful tradition there.</p>

<p>But Prof. A shakes his head slowly. “I would really worry about someone like this, that they weren’t devoted enough to doing physics.”</p>

<p>Prof. B nods sagely in assent. “Yes, you have to be concerned that they just don’t have the focus to succeed.”</p>

<p>The student didn’t get in.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Hmmm...this is interesting. Anyone have insights? Apparently, this person does graduate admissions at Caltech
<a href="http://cosmicvariance.com/author/sean/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://cosmicvariance.com/author/sean/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>==
Wow, he has very nice advice here:
<a href="http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/10/16/unsolicited-advice-part-three-choosing-an-undergraduate-school/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/10/16/unsolicited-advice-part-three-choosing-an-undergraduate-school/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>I'm not certain he does graduate admissions at Caltech due to the combination of facts that he doesn't explicitly state that this is the case, he is not a faculty member here, he was a faculty member at another school, and the date of his post does not seem relevant to this year's round of graduate admissions (he's new at Caltech, so that is the only year relevant to this school). No matter where this happened, if it is indeed the case that the student's curiosity in Divinity handicapped him/her in graduate admissions, that would be pretty atrocious. </p>

<p>I find it more likely that the professors were discussing the file of an applicant with whom they were familiar and Sean was not, as his words kind of indicate that this was the first time he'd heard of this candidate.</p>

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<p>Oh, good observation. So it's entirely possible that he was describing graduate admissions at Chicago (he was on the graduate admissions committee for an unspecified elite university)</p>

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<p>In the comments, it's later elaborated that the person was borderline, and other posters pointed out that at that point, it's often simply looking for reasons to reject, or waitlist, if it was like undergrad admissions...</p>