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However, on the whole, I would have to say that if I had to choose one category to put it in, I would put Caltech in the LAC category. Caltech obviously doesn't fit perfectly in that category, but I think it fits even MORE imperfectly in the research university category.
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<p>It is interesting that you would put it under LAC because if you ask David Baltimore, I believe he would put Caltech under research university. It is undeniable that the word 'research university' may be interpreted differently. Nevertheless, Caltech, from my personal experience, is just like a graduate school altogether. The typical LAC teaching classes are not existent. As someone pointed out earlier, Caltech undergrads generally don't care about their classes, hence the classes are often smaller than they are supposed to be. A class of 25 students would often only have 5-7 students appear in the lecture. There are many project classes where we only see the prof once or twice at the beginning of the quarter and meet him again for the final evaluation. This is very different from LAC environment where lectures are regarded essential. Most students at Caltech study independently and many have experienced research from their freshman year, this is why I put Caltech under research university category. It's just too much research-oriented.</p>
<p>But again this is based on my definition of research university which may not necessarily apply to others.</p>