<p>@QuantMech Caltech students have long had a certain reputation for commitment, and really snaking it (their term for studying hard, at least it used to be). That pseudo-Caltech is a nice send-up. I think the grad students were of that type, too. My brother was a TA for Richard Feynman, so not only did he have to know the Feynman Lectures inside and out but he realized that some of the students for whom he was a TA were smarter than he was. That kept him on his toes. No slacking.</p>