<p>what is it that makes caltech so hard? is it being able to keep up with the course work? or is it finishing the impossible hw problems? or is it having to deal with impossible test questions regardless of how hard you study?</p>
<p>good question.</p>
<p>1) intensity. problem sets every week in most math/science classes -- every two weeks if they're especially hard in upper level classes. can't finish a hard batch of work and take a nice long break. next batch is waiting.</p>
<p>2) atypical nature of problems. you will never run into a problem similar to one you saw before, where you have to make a minor modification to a previous solution and copy it, like you did for EVERY SINGLE PROBLEM in calculus, if you calculus class was anything like the average. this requires your mind to work hard anew each time.</p>
<p>3) quantity and depth of material. professors think very highly of you and therefore will set a demanding pace. we do not do the "easy baby intro course-still easy intermediate course-somewhat challenging upper level course" game that is the model at some universities. you typically start at the real level, which requires some intellectual maturity and strength.</p>
<p>you get a lot for this -- in particular, you get probably the best math/science education in america -- but it isn't for nothing. by the way, what doesn't make it difficult</p>
<p>Not4) crabby, answer-hoarding classmates. people will willingly collaborate and share solutions with each other; the classic pre-med caricature is not instantiated at caltech. this makes the work manageable.</p>
<p>The course work is quite heavy, especially since a lot of classes are underunited. It's pretty common to spend 9 hours a week on a 3-unit class, 12 hours on a 6-unit one, or 20 hours on a 9-unit class. The homework problems are by no means impossible. They can be pretty hard sometimes, though, and you'll definitely have to collaborate if you want to survive in some majors. Tests are in general (techers, feel free to correct me if you think i'm wrong) a bit easier than your homework. You essentially learn how to do the stuff in the homework, and you just do a bit more of it during the test.</p>
<p>As for studying, most tests at tech are open book. And for many majors, studying for hours won't help you all that much. Biology is one notable exception because the tests are closed book and they ask you to memorize lots of useless stuff.</p>
<p>I won't mention a 15 unit design/construction Mechanical Engineering class I took (which happens to have been the class that I've had the most fun in since coming here)</p>
<p>Ben sums things up quite nicely. It's not the amount of work, but the quality of the problems that make things so difficult. Even if you complete an assignment (usually with a group), understanding what was done takes even longer. It needs to be done if you hope to understand the subject from enough angles to do it on your own during midterms and finals.</p>
<p>The one skill I've learned the most about is how to learn a subject from other people. I don't have the skills to bend my brain around problems from all the different subjects that I'm expected to cover. Since I need to pass the non-collaboration midterms/finals, I need to figure out the tricks and steps necessary to solve problems that I don't necessarily know how to do. It's a pretty useful skill that even if you don't understand a problem, you have a framework to apply to it to try and find a solution.</p>
<p>Wow, Caltech sounds like the perfect place for me. Ive recently discovered how useless a name is if you have not been challenged. I am really schocked and happy to have learned about a school like Caltech where academics are so important. Definitely sounds like the right “fit” for me. </p>
<p>Are the other academic programs just as demanding? Like history, english.</p>
<p>Just so you know, you’re replying to a thread that’s over three years old. </p>
<p>Caltech’s humanities programs are not as demanding as their other programs, mainly because we focus on math, science, and engineering. Humanities and Social Science majors are meant to be taken as double majors (but lower difficulty doesn’t necessarily mean lower quality).</p>