<p>Caltech is only a bajillion times better. Unless you're that concerned with the male to female ratio...But caltech>Mit>anywhere else>0.21</p>
<p>Um, we like Caltech on this board.</p>
<p>There's no reason for MIT and Caltech to dislike each other when we can band together and fight our common-foes-who-shall-remain-nameless. ;)</p>
<p>Yeah your right. It would be tactless to name Berkely or harvard or GT.</p>
<p>Haha, this is a question that has long been debated... MIT vs Caltech... and since distinguishing between the two is largely a matter of taste, it comes down to The Hack War.
<a href="http://www.caltechvsmit.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.caltechvsmit.com/</a>
Interestingly enough, this site no longer keeps track of score (or even very accurate/complete accounts of pranks) after the recent cannon relocation. You may interpret that as you please. :)</p>
<p>
[quote]
Caltech is only a bajillion times better. Unless you're that concerned with the male to female ratio...But caltech>Mit>anywhere else>0.21
[/quote]
Less fighting and more hugs and cannon stealing between our great institutions!</p>
<p>Or were you joking? :-)</p>
<p>A far better question is "Why the heck would you not want to go to MIT?"</p>
<p>what the heck is the point of this thread?</p>
<p>Yeah, tech schools must remain united and bravely face down their foes! But I'll be attending one of the foes... <em>head explodes</em></p>
<p>Yes Caltech is much selective and better than MIT. </p>
<p>Most MIT student could not get into Caltech and they had to attend less selective school like MIT</p>
<p>I'm one of the most rabid Caltech fans you will find; I think MIT is a wonderful school, and Caltech is a wonderful school. Each has its relative strengths. If you can get into either (or both) you have won. (I also think mdx is troll extraordinaire.)</p>
<p>I respectfully submit this thread for conclusion by shunning. I suggest that DMRenrel be caned for being silly ;-)</p>
<p>I have a friend who, went he got into CalTech early, he was super happy, despite the fact that he was deferred from MIT. In April, when he got into MIT, the kid was crying and just like... omg i wish I ever got that happy in my life. Needless to say he's going to MIT. I think my anecdotal evidence proves MIT is better hahah....</p>
<p>and btw...</p>
<p>Chicago>MIT>CalTech lol jking.... this same friend turned down chicago as well </p>
<p>In all seriousness though, all two(three) schools have just different propositions. MIT is certainly the more well-known research institutions, and it has excellent departments like its econ and poli sci departments, which you usually wouldn't see in a tech. school.... CalTech could rightfully boast about its small size, the more individualized attention that you'd prob. get there, its tight-knit relationship with JPL, and the fact that 1/1000 of its graduates of its graduates have earned a Nobel Prize. And Chicago is a liberal arts school....</p>
<p>Ben said it all: If you get into either, you are indeed a winner</p>
<p>Many years ago, CalTech and MIT were like Number 1 & 2 Schools for hardcore math/science type students. These days, MIT still is. But Caltech, is no, not anymore. </p>
<p>Caltech offers very little to satisfy/broaden science-oriented students other intellectual curiosities and interests in liberal arts/humanities. This is because from time to time, even hardcore engineering students enjoy and delights in literary and philosophical ideas/motifs. Recognizing this, MIT, on the other hand, expands other hum-related Programs nicely. Examples are like writing, journalism, and whatnots, </p>
<p>
[quote]
MIT is certainly the more well-known research institutions, and it has excellent departments like its econ and poli sci departments, which you usually wouldn't see in a tech. school....
[/quote]
</p>
<p>By looking at the following data, not many top students are even applying to Caltech these days. In the 90s, bunch of them used to apply.
[quote]
Apps/admits/matriculants for Harvard and other elites by Andover Class of 2006 </p>
<p>________________________________________Harvard: 94/21/18
Brown: 90/24/13
Yale: 87/17/8
Penn: 82/21/10
Cornell: 67/23/8
Princeton: 60/12/6
Columbia: 59/15/7
Georgetown: 59/25/11
Stanford: 57/16/7
NYU: 52/18/7
Dartmouth: 51/12/5
Duke: 46/17/8
Northwestern: 39/13/4
Vanderbilt: 36/18/7
MIT: 35/11/9
Chicago: 30/15/4
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is just one school result. But, I can see that Harvard is indeed most preferred among top students. I can also see that MIT is as much preferred as H for the math/science/eng type students. </p>
<p>Bottom line: MIT> . > Caltech. </p>
<p>Sad but its true.</p>
<p>Huum in not exactly sure what this data shows... bu this data, NYU, vanderbilt, dartmouth > Chicago & MIT.... and that just is not right</p>
<p>Preferred ratio means marticulants/admits.
For example,</p>
<p>H : 18/21 = 86 %
MIT : 9/11 = 82 %</p>
<p>Other schools? all about or less than 50 %</p>
<p>
[quote]
Preferred ratio means marticulants/admits.
For example,</p>
<p>H : 18/21 = 86 %
MIT : 9/11 = 82 %</p>
<p>Other schools? all about or less than 50 %
[/quote]
Good work. You looked at one school in Massachusetts. And while I realize Andover is a boarding school, there is nonetheless a huge geographical bias. I attended a boarding school in North Carolina and the yield rate to Duke here is higher than Harvard, Princeton, or MIT this year. Also some other anecdotal information: 3 out of 7 admits accepted are going to MIT, while 3 out of 5 admits accepted are going to Caltech this year.</p>
<p>Well, clearly the conclusion here is that Duke is better than Harvard, Princeton, or MIT. That Caltech is better than MIT. And that Rabban is less than likely, given his/her reasoning abilities, to be accepted to any of these schools.</p>
<p>Durran: hahahahaha. Well done.</p>
<p>Rabban, go spout your silly nonsense somewhere else. When somebody cares about your opinion regarding "the best school", we'll let you know. (Don't hold your breath.)</p>
<p>With all due respect, a suthern boarding school that boasts in "sending" more students to "LAX-school (duke)" than "Harvard", is not exactly an elite prep school. No? :p</p>
<p>Debating high school quality is more your forte. I recommend you focus on that.</p>
<p>Over 50% of my high school class is going to the local community college...</p>
<p>I think that the guy starting this thread is just a troll, and this thing is going nowhere. There's a Caltech -vs- MIT thread around here somewhere (that's rather long, with lots of interesting reading, anyways).</p>
<p>I didn't get into Caltech, but I have visited twice and I think it's a great place. While MIT does have a much larger humanities department (and this is a fact), I think that due to the Caltech's small size, they can't really offer enough humanities to satify a very diverse student body. (thinking 2-3 students per class, not very worthwhile in the school's mind, I'm sure). Either way, students are able to cross-register at schools that have these offerings, so I think they can satisfy themselves just fine.</p>
<p>-Jared</p>
<p>Look, Ive never said Caltech is not a fine school. What Ive pointed out was that Caltech should follow the footsteps of what MIT did, in terms of expanding other liberal art/hum/social science programs, because it is well known that just cramming tech-related courses for all 4 years is not very desirable even for techie students, however hardcore they are. The net result is that there is a more complete/satisfying undergraduate experience at MIT than Caltech!!! Prospective students are beginning to recognize this and now massively heading into MIT bypassing Caltech. So.. OPs post title should really be Why are techie-oriented students going to MIT instead of Caltech?</p>
<p>One can really focus on their respective major later in graduate school.</p>