Hi Michael,
I’m a random highschool senior who, after many attempts to find the email of some student at Caltech, found yours on your blog posts. (They’re very interesting, btw…) I’ve been searching for someone who’s actually attending Caltech and not being paid to give it a positive review by the admissions people for quite a while… it’s very difficult to get an unbiased source these days! I’ve been wondering:
a) in your opinion, do the professors at Caltech actually care about educating the students? This is one major critique of Caltech that I heard from friends of my parents, but… it’s been a couple dozen years since then.
b) I’ve noticed that you talk about the physical/emotional/mental stresses of working at Caltech in several of your blog posts. My question is: do you think it’s worth it? Of course, I haven’t been accepted yet, but assuming I get offers from Caltech, USC, Purdue, etc., what are the aspects of Caltech that make it worth attending over other, similarly-ranked schools without a reputation for stressing their students out…?
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my random questions,
-Abraham 

Hi Abraham,

Of course! I always love to hear people read my blogs!

Full disclosure, I do in fact get paid by the admissions office, but not to make me write forced positive reviews 😉 (I’m also the editor of Caltech’s newspaper, The California Tech, where I get to be even more honest!)

a)

This is a VERY salient question, one that I was discussing with friends earlier today. The answer is, it depends heavily on the professor. There certainly are some profs for whom teaching is simply not their priority. (research being the likely alternative.) A lot of times, they’re the ones who happen to teach freshman core classes, which is really quite far from ideal. I basically did not prioritize going to lectures for my math classes for the first two years here at Caltech, because it was faster for me to learn the material on my own. This is a common experience.

However, some profs are really good. Sparingly few, but they are there. As a physics major, my luck has been such that those really good professors are teaching by far the hardest classes. (which actually I guess is preferable.) and then the other side of it is, since research is such a big thing, it’s SUPER easy to get involved in doing research in a lab that’s interesting to you, even as a frosh.

In summary, I’ll say teaching at Caltech is just OK. Some hidden gems.

b)

I DO talk a lot about mental health because it doesn’t get talked about enough! Is it worth it? (I find myself asking this every day.) The answer is, it depends very heavily on You!

For me, the answer is yes, it is worth it in the end. With the condition that I stop overcommitting myself to so many responsibilities 💀 But yeah at the end of the day I honestly can’t see myself anywhere else. This was the right place for me. The reasons why are myriad, but mostly centered around the fact that we’re a super small school (~1000 undergrads). 

It’s a recurring ‘bit’ with my friends, whenever we’re contemplating the astounding toxicity or dumbness of a certain aspect of life at Caltech (of which there are many; details found in The California Tech!), to exclaim “Caltech is such a special place.” Or, often, simply “Caltech is such a place.”

And that’s what it is. It is unique because it is an intense experience. High highs, and low lows. No promises as to their relative quantities.

If you think you’d get a lot out of the intimate, opportunity-abundant small school gig, then I’d say consider it. (consider it, not interpret this as persuasion in any capacity!)

If you’re not so sure you’re vibing with it… do NOT come here JUST because it’s a prestigious school! That’s my best advice. Before you apply or commit, make sure you know what you’re subjecting yourself to! (answer: a lot of work 😄)

I hope you enjoy your time reading these random answers,

-Michael