CalTech and Aeronautical Engineering

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the aspirations of a prospective aeronautical engineer interested in attending CalTech. The participant seeks insights into the admissions process, the homework system at CalTech, and job prospects for aeronautic engineers in Canada in the coming years.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Homework-related
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire to attend CalTech and inquires about the school's homework system and admissions requirements.
  • Another participant suggests that competitive test scores and genuine extracurricular activities related to aviation or engineering are crucial for admission.
  • Concerns are raised about the high caliber of students at CalTech, with references to perfect test scores and national championships.
  • The original poster questions the feasibility of improving their qualifications over the next 1.5 years to enhance their chances of admission.
  • There is a mention of a planned project involving RC helicopters, with a request for resources to aid in this endeavor.
  • Anecdotal reference is made to a young prodigy from China who achieved notable accomplishments and received an offer from CalTech, highlighting feelings of envy from the original poster.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the competitive nature of CalTech admissions and the importance of relevant extracurricular activities. However, there is no consensus on the specific strategies for improving one's application or the likelihood of success in gaining admission.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects personal experiences and aspirations, with varying levels of confidence about meeting admission requirements. There are no definitive conclusions regarding job prospects for aeronautic engineers in Canada.

Who May Find This Useful

Prospective students interested in aeronautical engineering, particularly those considering CalTech or similar institutions, may find this discussion relevant.

midnite13
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Hello all, pleased to meet you.
I'm an aspiring aeronautic/space (whichever one deals with the design of rockets + shuttles) engineer, and my undergraduate school of choice is CalTech. I actually have 2 questions in mind:

1) Does anybody here go to CalTech? I'm quite interested in their homework system and stuff. Plus, I'm enamoured with the pranks they pulled against MIT :smile: I'm most likely not going to make it to CalTech, seeing as my extracurricular resume lacks the depth as some of my colleagues. On top of that, I'm sure there are waay smarter kids than me. If everything goes well, then i SHOULD be able to make at least U of T; seeing as I'm attending an affiliated school right now (=

2) Although I know this question has been answered a billion times; I'm wondering how it plays out from a Canadian perspective. How does the job prospect look for aeronautic engineers ~5-6 years into the future? Assuming that I won't make it into CalTech d=. Although the Canadian Space Agency doesn't exactly rival NASA, would it be hard to get a job there?

Thanks for all your help! It was an amazing stroke of luck i stumbled upon this forum. :-p
 
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Hey,

To get in there you naturally must have competitive test scores and grades. I can tell you that the admissions people will see right through a long laundry list of ECs. Do something you really enjoy, hopefully related to aviation and or engineering. I don't know where you are in your high school career but a few things I can think of would be impressive: flying lessons; building complicated RC aircraft; working at a local airport maintenance facility; maybe shadowing an engineer for a while.
 
Caltech has its choice from the brightest students on this planet. Perfect test scores, national champsionships, etc etc.
 
Thanks for all your help.
Unfortunately, I only meet a few of those requirements d= While I'm getting fairly good grades, I can assure you that I'm no national championship student.
I'm 15 turning 16, so I've got a good 1.5 years to build a more impressive resume before applying. Do you think it's feasible for me to dramatically improve to a point where I have a decent chance of making it?

As for the RC helicopter idea, I was actually planning to partake on a similar project this summer. I've made RC cars before, but they're mostly simple alterations from the store-bought ones: nothing really impressive. Could you point me in the right direction, and refer me to books/websites that would help with this endeavour? Thanks.

p.s. Have you guys heard of the 16 year old kid from China? Basically, he's a prodigy that developed a fully functional biometric system for his own house, on top of a myriad of other achievements. CalTech offered him a grant to study there for 3 weeks (or was it months)! How I envy him
 

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