Chances of Getting into Caltech - Engineering Student

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the chances of a high school student gaining admission to Caltech for engineering. Participants explore various factors influencing admissions, including academic performance, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, and research experience.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the importance of achieving all As versus the significance of SAT scores in the admissions process.
  • Another participant emphasizes that top schools like Caltech expect excellent grades and test scores but also require something exceptional outside the classroom.
  • Some participants note that many admitted students have prior research experience at the college level, raising questions about how to compete with such applicants.
  • Concerns are raised about the attitude of only excelling in preferred subjects, suggesting that a broader academic performance is necessary.
  • There is a suggestion that applying to a range of schools, rather than just top-tier institutions, may be prudent due to the competitive nature of admissions.
  • Participants discuss the relevance of extracurricular activities, with some arguing that unique experiences are more valuable than typical club participation.
  • Questions arise regarding the admissions process, including the lack of interviews at Caltech and how this affects the selection of candidates.
  • A European participant shares insights about the importance of research experience for understanding the admissions landscape in the U.S.
  • Another participant suggests that the choice of undergraduate institution may not be as critical for future career success as the OP believes.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the importance of academic performance, research experience, and the admissions process. There is no consensus on the specific criteria that Caltech prioritizes, and multiple competing perspectives remain throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some participants highlight the variability in high school course systems and their comparability to AP courses, which may affect the evaluation of academic performance. Additionally, there are differing opinions on the necessity of extracurricular activities versus research experience.

Who May Find This Useful

High school students considering applying to competitive engineering programs, particularly those interested in Caltech, as well as educators and advisors guiding students through the college application process.

beegiboo
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okeyy,
so i am a student in high school and i would like to apply for caltech but i want to know what my chances are: so i want to study engineering, i go to an international school, i love maths! but I'm not soo good in languages like french but i don't need that for engineering do i? And so because of the languages, i have 3 Bs on my report card and all As so i was just wondering if caltech wants all As so like in every subject or is it also fine if i have all As in the science subjects? And i also do extracurricular activities and so what do you think my chances are to get into caltech?
 
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you need to specify more, SAT/ACT scores are a must, what about AP/IB Courses?
 
Yeah, i have to do the SAT next year because i still have 2 years of high school...but my question is if they want all As on your report card or do they take the SAT more into consideration, because I don't worry about SAT...the only problem are the languages at my school...because I'm not really into them and so i have a B...and so yeah and we have a course system at school,however I'm not sure if they are comparable to the AP courses...and the courses i took include physics(Astronomy,,experimenting), chemistry(experimenting) and maths (logic) and i have more of them for next year (not the same courses of course)
 
For top schools like Stanford and Caltech, excellent grades and test scores are sort of assumed. Even if your scores and grades were perfect, you wouldn't be assured admission.

The name of the game is doing *something* truly excellent outside of the classroom. Something special, unique, and remarkable.
 
About half the students who get into CalTech each year have already done original research at the college level. How are you going to compete with that?
 
I can tell with certainty what your chances are if you don't apply.

That said, "I get A's in the classes I like and B's in the classes I don't" is not an attitude that highly selective universities are looking for. You might want to work on that over the next few years.
 
eri said:
About half the students who get into CalTech each year have already done original research at the college level. How are you going to compete with that?

Apply for summer science camp which is what I did.
 
TMFKAN64 said:
The name of the game is doing *something* truly excellent outside of the classroom. Something special, unique, and remarkable.

And of course, that translates into "not something an admissions committee that is viewing thousands of applicants will have already seen a thousand times". Caltech received about 5000 applications for the 2010 application cycle and accepted 600 students. So the bottom line is you need to look better than the thousands of other applicants who apply who are rejected.

Also, the worst thing you could possibly do is apply only to stanford and Caltech. Even if you're a fantastic student, win national awards, and are knighted by the Queen of England, there's some random luck involved. Be prepared to apply to a number of schools.
 
Just a note, there are other excellent schools and I doubt many places care where you finished a BS. Find a good or great undergrad and then set yourself up for a top graduate program if you want the big name.
 
  • #10
Isn't it prudent to apply to structure of tier-ed schools? Top 5, Top 10, Top 25, etc.?
 
  • #11
beegiboo said:
Yeah, i have to do the SAT next year because i still have 2 years of high school...but my question is if they want all As on your report card or do they take the SAT more into consideration, because I don't worry about SAT...the only problem are the languages at my school...because I'm not really into them and so i have a B...and so yeah and we have a course system at school,however I'm not sure if they are comparable to the AP courses...and the courses i took include physics(Astronomy,,experimenting), chemistry(experimenting) and maths (logic) and i have more of them for next year (not the same courses of course)
It should be fine if you have a very limited number of Bs outside of science-related subjects.

That being said, the number of applicants being accepted by both Caltech and Stanford is a very small proportion, and you'd have to stand out from the typical applicant, by a) being truly brilliant b) doing something different and interesting, or c) both.

Take your time left in high school to do something that demonstrates your interest in engineering. It's something Caltech really likes.
 
  • #12
eri said:
About half the students who get into CalTech each year have already done original research at the college level. How are you going to compete with that?

What? You mean half of the students who get accepted into an undergraduate program at Caltech ... have already done graduate level research??
 
  • #13
Goldbeetle said:
What? You mean half of the students who get accepted into an undergraduate program at Caltech ... have already done graduate level research??
Not graduate level work, but some form of research with a college professor.
 
  • #14
mengshuen said:
Not graduate level work, but some form of research with a college professor.

OK, well, not original graduate work, then. But how can they be sure they are selecting the brightest ones? Wouldn't be a demanding entry test + interview safer? Is SAT such a test etc.

Questions from a European graduate like me.
 
  • #15
well..at least my professor supervised a high school student at one time..
that guy published something just by helping in the lab..and got accepted into Caltech..

so, just try to contact some professor in college and try to work with them in summer..
try to contact a lot of professor..

I do not think extracurricular activities as clubs will be helpful for your application

one question, do you live in US?
 
  • #16
No, I live in Europe and I left university ... twenty years ago!
Doing some research asap is definitely important non only for getting in top US universities but also for understanding the system from within in a very concrete way.
 
  • #17
Goldbeetle said:
OK, well, not original graduate work, then. But how can they be sure they are selecting the brightest ones? Wouldn't be a demanding entry test + interview safer? Is SAT such a test etc.

Questions from a European graduate like me.
Caltech and Stanford both don't offer interviews, unlike MIT, Princeton and Harvard. The interviews, however, don't test you on your understanding of high school/college material, but they're there to assess the fit of the applicant to the college.

You need to take the subject tests of the SAT for those schools. Not surprising that the majority had 800 for the SAT subject tests after all, if that's any measure of their college preparedness. It is very difficult to measure quantitatively the "brightness" of the student, but it'd come through in the teachers'/counselor's recommendation.
 
  • #18
It's good to have ambition but I wouldn't worry too much about where you go for your undergraduate studies. I don't really think that will define your professional carrier or research in the future.
I'm live in Europe too. There are very good schools right here in Europe that are a lot cheaper than Caltech or Stanford that probably offer as good undergraduate education.
 
  • #19
Goldbeetle said:
No, I live in Europe and I left university ... twenty years ago!
Doing some research asap is definitely important non only for getting in top US universities but also for understanding the system from within in a very concrete way.

actually I asked the OP
 

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