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The California Institute of Technology

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The most important thing that Caltech taught meMechanical Engineering
The most important thing that Caltech taught me was a solid work ethic, good problem solving algorithms, and an understanding of my own limits (which aren't as much as I thought they were!) After the extraordinary challenge of classes at Caltech (what other place is going to require every single student to take quantum physics and linear algebra?) the rest of life has been a breeze... granted, I have only been out for 5 years, but those 5 years have included graduate work at MIT, working at a small engineering company that faced extreme funding issues, and getting married, amongst other things. I feel like after having finished Caltech, I can take on pretty much whatever I want.
Alumnus Male -- Class 2000
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Caltech is the kind of place that isChemistry
Caltech is the kind of place that is very rare indeed, and you don't know how rare it is until after you have left. It has the academic and research resources of a large research university, but the intimacy and strong student-faculty interactions of a small liberal arts school. The classes are intense, but the community is extremely supportive. Everyone helps each other out. Socially the place is unusual, but it houses the most amazing and creative set of students I have ever met. The female:male ratio, while better now than when I graduated is till skewed, and as such the dating atmosphere is far from the usual in college life.

It is an amazing place to go to, and if you are up for a lot of hard work (but with friends to help you) and stretching your mind, imagination, and analytical abilities to their limits, then this is a wonderful place. You have freedom, trust, and responsibility to do whatever you need to. The Honor Code is taken very seriously here, and it truly builds a place where everyone feels they are in it together. You meet and discuss science with some of the finest scientist in the world on a regular basis, and something I wish I had taken more advantage of.And, I got be in a musical with Richard Feynman. What more could you want?

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000
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Caltech offers excellent preparation for any field thatBright
Caltech offers excellent preparation for any field that requires qualitative thinking. Though the education is billed as science/math, a key aspect of Tech is that it teaches you how to think. How to innovate and think creatively. Professors ask you to write a computer program or design an experiment to figure something out. My friends are entrepreneurs or are in software, patent law, finance, as well as science. Until I went to medical school, I never picked up a scantron.

It's a small school, and you can do almost anything you want, for better or worse. This allows for some incredible opportunities. Also, there aren't any "gunners" at caltech; there are so few undergrads and everyone is doing his/her own thing that you don't compete against one another.Finally, the social life is what you make it. There's a quirky on-campus scene, which sucks compared to any other college, but has it's moments. Pasadena is a great city; you can take classes at Occidental or Art Center, which are incredibly. L.A. is accessible, with a car. But you won't have much time.

4th Year Male -- Class 1998
Faculty Accessibility: A+, Social Life: C-
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