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Education Quality   A-
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Bright
Hard work. Thin on girls. But I'll be better off in the long run.

And some fantastic stuff happens here.
Collaboration/Competitive: A+, Social Life: C
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Apr 23 2006 1st Year Male -- Class 2009  
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Bright
I graduated back in '02. Caltech is one of those schools that looking back at your experience, you are quite fond of the uniqueness and zaniness of the experience, but during the time there, you longed to be elsewhere.
Almost everyone you will meet from 'tech will give their two cents about the social life there: a skewed male-female ratio, nerdy and eccentric students, etc. As far as the ratio goes, if you are a guy, you're going to be in for some tough times with the women for the next 4 years. All the desirable girls are usually picked up within the first 1/2 of freshman year, leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselves. My buddies and I were able to meet girls outside of school, however, since 'tech is within walking distance of PCC, and driving distance of UCLA. But all in all, on-campus dating is a nightmare, that not only creates frustration for the guys, but creates this weird social divide amongst the women that I cannot fully describe nor comprehend (This would be a good thesis topic for some of you sociology majors out there.
The rest of the partying that you would associate with any college environment is actually quite intact at Caltech. At least once every year, each "house" within campus will host a mega-party, complete with a custom-built structure that students will spend weeks of their academic term building. Also, expect friendly but nerdy conversation in whichever dorm you live in. I should stress that the dorm situation at Caltech is quite unique: each "house" at 'tech has a unique personality ( the hippie/druggie house, the sadistic house, the mostly christian house, the sporty house, etc.) that you will soon adopt as your own, whether you want to or not ( I was in the hippie/druggie). Once selected into one of these houses, a majority of the students will essentially confine themselves with this one group of people for the rest of their four years. So be careful about which house you choose to live in.
The type of people you'd meet as a student at Caltech are who I'd deem as the "outcasts" from your high school: the nerds, the hippies, the anti-socials, the quiet. Very rarely will you find the average dresses-trendy, basketball playing (if boy), wears a lot of makeup (if girl) student that comprises most larger universities. And I have a feeling that the admissions committee does this on-purpose; they select the unique applicants because they're usually the most creative.
And creativity is definitely a part of Caltech that you'd notice immediately. Students are allowed to draw "art" on their dorm rooms, and build weird structures for parties and senior puzzles, etc. And that's the single greatest social aspect about Caltech: that the administration supports the students both socially and academically to express themselves and foster new ideas.
You have a great amount of leeway at Caltech to do whatever you want, whenever you want. At Caltech, you are treated by the administration as a child by his hippie parents, with lots of care, attention, and freedom to find your own path. There's plenty of opportunities to do research, to take interesting classes without worrying about grades, and to take tests at home when YOU have time to do them. All of which is awesome. Now if only there were more girls here :).
Oh, one more thing. The classes are hard, but they teach you a lot. So be prepared to work your ass off, but get a world-class education because of it. You'll get treated with a lot of respect when you come out, too :)
Campus Aesthetics: A+, Social Life: D+
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Sep 22 2004 4th Year Male -- Class 2002  
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Quite Bright
Caltech was a love-hate experience. There were a number of very positive aspects of life there, most of which had to do with academics and research. The research opportunities abound at Caltech, and the majority of undergraduates participate in real, top-notch university research with some of the brightest professors out there. It's simply unmatched in that regard.

Less predictably, there are other benefits to Caltech, as well. Because the school is so small (under 1000 undergraduates), students can participate in whatever activities are offered. If you are interested, you can be involved in everything from music to student government to journalism. All of this, of course, is on a smaller scale than at big schools, but it's also open to everyone. Fellow students tend to be very smart (like you are, surely) and generally helpful. There is virtually no competition among students when it comes to academics or research. It's a very open environment. This extends all the way to professors and staff, even, who are (on the whole) very friendly, helpful, good people.

The downsides all involve social life. Because the school is small and there are relatively few girls, undergraduate social life is very strained. Compound this with the extreme amount of work students undertake, and you're left with a pretty boring place. If you want to party your undergrad career, do not go to Caltech.
Starting Job: PhD student, Preparedness: B+, Reputation: A+
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Nov 03 2003 Alumnus Male -- Class 2000 
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Quite Bright
Caltech is a great school if you are interested in Science if not it can be a bit overwhelming. The work load is heavy but you get to study with great professors. You can participate in their research early on. The big difference I believe is that there are opportunities for everyone to do advanced work that would be very hard to come by at a larger school. Of course the student has to show the initiative and use those opportunities.
Starting Job: Member Tech. Staff, Preparedness: -, Reputation: -
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Oct 05 2002 Alumnus Male -- Class 2000 
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