Caltech University, short for California Institute of Technology, is one of the world’s most popular and prestigious universities. It mainly focuses on engineering and research and is dedicated to life sciences and pure and applied sciences. It is located in Pasadena. Caltech is a very research-oriented university and has projects running for NASA and the likes of many industries. So is Caltech a good school?
History of Caltech:
You might have heard of Caltech in the popular sitcom series, the Big Bang Theory. We can see the characters working in the university as research graduates and focusing on advanced physics research. Caltech is also known for its diverse domains, from physics to biology, and many subcategories of research areas to choose from.
Caltech was initially found in 1891 and was called Thropp university, which was named after its founder, a local businessman named Amos.G.Throop. Over the years, the name underwent multiple changes before settling for its current name of Caltech in 1920. At that time, research was still a new topic in most places in the world, especially in America. But, Caltech was aimed to be a research hub, and Pasadena was made as a research designation and place for advanced research.
There are many popular pass outs from Caltech university, namely Richard Feynman. Caltech then became a university specializing in theoretical and practical physics and attracted many budding students to pursue physics. In 1970, Caltech started accepting female undergraduates, and they accounted for 14% of the total strength that year. Since then, the number of female undergraduate students applying to Caltech has been steadily increasing. For example, in 2008, Caltech recorded 42% of female undergraduates, which was the highest at that point.
Is Caltech a good school?
Now that we have seen the history of Caltech let us look at different aspects that make Caltech one of the finest schools in the country.
Funding:
- Caltech is known for its advanced research. It facilitates high-tech equipment through funding obtained from various sources.
- Recently, in 2019, Caltech received $750 million in funding to aim at sustainability research. The Wonderful Company provided the financing. It was given as funds to focus the analysis on environmental sustainability research.
- This was the second-largest funding received by a private organization or university.
- Because of this, Caltech has been known to facilitate a variety of diverse research ideas. It will be perfect for someone who has an opinion and needs to execute it. More funding means more advanced equipment for better research. There are not many universities where you can confidently work on your interests.
Interdisciplinary:
Caltech is also known for its interdisciplinary studies. What does multidisciplinary mean? It means that two different departments get together to contribute to a joint research problem, say the physics and biology departments. This creates unique opportunities for everyone to work on something new and paves the way for better research findings.
It also helps and makes students work closely with each other and students of other departments. This makes campus life a good one, as working with different department students can be a unique and helpful experience.
Small campus:
Now a university like Caltech, with many departments and popularity, and a name for research, will have a huge campus and many students, right? No. While it is a big campus, the intake is significantly lower compared to many top universities. Reports show that Caltech has a student-faculty ratio of 3:1, meaning there is one professor for every three students. This meager ratio helps undergraduates be mentored closely by the professors and can have more one-to-one sessions. This makes the student’s life meaningful, as they will have a sense of attachment to the professor and ensures the students’ growth and professors. Caltech has an acceptance rate of 6.4%, meaning 100 applicants; only six will get selected.
Quality of education:
Caltech is known for its quality of education. But that is a statement all universities can provide. So what is so special with Caltech? First, it provides the highest quality of education on its basis. While Caltech has a student-professor ratio of 3:1, it has a very stringent recruitment process for the professors. It does not recruit too many professors at a time and only focuses on one recruit. This makes them provide high-quality education. That level of high scrutiny enables them to recruit highly talented and qualified professors.
Competition:
So we know that Caltech is a highly prestigious school and provides one of the highest quality education in the country. In addition to this, Caltech also has one of the lowest intakes, with heavy competition for the seats. Due to this, Caltech is known for its competition, both in getting a seat and during the academic career. All of the students that get selected into the university will be talented and aim for the best. This makes academics a very stressful period. But, Caltech counters this by having a small student body, with increased interaction between the students and the professors.
Here are some interesting facts about Caltech
- When hiring junior professors and when promotion comes up, Caltech does not select multiple junior professors for a single role. Instead, Caltech employs only one junior professor for the position. It makes up for that with a rigorous recruitment and selection process. Once selected, the management provides them with all support and ensures that they succeed.
- The senior staff members, the executives, are mostly science researchers who actively participate in research. Hence, it makes management decisions purely based on science and can be beneficial to the students.
- Caltech was famously shown in the series The Big Bang Theory. Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, and Howard, worked as researchers in 4 different departments. There comes a part where two characters work together on a single research, showing that Caltech has an excellent interdisciplinary scope.
- Almost 90% of the undergraduates actively take part in the research.
- Caltech has a graduation rate of 93%.
Caltech is deemed to be highly prestigious and sought after by many students. Their meager acceptance rate does not mean you will have fewer chances. Still, it means that once you get selected, you get the best possible education and academics. Their faculty count also makes them focus on students more closely than other universities, which makes a better academic experience. As shown in the series The Big Bang Theory, Caltech is known for its state-of-the-art science and equipment and supporting a small but well-dedicated group of scientists in their research.
Here are some FAQs that will help you understand more about the college.
- What are the different departments in Caltech, and how many departments does it have?
Caltech has six major divisions, namely Biology, Geology, Physics, Chemical, Engineering, and Humanities. They are further divided into many individual courses, covering a wide array of techniques and curriculum.
- How hard is it to get into Caltech?
As discussed earlier, Caltech has a student acceptance rate of 6.4%. Therefore, if you have excellent academic records before application and are clear about where you want to focus your research, there is a good chance for your admission.
- What are the 2022 statistics?
By 2022, Caltech had over 8000 applications and around 230 undergraduates.
- How is the student life at Caltech?
Caltech is known for its traditions and pranks. It is different from typical universities, encourages creativity, and records some well-planned jokes in the history books.
- Who are some of the famous people to have studied at Caltech?
Caltech has produced some very famous and talented Noble laureates over the years. Richard Feynman of Physics is the most famous graduate of Caltech, who became a professor at Caltech. Caltech has produced 40 Noble laureates over the years.
Conclusion:
Caltech has been ranked the 6th world best university in QS rankings and is often seen as a competition to MIT. Suppose you are interested in research and having more professor-student interaction. In that case, Caltech is probably the best place to apply. But you must be aware that Caltech brings out the best in every student and makes them work their 100%, but rewards them accordingly with their diverse research opportunities. Under the SURF program (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships), Caltech encourages students to undertake various real-world projects under top professors as an internship.
With freedom for junior graduates to focus on their interests, low student count, so all students get equal attention from the faculty, fun campus life for the students, encouraging interdisciplinary research. Above all, having a rich history of producing a solid pass out of Noble Laureates and having some of the most outstanding guest lecturers such as Albert Einstein, Caltech is one of the most outstanding schools you can get admitted to. All the best in your admissions and future endeavor, and let’s hope we see many more Noble Laureates in the coming years!
