Caltech

bookstore

2007-10-01T19:19:08Z

Is there any independent bookstore favored by tech students for textbooks? Or just the on-campus bookstore? I have some textbooks I'd like to unload. Also, Hi!

Hello?

2007-01-02T22:07:35Z

*pokes head in, looks around*

Ahem. Well, it doesn't look like there's been any activity here in awhile, but I figure it can't hurt to say hello, anyway.

Hey all! I'm Tea. 17. HS senior. Admitted EA to Caltech. I'm leaning towards Biochem as a major.

I go to a public magnet-type school for math/science nerds, which while infinitely more difficult than my old high school, still doesn't make me work all that hard to get good grades. Well, according to me, anyway.

However, I don't have any delusions about not having to do a ridiculous amount of work at Caltech, and I'm a little trepidatious about it. Then again, I thought that about my current school in the beginning as well.

That brings me to my question for the current Techers:
Knowing what you know now, if you could go back and make the decision all over again, would you have gone to Caltech?

caltech @ 2006-07-02T01:22:00

2006-07-01T17:25:44Z

Hi there. I'm an incoming freshman in the fall. I've been trying to get a Facebook account, but I don't have a Caltech email. Does anyone know the procedures for getting one? I went to their IMSS page, but it seems a bit outdated. All the deadlines say 2005. If anyone knows anything, do share. Please and thank you!

alumni network rss feed

2006-06-26T01:32:50Z

Is there anyone here with a paid account who would be willing to create an RSS feed for Caltech's Alumni Network?? The info for RSS feeds at LJ is at http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=137 . And the info for the feed is at http://alumni.caltech.edu/news/rss_info .

Any violinists out there?

2006-05-05T04:41:59Z

I'm a first year grad student in chemistry trained in classical piano. I am seeking a violinist interested in playing piano/violin works casually on weekends or weekday evenings. I am particularly interested in Sarasate but am open to virtually any composer's works. Please comment if interested.

caltech @ 2006-05-03T20:26:00

2006-05-04T01:26:45Z

Hi, I'll be a frosh in September, but I have a random question that I can't seem to find an answer to. Do frosh who participate in fall athletics need to come before orientation (esp. swimming and diving)? If so, when and how do we make arrangements? Thanks much, see you all in the fall!

SF/Berkeley next weekend?

2006-04-30T02:43:15Z

Anyone planning to make a trip up to the Bay Area next weekend? I'm willing to pay gas money, drive or provide enthralling conversation. Well, perhaps it won't be enthralling, but at least I'll make the attempt. :)

[Yes, I'm going to try craigslist]

They got it back

2006-04-12T20:03:01Z

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2406318

It doesn't look like it was much a surprise or that I'd call it "stealing" it back but at least they got the job done.

missing anything?

2006-04-06T17:18:54Z

http://mitcannon.com/

Prefrosh weekend

2006-04-06T06:51:58Z

Hi all,

I'm an incoming freshman this fall. So I have a friend who was accepted to Caltech, Stanford, and MIT. She says she wants to go to Stanford, and her reasons are... well, they don't hold much water. I talked to some ex-Techers who said that the best way to convert her was to get her to go to prefrosh weekend, because it was a lot of fun. Now she wants justification---why is it fun?

So, what do I tell her about prefrosh weekend to make her go?

Thanks all, and I'll hope to see some of you then!

SURF Seminar Day is this weekend...

2005-10-14T05:16:04Z

If you're in the Pasadena area (especially if you're a high school student interested in Caltech)...

Caltech Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships Seminar Day

SURF students give oral or poster presentations of their summer research projects at this annual event, to be held on October 15th on campus.

Registration is at 9 a.m. in Winnett quad, near the Red Door coffee shop. A $20 registration fee includes materials, presentations, lunch, and refreshments.

Details: http://www.surf.caltech.edu and http://www.surf.caltech.edu/sem-day/index.html

Amtrak?

2005-10-02T05:30:06Z

Does anyone know if there is an amtrak train that goes to San Diego (I don't want to drive) so I can go see my boyfriend? Where do they leave from that is closest to Caltech? Thanks.

Visiting on the 22nd.

2005-07-21T06:01:49Z

So I was invited to that Sneak Peak event, and signed up for the 22nd. My plane leaves in about four hours, soooo....
a) Can anyone recommend anything to do in LA/Pasadena for the Thursday I'm free?
b) The event ends at 12:00 on Friday, after that, I'm having a friend at tech show me around campus. Anything I shouldn't miss?

Ceroc and tango lessons this summer!

2005-06-11T08:33:58Z

Paste from email:

Hello Dancers,
As promised, the summer dance classes are starting soon! Here is the
information:
What: Ceroc dance classes and practice time
When: Thursdays, starting June 16th
Class 7:30-9:00 pm
General ceroc dancing/practice 9:00 - at least 10:00
Where: Dabney Lounge (Hardwood floors) except June 23rd when the class
will be held outdoors at the Beckman Institute courtyard (see
http://www.its.caltech.edu/~ballroom/campus_map.html for directions to
both these locations)
Cost: $3 per class; $20 for the 9 week series
Taught by CBDC member Megan Ferguson (demo video here)
No partner or dance experience necessary (read: bring your friends!)

What: Argentine Tango classes
When: 8 Mondays, starting June 20th, 7:30-9:00 pm, general practice after
9:00 pm
Where: Dabney Lounge (hardwood floors)
Cost: $6 student/$8 non-student per class; $40 student/$56 non-student for
the series (in advance)
Taught by professional instructors, Alexis and Barbara White
No partner or dance experience necessary

Happy Dancing!

Rampant didacticism: Things I Wish I Knew When I Was a Frosh

2005-06-10T08:08:15Z

I'm writing this because there are a lot of things that I wish someone had told me, or I had thought about, when I was an undergraduate frosh. I'd like to post them here unless the moderator of this community has any objections. Also, I know that not everybody has as much time or is as pissed off as I am, but personally I think it'd be cool if other people felt like sharing similar thoughts or corrections and archiving them here as memories. Apologies to those of you, especially grad students, who might find all this advice obvious - but for undergrads, it definitely seems like it's not.

Caltech is going to end eventually: plan for the Real World

1. CREDIT
Start building up credit history while you're still in school (and likely, at least partially supported by your parents). This is important because good credit history makes people more comfortable about letting you rent an apartment, finance a car, mortgage a house, etc. The latter is far off, but chances are you're going to have to rent an apartment on your own sometime in the next ten years, maybe during or even right after you get out of Caltech. You could get a parent or relative to co-sign the lease, but you should still try to present a good credit image.

Start by getting a small credit card with a low limit. This could be a department store card, the CEFCU visa, or certain student cards such as those by Citibank. Pay your bills regularly and on time. Eventually you'll be able to move up to more useful cards.

If you have a credit card with your name, but is under a parent's account, it might not actually have any bearing on your credit history. Check on that to be sure.

(There's more, and you should check out some sites with more authoritative information, but just bringing it to light...)

2. DRIVER'S LICENSE / RESIDENCY
A surprising number of Techers don't have their drivers licenses. Even if you don't have a car or don't plan to drive while at Tech, you should get one. It's useful for establishing your age and identity. Furthermore, it's possible that people you need to work with (landlords, employers) will think that something is wrong if you don't have one. Are you too immature? Did you fail the driving test that badly? If you can't get to work reliably, are you a good hire? That kind of thing.

An out-of-state license is fine, but once you stop being a student and decide to stay in California, you need to get a California license and therefore change to California residency. It appears to be the law. Also, as I found out this week, a certain landlord was reluctant to rent to my roommate because of her out-of-state license. I don't know if all landlords have the same concerns, but it's something to consider if you're planning to stick around after graduation.

Go to the California Driver's License page for information: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/ The Technique has some information, too.

3. BUYING A MOVING METAL BOX
I had to buy a car on my own. I would have liked to have my parents with me, but that wasn't possible. Just in case you can't avoid it either:

So I thought there was some kind of super secret ninja technique that people had to know to avoid getting ripped off at the car dealership. Why else would so many people complain so bitterly? It turns out that it's a lot of price-checking, negotiating, and being aware. If you need to learn about buying a car, try checking here and here. There are some other subtleties to consider (deciding to buy new or used, financing, etc.), but these should get you started.

Caltech: How to Make It Suck Less

1. LEARN HOW TO TALK TO PEOPLE
I think the most important social thing I learned during my four years here is that if you want people to do or change something or understand your feelings, some ways of talking to them are more effective than others. I don't know any hard and fast rules about talking to other techers (it varies widely depending on the type of person you're trying to talk to). vincentthecat, however, has in my opinion some very good advice on how to talk to older adults, particularly, those in the administration.

A Public Service Announcement About Housing

2005-05-31T20:40:32Z

Dear current and future Caltech students,

When you are looking for housing and are considering moving off-campus, always take a room with Housing. This is your back-up plan. It usually isn't that hard to find something, but things may fall through at the last minute or they might refuse to rent to you, a student.

Housing, on the other hand, actually cares about you. They will guarantee you a room as long as you turn in your lottery card, show up to picks, and turn in your contract. This can be a lifesaver in case you don't actually find a place to live, on time or ever.

If you are worried about taking up a Hovse room that someone else might want, sign up for the unaffiliated lottery. Also take note that summer housing cards don't go directly to your mailbox; you need to watch for the directory emails that tell you when they're available in the housing office.

If at all possible, ALWAYS cover your ass. Chances are likely that nobody else is going to do it for you. Unless they're a schmuck. Like me.

Thank you, be safe and aware.

Sincerely,

Candace

housing

2005-05-16T22:40:08Z

Hey guys - I might be moving there in the fall. I'm looking for OC housing, and doing all the online searches, but I still haven't found any good, concise, "everybody lists there" apartment listings. It's all scattered... Is there a decent central resource? I talked to housing, and they pointed me to places4students... =P

Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Science Teaching Opportunity at UCLA

2005-05-09T17:54:18Z

Here's the deal,

UCLA hosts a wonderful sort of hybrid summer camp/boarding school, The Summer Institute for the Gifted. This will be my second year teaching there. Its 15 days of instruction - the first 3 weeks of August. It ends just in time for Burning Man, if anybody cares.

Ages range from 4th to 11th Grade. The kids are from all over the world. Last year, I taught children from Tai Pei, Seoul, Beverly Hills and Israel in the same class.

It's a regular school day, with 5 periods, though few people end up teaching more than three classes. Compensation is 750$ per class, per 3 week session.

Classes available include:

Kinematics
Genetics/Gen Engineering
Archaeology and Geology
Nuclear Physics

If you hold a BS/BA, and are interested in this kind of experience, reply to this post or contact me at ladyspacetrash at gmail dot com

SURF student from MIT

2005-05-08T21:56:43Z

Hello all! I'm a junior at MIT and I'll be doing a SURF this summer (at JPL). I'm planning on staying in Caltech housing for the summer. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on what to expect for the summer, since I'm not from California and I've never visited Pasadena. General SURF comments would be appreciated, as would specific comments about JPL/Caltech. I won't have access to a car, so does anyone know anything about the shuttle that goes there from campus?

Also, I was wondering which facilities (in the dorms and elsewhere) I'll be able to use as a summer visitor ... will I have access to computer labs, libraries, athletic facilities, dorm lounges/kitchens, etc? (I've been told that a lot of things in the dorms are closed to non-Caltech students over the summer).

Thanks a lot and I look forward to meeting some of you over the summer :)

Any grad students out there?

2005-05-04T21:19:13Z

Hey Everyone! I'll be entering Caltech in the fall 2005 as a first year chemistry grad student. Just wondering if there are any other chem grad students in this community and if anyone has any advice for moving to California from New York City (I am a senior at NYU). I have lived in New York City my whole life and moving out there is a bit daunting right now.

Thanks for any help!

Questions from a high school senior

2005-04-30T17:42:36Z

Hey all, I'll be coming to Caltech next year! Aiiiieeeee, I'm so excited!!! I was picking between MIT and Caltech, and after going to both schools' prefrosh weekends, decided that Caltech was the best match for me. Some of the swing factors (in arbitrary order):

1. Academic philosophy - the Honor Code really appealed to me, and the individual attention paid to students by professors was impressive
2. Social atmosphere - so maybe I'm a nerd, but I loved sitting down with strangers and being able to chat about absolutely random intellectual stuff. The instant intimacy I felt in the Caltech atmosphere was fantastic.
3. Weather - self-explanatory...*sigh*
4. Food - MIT practically starved us poor prefrosh! lol
5. Sports - this may sound odd, but I liked the fact that sports are just for fun and winning isn't a big deal
6. House system - it was so quaint! I stayed at Fleming and my host was awesome!! I love the sense of community
7. Campus - I like the botanic garden feel; it seems so conducive to quiet studying

So, what do you think of my impressions? Am I going to be somewhat disillusioned once I'm actually a student?

One thing that worries me is, well, the academic rigor. For the first time in my life I wonder if I'll make it through college. Gah! I dunno how prepared I am, I'm worried about the placement exams, I wonder what I should study over the summer. Suggestions and comments??

Also I'd love to hear some input about the different houses...I'm leaning towards Avery simply because I like modern conveniences (plus I like their lounge containing a brand-new grand piano and miniature library of prime-condition sheet music). But it seems like the other houses have more "culture."

Well, I look forward to meeting all of you in only a few months! :)

i don't really have as much free time as this may suggest

2005-04-16T10:01:51Z

I've been working on a "Caltech Club Resource Handbook", a project to document everything one needs to know to run a club at Caltech. A very beta version is here:

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~maruchan/handbook/

I am currently soliciting comments and corrections. Send, send!

Someday I hope to make it correct, pretty, and hosted somewhere else, since I'll be graduating soon.

Sushi around Caltech?

2005-04-16T06:37:13Z

What are thoughts on the sushi/japanese places within short walking distance of Caltech? What tastes the best, what are prices like, what are some must-order items, and so on?

There's a little info in the Technique, but I think a lot of it is out of date (there's no info on Zono Sushi or Mizu-Zushi, for example).

Prospective student?

2005-04-15T06:15:09Z

Hello there everyone. I'm currently in my junior year of high school here in Texas, and have been looking into many upper-level science and technology institutions. CalTech is tied for #1 on my list, and I was wondering if I could chat with any of the current students about the academics and classes and my chances of getting in, etc. Any of you CalTech students open to chatting with a junior? I don't bite. :). I'd like to talk to someone in the physics/mathematics field, but that's in absolutely no way necessary. We can chat through e-mail or any instant message service (I do believe I have them all).

slashdotted!!

2005-04-11T06:35:37Z

Lol!! We just got slashdotted!!

Very exciting!! And yet this sucks for our server :-/

Hilarious comments though!!