California Institute of Technology Snapshot

Written by Mayra Sheikh

Mayra Sheikh

Hometown

San Fernando Valley, Calif.

Major

Chemistry

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Every school has its pros and cons, but sometimes it feels like Caltech has more cons than pros. Even so, students who have been at Caltech for a while agree that the positives outweigh the negatives. Although students here are always complaining about the workload, the lack of girls, boys who don't shower, non-English proficient TAs, scheduling difficulties, the lack of sleep, and much more, the students here are generally happy. Students who come here know that they are getting a top-notch education for the price of a few years of insanity. They also know what they are getting themselves into before they come-a lot of hard work. Many students here do not want to be anywhere else. Where else could they find the camaraderie, traditions, research experience, opportunity to meet famous scientists, and hundreds of people who are interested in math and science?

Though many students lose sight of the future and become rather bitter for a period of time (after second term sophomore year), most realize that they are glad they "suffered" because they have learned so much, and now they know what they want from life. Tech is a much easier place once students have finished the required core classes and are taking classes in their respective majors. By this time, most students have found their niches, know what their professors expect from them (in terms of academic performance), and have made friends and support groups. Most students look back at Tech and realize that the time spent studying hard and hardly partying was worth every penny and every hour.