Academic life of Caltech

The academic experience at Caltech is unlike that of any other university in the world. Every student has to learn the fundamentals of each major aspect of science while staying well rounded with a required number of humanities courses. Homework is done in collaborative groups and tests are almost all take-home. Participation in scientific research is easily accessible to every undergraduate and world-renowned faculty members interact with students on a daily basis. With big-time scientific research happening in an intimate small-school environment, the academic environment at Caltech is like no other.

When freshmen arrive at Caltech, they are all enrolled in math, physics, and chemistry courses. This is the beginning of the core curriculum, which is the heart of a Caltech education. Every undergraduate, whether majoring in biology, economics, literature, or chemical engineering, has to take five terms of physics, two terms of chemistry, one term of biology, one term of science communication, twelve terms of humanities and social sciences, three terms of physical education, and one term of astronomy, geology, or number theory.

At the end of the freshman year, students must declare an option, Caltech's version of the major. There are options in every aspect of science and engineering, with the most popular being physics, engineering and applied science (which includes computer science), biology, chemistry, mechanical engineering, mathematics, and electrical engineering. A few students each year graduate with degrees in history, economics, or literature, but they are very different from their peers at other universities-through the core curriculum, all humanities and social science majors will have taken differential equations and quantum mechanics. Changing options is generally very easy and double options are pursued by a few students each year. Every few years, a student design his or her own curriculum and graduates under the Independent Studies Program.

I have heard rumors that at other colleges, students are very competitive. They are protective of their class notes, homework, and lab books and only care about how well they do. I've heard horror stories of students stealing each others notes and sabotaging lab experiments. That doesn't happen here, we all want to help each other do well in our classes. It's comforting to know that your fellow students, even those you don't even know, are looking out for you.

 

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Introduction to California Institute of Technology

Caltech's scientific reputation ranks it among the world's elite research universities, but with only 300 professorial faculty and 913 undergraduates, Caltech's small size sets it apart from its peers. Caltech is the place where Linus Pauling determined the nature of the chemical bond, where Theodore Von Karman developed the principles that made jet flight possible, where Charles Richter created a logarithmic scale for the magnitude of earthquake, where Nobel Laureate in physics Richard Feynman-one of the most original thinkers of the twentieth century spent the better part of his preeminent career and where physicists and engineers are currently working toward the first detection of gravitational waves. However, Caltech is also a place where more than half of students participate in on-campus research before they graduate, where eighty-five percent of students participate in intramural or intercollegiate athletics, and where students have lived under a student-run honor system since the 1920s. The Caltech undergraduate experience is a fusion of two seemingly incompatible institutions: a multi billion-dollar research university and an intimate small-school community.

As a high-powered research institution, Caltech has produced some of the greatest scientific achievements of the past century. Caltech's undergraduate program trains scientists and engineers for the great discoveries of the next. In class, you don't just learn the answers to questions in your textbook, you learn to ask your own questions and are challenged to find the answers. Professors often treat students as intellectual peers and while this creates a very demanding curriculum. It also gives students the opportunity to actively participate in cutting-edge research. Many undergraduates work as research assistants on campus, and more than 300 participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program each summer. Many of these students will be named as authors or coauthors of articles in major scientific journals, a rare honor for undergraduates. This unadulterated exposure to the real world of science means that Caltech graduates are well prepared for a career in research. A higher percentage of Caltech graduates go on to receive Ph.D.s than do graduates of any other university.

Although the science at Caltech is very serious, student life at Caltech is laid back and a little quirky. Almost all students at Caltech are members of one of the seven houses on campus. The house, the modern-day remnants of long-lost fraternities, perpetuate a long list of offbeat traditions and are the center of year-round intramural sports competitions. The beautifully landscaped campus of open lawns, cool ponds, and winding pathways fosters a relaxed Southern California lifestyle. On an average day, you might find professors and students sharing coffee at an outdoor table or students teaching each other to juggle. At night, you might find a game of Ultimate Frisbee on the athletic fields or students grabbing a midnight snack at the student-run coffee house. There are more than eighty students clubs on campus, eighteen varsity sports, two jazz bands, a symphony orchestra, a concert band, numerous choral groups, and an active theater arts program. Caltech students work very hard on academics, but they're also very good at finding diversions and fortunate;y. there's no shortage of activities from which to choose.

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Introduction to Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University has seen many large-scale improvements, including those to the undergraduate general education requirements. Most students, including me, dread having to take classes in which they have absolutely no interest, but are required to receive their degree. It can be especially hard for freshmen to adjust to the competitive, high intensity learning atmosphere at Case while lost in undergraduate classes with hundreds of other students. Starting fall 2005, all incoming students are enrolled in the SAGES curriculum, an undergraduate requirement program enabling students to make selections among diverse course choices, as well as enjoy close personal attention from professors in smaller classes sizes.

In addition to the curriculum, the physical campus itself is getting a major face-lift. Currently, Euclid Avenue, one of Cleveland's major streets, cuts the campus in half, effectively dividing the undergraduate population by a thirty-minute walk between North and South Residential Villages. Work was completed summer 2005 to centralize the separate residential areas in a massive complex on the North side of campus, allowing classmates to more easily interact and creating a much more cohesive atmosphere and culture on campus.

Location

When considering which school to attend, location usually factors into the final decision, so why pick Cleveland? There are no mountains, no rolling green fields or glittering lakes flanked by glaciers, and no antiquated academic buildings smothered in ivy, but there are myriad other things of more value than stereotypical campus aesthetics. Case is integrated into the city of Cleveland and located in the center of University Circle, home to a multitude of excellent cultural institutions, such as the Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance Hall, and the Cleveland Institute of Art and Cleveland Institute of Music. A massive medical complex is positioned in the center of campus, home to university hospitals and the medical, dental, and nursing schools. The famed Cleveland clinic is just blocks away.

The architecture is as impressive as the culture, exemplified by the sturdy, modern style of Kelvin Smith Library's spiral stairways and flowing open spaces, and the eccentrically designed Peter B. Lewis building, which looks, honestly, like a titanic soda can exploded and warped the brick building on which it sits. While it may not be the most classically picturesque campus to choose, it is absolutely jammed with every type of institution possible and all within walking distance of student housing.

Majors

Case is known mainly as an engineering school, but within that blanket reputation is a thriving liberal arts community. Case is about variety, with its four undergraduate colleges (nursing, business management, engineering, and arts and sciences), and offers students plenty of opportunity to explore whichever options may be tugging at their intellects. Sitting in an English class, you may be surprised to discover that nearly half the students are electrical engineering majors, some of whom are double-majoring in world literature, and others who are pursuing a political science degree. At Case, there is no need to stress over knowing exactly what subject to major in on the first day because there is so much opportunity to try different educational avenues. If you don't like the direction you've headed, or want to pick up an extra major, then you are free to do exactly that. In fact, it's encouraged; double majoring is far from uncommon. It's not unusual to pass by a Japanese class and see a math major, or computer science classes and spot several philosophy majors, because it's that type of exploratory, open-minded mindset that Case cultivates.

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Academic Life of Case Western Reserve University

While you may find freshmen sitting in the morning dark, staring at computer monitors with fingers poised over the keyboard as the hour of class registration draws near, you won't find any upperclassmen doing the same. The face is, none of Case's classes are that crowded, and only a handful actually fill up within the first few days of registration, so there is no need to stress about signing up at the earliest possible moment. As a freshman, the introductory math and sciences classes are generally the most populated, but no student should have trouble getting in. If a student does get locked out of a class, there's always plenty of variety left to choose from.

SAGES

This variety has been further expanded with the implementation of the Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship program, or SAGES. Incoming students enroll in what is called a First Seminar. These courses are small, limited to seventeen students. Every course will be taught by a Case faculty member who will function as the students advisor for the freshman year. That way, instead of being immediately thrust into an open-ended college environment, students will be in close contact with someone who can give advice and help map out the academic path their students wish to follow, which is certainly helpful given the myriad opportunities available. Instead of sitting around and listening to droning lectures for hours, like so many other freshmen courses, First Seminars promote student discussion allowing peer interaction and letting students express their ideas and experiences. The three hours a week dedicated to the First Seminar will be accompanied by "fourth-hour activities" that incorporate the cultural and scientific institutions around University Circle, including the Cleveland Natural History Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Western Reserve Historical Society, allowing students to get out of the classroom for a change.

SAGES Group

First Seminar courses are followed in the students later years by University Seminars, Departmental Seminars, and a Senior Capstone course, all of which let students concentrate on and study what interests them. Aside from SAGES, Cases's undergraduate students benefit from a great deal of freedom. Instead of requiring students to be admitted to specific undergraduate colleges such as an engineering college or a physical sciences college, students are free to study whatever subjects they feel like pursuing. This translates to a theater major being able to take an electrical engineering course with no more hassle than clicking the "add course" button through Case's online class registration system. While some may not feel the need to experiment with their course selections, the fact that the option is available is useful, just in case something really interesting pops up in a subject that is not your major. Physical education is also part of the curriculum, where students can golf, play racquetball, practice tennis, or keep up their running regimen.

College Scholars Program

Students have the opportunity to apply to the College Scholars Program (CSP) during their freshman year. If accepted, they would take one CSP course for three credits per semester for the remaining three years of their undergraduate study. CSP courses emphasize student directed study and service learning, and allow groups of students to meet and discuss issues with professors and, often, distinguished guests such as, in the past, Kurt Vonnegut and Ralph Nader. The program also provides the option to live in CSP-specific housing consisting of single rooms and fully equipped kitchens.

Internships

Because Case is embedded in a metropolitan setting. It's easy to get some real-world experience through internships. Whether it is with an engineering firm or an independent newspaper, Cleveland companies are eager for student workers, and look to Case to turn our capable candidates. This provides an opportunity for students to gain knowledge that can't be learned in the classroom. One hundred and sixty employers offer students co-op programs that may be alternated with classroom study. Also available are study abroad programs, a Washington semester, and work-study programs, as well as accelerated degree programs, B.A./ B.S. degrees, student-designed and dual majors, 3-2 binary engineering degrees, non-degree study, and independent study.

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Admission Requirements of Case Western Reserve University

Case accepts a large percentage of its applicants, accepting seventy percent of the pool in a recent year. This doesn't mean Case opens the floodgates to anyone who submits a completed application, but it's certainly worth applying if your high school career went well, especially considering the dollars available from financial aid. Case's student body is comprised largely of highly qualified applicants. Sixty-three freshmen in a recent class finished first in their high school, eighty-seven percent of the current freshmen finished in the top fifth of their class, and ninety-eight percent finished in the top two-fifths. Of the new freshmen, there were sixty National Merit Finalists. More than one-third of students accepted at Case score 700 or above on the SAT Verbal section and more than half scored 700 or better on the SAT Math section. More than seventy percent scored above 27 on the ACT. In addition to either of those tests, Case strongly recommends students take any three SAT Subject Tests. Those planning on pursuing science, engineering, or mathematics should take the Math Level I/IC or IIC. Applicants are required to submit a writing sample and a recommendation. As a bonus, the application fee of $35 is waived for those who apply online. But admissions to Case isn't all grades. The Admissions Department takes into account Advanced Placement or honors courses taken as well as extracurricular activities and leadership qualifications. Generally, a score of 4 or above on an AP exam receives college credit.

There are more options available to incoming students than just applying to Case's undergraduate programs. Case allows prospective students to put in for a B.S.N. degree at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, a double major through the Cleveland Institute of Art or Cleveland Institute of Music, or the Pre-professional Scholars Program (PPSP). The PPSP allows applicants, if accepted and able to maintain a certain grade point average, to be conditionally accepted at Case's medical, dental, or law schools, as well as Case's Mandel School Applied Social Sciences. Given the difficulty of getting into such professional schools, compositions is more heated and admissions requirements more stringent for PPSP applicants. 

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Social Life and Activities of Case Western Reserve University

A lot of people like to knock Cleveland for being a run-down city with nothing to do, but they obviously have never been here or looked around very hard. Cleveland is absolutely brimming with opportunities for entertainment, whether you are looking for cinema, music, food, art, theater, anything, it's pretty much right around Case's campus.

Off-campus Places of Interest

Since Case is located directly in the center of University Circle, students are a short walk away from the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Cleveland Botanical Garden, Severance Concert Hall, which is home to the Cleveland Orchestra, and many more cultural institutions. While those things are great for a Saturday afternoon or a quiet evening, or just impressing your parents, Cleveland is ripe with opportunities for college students to toss the books out the window and have some fun.

One of the first things that usually comes to mind when a person mentions Cleveland, is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And that's great to visit once. In all honesty, it's a bland tourist attraction, but it seems to be a beacon that brings in some of the best music acts. It's amazing how many bands make Cleveland one of their stops, and there are plenty of places for them to play as well, all located fairly close to campus. These aren't just big, headliner bands playing at major venues, but also popular underground bands and others more obscure. You'll find music and see acts in Cleveland that you'd never have the opportunity to see on other campuses.

The school's shuttle service, small buses oddly called "Greenies" (they're bit green at all), students around campus and the near vicinity of their regular routes is to Coventry, about a two-minute drive from campus, where students can find dingy stages that boast an incredibly diverse lineup of live acts. Any night of the week, if the books are getting to be too much, which is more than likely to happen (students at Case will spend most of their time studying), students can shuttle over and catch a music show-be it death metal, psychedelic electronics of folk music-then walk right down Coventry and get a burrito, or a fine Chinese dinner. They can shop for trendy clothes, buy a video game of DVD, browse for antiques, buy a classic novel, pick up milk and cereal for tomorrow morning, and do their dry cleaning. Or students could walk over to Little Italy, pretty much right on campus, for fine dining, drinks, doughnuts, or to browse through art galleries. Or, if students feel adventurous, they could step onto the RTA, Cleveland's transit system, for a ten-minute ride downtown to see professional baseball, football, and basketball games, or yet more shopping, fine dining, and entertainment.

But more likely, you'll be sequestered in your dorm room, pouring over books and battling the urge to flip on your computer to distract yourself. Again, students at Case study a lot. Those who aren't ready to fully commit themselves to their academics drop out fast. The SAGES program might make it a little easier to transition into Case's environment, but without the understanding of school as the main priority, things can start to pile up pretty quickly.

Clubs and Organizations

As one might expect from a group of motivated students, new groups and organizations are being created and expanded all the time. Whether it is philanthropy, media, or honorary groups, Habitat for Humanity, Mortar Board, or Ignite (Case's student-run television station), in addition to academic, performance, political, ethnic, religious, and athletic groups, there is plenty of opportunity for students to get involved. There's also a thriving Greek community on campus, in which thirty percent of Case's students actively participate. In fact, Greek Week, along with the Hudson Relays and Springfest, is among the most popular events on campus.

The Network

One thing Case is particularly proud of and what students may find most appealing is what is referred to a The Network. Case students computer are linked to each other through a switched-gigabit connection that allows blazing fast transfer speeds of any file types. In total, about 12,800 locations are linked to each other around Case including libraries, residence halls, laboratories, and pretty much every other building on campus. This allows for the material and handouts of many courses to be posted online and remain easily accessible, which is course syllabi that seem to consistently escape through holes in students backpacks. What's even more impressive is that Case's network has gone wireless. This makes it possible to head out to one of the many parks in the area with your computer on a clear day and type that essay that's due next without being stuck inside. Having a computer on campus, whether it's a desktop or a laptop, really makes things easier.

Residences

Though many students like to knock the dorms for being for dorks, few will have reason to do so with the construction of the new residential village. Case is completely revamping how it houses its students, placing them now in what is being dubbed the NRV (North Residential Village). The first phase features three building complexes compared of seven residential "houses" that is home to approximately 750 upper-class students who get to bask in the apartment-style housing. The actual living quarters boast several bedrooms, each with its own double bed and closet, a bathroom for every two students, and a kitchen with full-sized stove, refrigerator and microwave. Freshmen and sophomores will certainly have something to look forward to.

Athletics

Though at Case you might not expect it, there are plenty of competitive sports facilities on campus. Intercollegiate sports for men and women total nineteen, with sixty intramural sports for both genders. Dotted around campus are multiple athletic facilities, providing students with tennis courts, all-weather tracks, wrestling, fencing and weight rooms, racquetball courts, facilities for badminton, basketball, volleyball, and squash, as well as an archery range, softball diamonds, baseball, football, and soccer fields. But keep in mind, Case's focus is academic.

I used to be that guy, sitting around the dorms complaining about having to constantly study and how there was nothing fun to do. So I went Greek, like many of the people I knew in my dorm. I think the entire floor in my dorm went Greek. It turned out to be a great decision, putting me in touch with a large network of like-minded individuals and leading to my finding some of my closest friends in school. It helped to show me that there was more to the experience than slaving over study. Now that I've graduated, there's a far-reaching network of fellow alumni I can easily get in contact with, which is more valuable than some may think. For anyone who finds the idea of going Greek to be revolting, a way to "pay for friends" (which I admit I initially thought too until I experienced it firsthand), Case has plenty of other opportunities to get involved with other students for study and socially.

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Introduction to Claremont Mckenna College

Recognized as one of the nation's most prestigious liberal arts colleges, Claremont McKenna College sets itself apart from its counterparts by its focus on leadership. The college's mission statement is to train "leaders in the making" and leadership is stressed everywhere, from the classroom to dorm life to athletics. Many students pursue the "Leadership Sequence," which includes courses focusing on leadership across disciplines, in addition to their major.

CMC is academically different because it provides its students with so many opportunities outside of the classroom for them to gain experience and knowledge that textbooks simply cannot offer. There are countless numbers of fellowships and scholarships for students that will pay for interning in another country working for a non-profit organization, starting up businesses, and study trips.

One of the admissions criteria is leadership potential and the "typical" CMC student excelled academically in high school and also participated in some sort of leadership role, whether yearbook editor, swim team captain, or orchestra section leader. Students selected for the McKenna Scholars program are chosen for their leadership activities in high school.

Consequently, CMC students are "doers". They apply what they have learned in the classroom at one of the college's eleven research institutes or through internship programs. They participate in more than 180 student organizations that support student activities from skiing to vegetarian cooking. They play on one of CMC's twenty Division III athletic teams. They study abroad in more than forty countries internationally and have performed volunteer work at a high rate compared to other college nationwide.

Claremont Mckenna Dorms

With especially strong programs in economics and government, the college excels in preparing its students to pursue careers in business, government, and the professions. CMC's economics department is ranked first among liberal arts colleges and more than thirty percent of students graduate with a degree in economics. However, CMC's liberal arts curriculum requires that students complete a broad distribution of courses across departments, including mathematics, literature, and foreign language. More than half of students choose to pursue dual or double majors, often combining fields as disparate as economics and literature.

Employers note that CMC students are prepared for the work world. They are trained to think analytically and to present their ideas both orally and in written form. Writing skills are stressed from the freshman writing seminar through the mandatory senior thesis, in which students present their senior research project in a paper which may range from fifty to hundreds of pages. Also, CMC students are taught to present their ideas orally through oral exams and research presentations, as well as through in-class debate with professors or fellow students.

With approximately 1,050 students on its campus, CMC has a community feel. It is not uncommon to attend a class dinner at a professor's home in the nearby Claremont village, and strong friendships are formed between students, starting from the ten-day freshman orientation including WOA (Wilderness Orientation Adventure) and lasting far beyond graduation day. More than ninety-five percent of students live on campus for all four years and the dorms serve as hubs for on-campus social life, hosting various themed parties throughout the year, and for student government. The Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College (ASCMC) is one of the most popular on-campus organizations, as more than one-third of the student body serve in student government as dorm presidents, class representatives, and student senators.

Location and the Claremont Consortium

Claremont McKenna is located on a fifty-acre campus in the convenient and safe college town of Claremont, thirty-five miles east of downtown Los Angeles. CMC is close to two major freeways, and for beach lovers, Laguna Beach and Santa Monica are each about an hour away; nature enthusiasts often head to Joshua Tree National Park for camping and hiking; and on weekend evenings many students make the forty-minute drive west to Hollywood or Universal City. It is also not uncommon for students to take weekend trips to San Francisco, San Diego, or even Las Vegas!

CMC is also unique through its inclusion in the Claremont Colleges consortium. As part of the consortium, a group of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate institutions-located in one square mile, the atmosphere is that of a small college within a larger university. Students take classes, socialize, and participate in activities across the greater Claremont community but always have the home base of CMC. The consortium makes CMC an ideal choice for students who want a small college experience academically but also want the resources that a larger university would provide. Dining halls and libraries are open to all students and it is easy to take classes that may not be offered at CMC at one of the consortium colleges.

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