Pasadena, CA: If youare interested in a college focused on math, science, and technology, and are notbothered by hard work, then the California Institute of Technology should beincluded in your college search. Called the M. I. T. of the West Coast, Caltechoffers exceptional instruction and research in the fields of engineering andscience. Popular majors include biology, engineering, humanities, chemistry,geological sciences, and physics. Not only are students educated in theclassroom, but many also help with research. Off-campus facilities, such as theJet Propulsion Laboratory, make Caltech one of the country's greatest researchcenters.

Hearing about all this research and work makes one think of alarge school in the heart of a bustling city. But instead Caltech is in Pasadena,a suburb of Los Angeles. It is far enough from the city to be mildly peaceful,but is still only 60 minutes from the international airport.

Thebeautiful campus includes many Spanish style buildings complete with pale redstucco and iron railings covered in creeping wisteria. The entire campus iseasily accessible via paths winding around every building.

Supplementaryto this modest campus is a select student body of 900 undergraduates and 1,000graduate students. The faculty to student ratio is a comfortable 1:3. This keepsthe classes remarkably small, with the exception of a few freshmen lectureclasses.

The California Institute of Technology is a relatively smallschool, but it has much to offer. It is a place for people interested in facingchallenges and who have an enthusiasm for innovation.


Reviewed in 2001