omg i have higher chances of finding a needle in a haystack (when im not even near a needle or haystack) than getting into caltech but its ok!
#Caltech (2022-2023)
brittle folio
same
tardy skiff
hope we both magically get in!
lament dew
hello!
meager bison
tardy skiff
celest oar
caltech and their quirky essays will be the end of me
tall fable
Imo caltech has the most straightforward essays compared to other schools. The quirkiest might be UChicago's
amber flame
UChicago's essays are fun to write 😌
upper crater
I literally ran out of Ecs to write abt for caltech
tardy skiff
i think cal tech’s ones are good except the innovator one
cannot for the life of me write a good essay for that one
meager bison
Its literally all about your ECs
not necessarily, you could innovate around a bit with activities you did do but weren't enough to mention as EC,( or you ran out of space on the EC list like I did)
upper crater
ik
meager bison
yeah, was just saying
upper crater
i just
quite literally ran out
i tried to even avoid doing stuff i put on my EC list
😭
meager bison
btw if i remember correctly you were EDing JHU right? defer/reject?
upper crater
reject
meager bison
yea, i got rejected from cornell too
upper crater
my thing with the essays for caltech
there are 5 different essays asking about various stuff
i have
Stem activity #1: internship
Stem activity #2: courses
Innovation: coding
Interest/hobby #1: reading/writing
Interest/hobby #2:
meager bison
tbh i liked caltech, yale and columbia's supplement a lot, standford and princeton are sweating me out
upper crater
im deadass so close to putting dog walking as my #2 interest/hobby
meager bison
im deadass so close to putting dog walking as my #2 interest/hobby
you could actually, if you put a creative spin on it, it will stand out cuz no one else puts that on there
meager bison
btw you kinda forgot the diversity question
upper crater
no i have good answers for those
the first and the diversity
i just cannot deal with them caring so much about my ECs
its funny tbh
meager bison
yeah
meager bison
you got legacy in caltech, thats soooo cool
upper crater
my dad transferred in like sophomore year and got finaid and everything
meager bison
oh great
btw I am so stupid, i started out on caltech rea, then read some old website where intls asking fin aid only have to apply rd, scrapped the rea and applied to cornell, only this year they had changed that rd rule 😦
upper crater
😭
spice sigil
I think Caltech is the only school I am applying to where the essays don’t feel extremely difficult to write.
tardy skiff
yeah i totally agree
celest oar
i think i am struggle bc im not an innovator 😄
tardy skiff
lowk mood
the things i innovate are bc i’m lazy which is not a good quality to show LOLL
celest oar
^
spice sigil
Hmm, maybe you could phrase it to not reflect laziness but instead a desire for efficiency/to improvement things and link that to reflect creativity or something.
lament dew
caltech’s essays aren’t difficult to write if you are 99.9% stem oriented
a lot of my ecs do not involve stem and those which do are belabored on in other essays
my ps is on art, music, and astro
and I have 0 olympiad titles because we don’t have olympiads around here
grounds for just not applying? I have a fee waiver
gritty raven
grounds for just not applying? I have a fee waiver
this is so valid 😃
tardy skiff
are you guys doing your hobby essays (100 or 50 words) on stem stuff too??
wait nvm i found a stupid hobby that works 💀
really stringing that woman in stem thing tho rn
lament dew
are you guys doing your hobby essays (100 or 50 words) on stem stuff too??
there’s a hobby essay and then there’s another like 3-4 hobby essays too
tardy skiff
literally 😭
vapid ember
I think Caltech is the only school I am applying to where the essays don’t feel ...
but getting in would... 😦
(anyways, all the best guys!)
tall fable
(anyways, all the best guys!)
O the live long and prosper 🖖
Spock army
plush dove
can i write about training a pet as a hobby/interest? or is that a bit irrelevant...
upper crater
If u spend lots of time on it its valid
onyx sage
out of curiosity, how many of you are/will apply to MIT
upper crater
me
noble wyvern
not me
amber flame
I was planning on applying but then I'd have to ask my teachers for rec letters again for the MIT portal
tardy skiff
lol same
versed field
yo
tardy skiff
i love every single prompt from caltech except the innovator one lol
every essay ive written for it is so bad
versed field
i love every single prompt from caltech except the innovator one lol
I loved all the essays
although, nothing beats the MIT essays!!!
lament dew
although, nothing beats the MIT essays!!!
you’re so right
MIT has longer supplements but they’re asking all of the right questions
versed field
fr
It felt like I got to express everything I needed that I would want to express to an AI
*AO
And if that wasn’t enough, I had their extended optional essay for 350 words (which I used to show my interest in CS)
still mad at them for butchering my name tho
“Visit” 💀
upper crater
LOL
versed field
And ur degree thing says Visit
😭
upper crater
its ok i call mit students silly in my essay
versed field
reason for acceptance- talked shit about MIT kids
versed field
yup
gritty harness
Caltech essays feel really descriptive
fickle light
- not an innovator
- not diverse
I love the supps 😁
just kidding im writing the quirkiest essays they're gonna love it
gritty raven
woo
tardy skiff
is there anyone else applying to caltech for econ
lmfao cant believe an econ major made the caltech RD thread 💀
lament dew
is there anyone else applying to caltech for econ
I didn’t even know caltech had an econ program
tardy skiff
yeah apparently it does which is so weird but might as well apply
since i want the stem based side of econ more
floral silo
is there anyone else applying to caltech for econ
Wouldn’t recommend, econ is a humanities major which isn’t that supported as a main major
Usually done as a double major
You can see my comments here are about BEM, but they apply to econ too
tardy skiff
Wouldn’t recommend, econ is a humanities major which isn’t that supported as a m...
yeah i mean tbf i’m probably doing math but i want to study this specific niche part of econ where it’s just stats and math based mainly.
but definitely thank you for the advice since i was switching between econ and math for a while
floral silo
Yeah that’s much more doable, I’d recommend checking out ACM and IDS too, since the pure math major will have you doing a lot of theory work
meager bison
Yo, in my hobbies section, i've talked about comedy, included it in ECs as well, would it be alright if I attached a stand-up script I've written and performed ( i would've uploaded the video but i mostly perform at parks, cafeterias etc cuz comedy clubs wont allow me since im not 18 yet, and the videos I have of such places aren't impressive)
vapid ember
BTW anyone got any idea if caltech does give need based full rides or not?
@tardy skiff
I'm asking for intls
empty wagon
"Caltech is committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of all admitted students. We are need-aware for international students because the total amount of financial aid funds for international students is limited."
vapid ember
I just wanna know like in terms of number.. if you got any idea
maybe it doesn't make much sense but every year there must be approx amount of kids going with a full ride right ?
meager bison
"Approximately 50% of international students admitted to Caltech each year have financial need." - https://www.admissions.caltech.edu/apply/first-year-applicants/international-applicants#:~:text=Approximately 50%25 of international students,each year have financial need.
vapid ember
"Approximately 50% of international students admitted to Caltech each year have ...
yup but they are just saying 50%.. that still means like 50% is full payyy damnn
Why is caltech not yet need blind? Is their funding soo bad for undergrad ed?
empty wagon
vapid ember
😫
empty wagon
Is it from cds ?
yep
floral silo
Why is caltech not yet need blind? Is their funding soo bad for undergrad ed?
Yep, the undergrad program is basically a small side project that the institute would probably get rid of given the option, except it would be too much work at this point and it’s a tradition of sorts
primal dragon
do u think itll be ok if i leave the stem awards one blank
i have amc scores but didnt qualify for AIME LMAO
upper crater
yeah
primal dragon
great thanks
upper crater
did everyone here do all 3 of the optional ones?
empty wagon
did everyone here do all 3 of the optional ones?
i left the 'another part of ur identity' one
because honestly had nothing to write for that
upper crater
because honestly had nothing to write for that
im between two options
for that prompt
one mentions me as Asian
and idk if that hurts or smth
meager bison
and idk if that hurts or smth
also coming from a competetive demographic, I dont think It'd hurt as long as your writing conveys what you wanted it to convey
quiet orchid
one mentions me as Asian
i mean they alr know ur race so just do it lmao
amber flame
did everyone here do all 3 of the optional ones?
yes
meager bison
submitted
amber flame
Damn
empty wagon
if i get waitlisted i'll throw a party
upper crater
The app id ?
Its in the email
With the portal info
Its also under
Personal information
Uh
Lemme recheck
💀
Oh i think i was referring to the temp id 💀
😭
We do fullyear grades too our counselors just update with first trimester i think
But thags annoying
Pls
meager bison
well, we'll get pre-board results, you could attach that for mid yr
idk, i asked my school, they took 500 INR and gave me every doc i asked for,
like they took money to issue my own grades to me lol
empty wagon
sneky sneky deleting messages lol
rare shadow
Oof I didn’t
velvet flume
don’t think the extra ones are really required but a lot of the accepted people including myself did write at least one of them lol
lament dew
don’t think the extra ones are really required but a lot of the accepted people ...
how many of em did you write?
i feel like a lot of the competition ones don’t exactly apply to me
i’ve got the hardcore stem stuff tho
meager bison
anyone got portal yet?
lavish kraken
how long does it take to get portal?
sour skiff
bro i haven't even submitted yet
lament dew
nice!
unreal kettle
Dang
fresh finch
time to start my caltech essays 😏
lament dew
time to start my caltech essays 😏
haha same 
tiny wyvern
I wrote Duke instead of caltech in one of my essays and submitted it 💀
unreal kettle
💀
unreal kettle
time to start my caltech essays 😏
lmao are you going to do all of them?
spice sigil
For the two what do you do for fun, can we write about a topic in Stem not discussed elsewhere, or should they be non-stem topics?
upper crater
as long as u ensure ur application shows a clear humanities side in addition to the stem it can be anything
unreal kettle
Yeah
lament dew
as long as u ensure ur application shows a clear humanities side in addition to ...
wait actually?
i didn’t know caltech was into that
i fr thought i’d be smited if i mentioned anything other than drowning in stem
upper crater
tbh arent all schools like that
lament dew
caltech is rlly stem heavy
unreal kettle
Caltech also requires a humanities class every year for everyone iirc
The whole thing about Caltech is expanding human knowledge to help society
In order to help society, you need to have an understanding of the needs, history, and background of society
Aka a strong grasp on History and the humanities
lament dew
that’s sick
amber flame
I feel so lucky I have so much recyclable content😭😭😭😭😭
amber flame
Caltech also requires a humanities class every year for everyone iirc
Also thx for this
lament dew
I feel so lucky I have so much recyclable content😭😭😭😭😭
wait is it mainly recyclable?
👀
i have like 50 different why community why major why this what inspires you
essays
with varying word limits
rare shadow
For the two what do you do for fun, can we write about a topic in Stem not discu...
stem is great, their website says "Remember, Caltech is an unapologetic STEM institution. Literally, there is no way to write about too much STEM in your supplemental questions."
lament dew
caltech’s essays are awesome
lament dew
Yeah i recycled 5 of my essays
that’s crazy
i mean tbh
i was silly not to write my major stem ecs essays yet
the rest i already wrote
but yeah for caltech i’m going to unapologetically hammer on my stem stuff in preparation for writing mit tomorrow
unreal kettle
I actually started with my mit and Caltech essays
Then used them for other schools
lament dew
oh that’s amazing
unreal kettle
stem is great, their website says "Remember, Caltech is an unapologetic STEM ins...
Yeah
I’d say it’s probably good to include how you want to impact society
Because that’s a huge part of their mission statement
lament dew
should i use my community prompt for the innovator or “how do your past experiences and present day perspectives”
because i talk about my impact
and the impact i intend to keep making
except it’s loosely stem related
unreal kettle
For innovator I think they want to see your thinking process and that same ambition/risk taking mindset that mit looks for
lament dew
hmm idk if it’ll have that appeal
my community statement is impressive bc i talked about my position in state government
and talked about conducting research
and how that’s been benefiting my local and state community and how i intend to keep pursuing it throughout college and into the future
unreal kettle
Nice!
lament dew
congrats
amber flame
it got done 🎇 and it actually came out nice lol
velvet flume
how many of em did you write?
i did the first 2, the identity one and a hobby that brings joy iirc
velvet flume
yeah was going to do the last one but 50 words was just so little i physically couldn't lol
unreal kettle
Are they showing different values, different ways you think, or something like that?
unreal kettle
yeah
what are y'all applying for? I applied for meche
plus additional interest in their aerospace minor
mint lintel
electrical engineering💀
upper crater
computational and neural systems
unreal kettle
computational and neural systems
dang that sounds awesome
unreal kettle
electrical engineering💀
have you seen any youtube videos from wAmy on caltech student life? it seems like ee and meche students are literally washed in a sea of work 💀
working for 24 hours straight on lab write ups
unreal kettle
unless im just dumb
I never even knew caltech has that major lol
unreal kettle
nice!
mint lintel
have you seen any youtube videos from wAmy on caltech student life? it seems lik...
i haven’t
but i lowkey want a lot of work💀
or at least a rigorous education
unreal kettle
yeah caltech is the place where you'll get your ass kicked but it'll be rly worth it lol
unreal kettle
yesss
vernal snow
Gl everyone
amber flame
lmao highest chatgpt i've gotten was a 98
i wonder what a 100 is supposed to look like
amber flame
which prompt was this
fresh finch
which prompt was this
pasted all of mine in and asked it to rate them as a whole
with their respective prompts ofc
amber flame
oh 😭 i just do them individually, probably way less efficient but eh
it gave my "why this interest" response a 95
unreal kettle
I always just rate mine out of 10 lol
amber flame
i always do out of /100 because i noticed it likes to jump around a lot with /10 lmao
like an essay is a 9 one minute, next minute the same stuff is a 7
amber flame
i did that for northwestern and JHU
it always gets like 85-90
main critiques being specificity ofc
hm ok, all my caltech essays got 95
when do decisions tend to release btw
amber flame
what did you wind up applying for to caltech?
for my primary I did Geological and Planetary Sciences, second choice was CS
unreal kettle
nice
amber flame
the two have a very strong connection so it would be beneficial to do both
unreal kettle
yeah, that's cool
amber flame
also exploited that in my application lol
what did you apply for?
unreal kettle
i applied for meche with a secondary interest in their aerospace minor
amber flame
ooh interesting
lament dew
chatgpt making me act up
what do you type in for this
unreal kettle
my why major essay had a bit on how I want to extend my current research on robotics and mechanical design to work on cool projects like the helicopter robot veritasium made a vid on a while back lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1_OpWiyijU
lament dew
:0 neat
unreal kettle
what do you type in for this
You can ask it to grade your essay based on the following prompt out of 100
unreal kettle
although I've noted that
lament dew
my essays were kinda rushed but j think it demonstrated my ability v well
unreal kettle
if you give it a lot of essays it won't actually eval the whole thing properly
it only reads a couple
amber flame
my why major essay had a bit on how I want to extend my current research on robo...
that's really cool, have you made anything yet?
unreal kettle
my essays were kinda rushed but j think it demonstrated my ability v well
hope we all get in!
amber flame
same
unreal kettle
that's really cool, have you made anything yet?
yeah I made a whole robot from scratch in frc my sophomore year with my schools team
then i went out to make a team of my own to make a smallish robot and compete in a state wide robotics comp
now im doing robotics computer vision research plus loads of engineering mentorship for underclassmen
lament dew
i so wish i could’ve gathered enough stuff to submit a formal research sup
fresh finch
bro how do yall have the time to do research 💀
unreal kettle
by not sleeping 🥴
amber flame
that's seriously amazing lol, to have that much experience in your niche in HS
unreal kettle
ty
amber flame
by not sleeping 🥴
very true
when i created my little algorithm for estimating hurricane intensity (with satellite imagery), i had a ton of sleepless nights
unreal kettle
yeah it's rly hard here in iowa where there's like no direct oportunity at my hs, barely anyone goes on to do engineering at my hs with how there isn't ap physics c or much coursework/big club presences for it
unreal kettle
when i created my little algorithm for estimating hurricane intensity (with sate...
fr
lament dew
i have 300h in orbital dynamics research which is the subfield i want to go into butttt nothing officially published other than some data to the IAU MPC
and then i do educational outreach stuff for stem
so idk how that’ll fare in terms of caltech
amber flame
yeah it's rly hard here in iowa where there's like no direct oportunity at my hs...
sameeee like some things are so uncommon
i'm the only weather person at my school, so i mainly get my knowledge and interact through online communities
unreal kettle
it's the process that counts imo, if caltech can see that you can think like a scientist then you're going to be set
lament dew
very cool
amber flame
yup
lament dew
i have a prompt i’m rlly proud of
unreal kettle
sameeee like some things are so uncommon
i'm the only weather person at my schoo...
yeah lol, i feel that
lament dew
my whole app was good except for the fact that i didn’t submit a research sup
unreal kettle
you'll be fine dw
amber flame
^
unreal kettle
I hope we all get in!
amber flame
not like it can hurt
unreal kettle
yeah lol
amber flame
📿 prayer beads for 100% A2C RD acceptance to caltech
unreal kettle
absolutely 😂
lament dew
fr
fresh finch
yall have such good apps omg
lament dew
ahhh my friends are all so much more stacked tho
fresh finch
i'm literally writing about ricing linux 💀 i have nothing else
lament dew
i don’t doubt someone from my friend group is gonna get in
unreal kettle
i don't think i'm rly very stacked at all tbh, my stats aren't amazing
lament dew
neither are mine
fresh finch
caltech's test blind right
lament dew
i’m just lucky that i come from a rural background w/ a lot of adversities and managed to get to where i am and use my skills to help others
unreal kettle
i’m just lucky that i come from a rural background w/ a lot of adversities and m...
yesss, exactly the case with me
fresh finch
man if my school had more support for stem i'd totally be able to do more stuff
unreal kettle
fr
lament dew
yeah i wish 😭
fresh finch
i'm literally one of the 3 ppl in my robotics team
unreal kettle
omg yes, that's exactly the case with my school lmao
lament dew
i have some dinky regional math awards and that’s it for me for stem other than a caltech affiliate summer program & some model rocketry demo stuff
unreal kettle
i'm working on getting underclassmen interested in engineering since literally everyone at my school seems to just do premed 💀
fresh finch
like it's on and off as well, last 2 years robotics was nonexistent but at least we came first at regionals
lament dew
i'm working on getting underclassmen interested in engineering since literally e...
ahhhh me but math + physics + astro
amber flame
i couldn't participate in any competitions really, i opened up too late 💀
unreal kettle
ahhhh me but math + physics + astro
nice nice
amber flame
yeah it's either CS or premed at my school
unreal kettle
honestly yeah
fresh finch
like 90% of ppl at my school are just going to our state school
lament dew
here it’s.. idk only 20% of students actually go to college
unreal kettle
it's crazy how so many people are picking cs and premed absolutely blindly just b/c they're seeing they supposedly will make 100k after grad
unreal kettle
like 90% of ppl at my school are just going to our state school
same here
lament dew
most of the top 10% of my class goes to our state school, some go OOS, we had our first ivy this year
fresh finch
i hope my background comes in clutch cuz i really hoped my test scores and ecs would be enough but clearly not
lament dew
im glad my test scores aren’t dragging me down
amber flame
it's crazy how so many people are picking cs and premed absolutely blindly just ...
then they get to those weedout courses 😶
lament dew
they practically had like a 1580 avg before going test blind
amber flame
yeah um
fresh finch
wtf
amber flame
my scores weren't quite it
fresh finch
nvm about my test scores then
unreal kettle
i hope my background comes in clutch cuz i really hoped my test scores and ecs w...
as long as you convey a strong passion for stem and pushing the boundaries of science to genuinely have a positive impact on society, you will be more than fine
unreal kettle
then they get to those weedout courses 😶
lmao
fresh finch
as long as you convey a strong passion for stem and pushing the boundaries of sc...
yeah but it's still caltech 💀
unreal kettle
fs
amber flame
for caltech anyways, i got like mid 1400s iirc
tried to retake but my counselor and parents said no
fresh finch
actually wtf am i doing here i still have 2 more essays for this school to write
unreal kettle
yesss
essays are def rly important for tech
considering they don't consider testing and don't have an interview
amber flame
yeah fs
lament dew
did anyone here do their fly in?
unreal kettle
i never applied to that
lament dew
i should’ve taken it seriously
upper crater
at least i got a fee waiver
fresh finch
did anyone here do their fly in?
tf is that
upper crater
most schools have one i think
lament dew
then realized they dont consider asians minorities
i know someone who got in to their fly in from ssp, they were asian and stacked
upper crater
u apply if ur minority or low income and they fly u into cmpus
lament dew
so idk
lament dew
nobody else i know got in
lament dew
my essays were also crap
same
upper crater
glad i got a waiver tho
lament dew
also same
unreal kettle
does a fly in actually help?
lament dew
yes
unreal kettle
interesting
lament dew
they note that you went to fly in
unreal kettle
damn i wish i applied to that now 💀
lament dew
i believe it gives you a slight boost
but there’s only like what
30? ppl who got to attend the fly in
unreal kettle
dang
fresh finch
no
fickle light
nvm im guessing i'm chill
fresh finch
anyone free to look over my inventor essay
stiff siren
The deadline was yesterday
For me
unreal kettle
anyone free to look over my inventor essay
Yeah
unreal kettle
yay!
lament dew
anyone free to look over my inventor essay
did u already submit?
fresh finch
did u already submit?
no
upper crater
did I fuck up
no.
caltech is in cali its not even 11:59 in caltech yet
commonapp runs on est
spice sigil
(19 secs before the due date for me).
upper crater
is ur screen ok
sour skiff
is ur screen ok
that's just what happens taking a camera pic of a screen sometimes
spice sigil
My phone camera is broken, but thankfully my computer screen is fine.
unreal kettle
(19 secs before the due date for me).
what'd u apply for?
spice sigil
what'd u apply for?
Physics and math. What about you?
sour skiff
am cs major guy
i wrote all my optional ones today
the other ones i just polished today
unreal kettle
did you answer all the optional ones too?
spice sigil
I wish I had another 5 mins. I forgot the name of an award, and instead had to change it to a certificate of completion(despite it being an actual award). I should have just deleted it though.
unreal kettle
dang
spice sigil
did you answer all the optional ones too?
Yeah.
unreal kettle
im sure it'll all work out :)
spice sigil
dang
Now I’ve got to send an email to both UChicago and Carnegie Mellon asking for an extension lol.
unreal kettle
oh dang, good luck!
spice sigil
Thanks.
unreal kettle
ahhh
i was just about to go to bed
but then caltech emailed me that i got their portal 😂
spice sigil
Do you know what the deadline is for the research portfolio and other supplemental uploads via the 'Beaver Breakroom'?
unreal kettle
it says jan 8th
meager bison
i wonder what a 100 is supposed to look like
neither does chatgpt
I was so frustrated with being at 85-95 but never reaching 100, i just wrote" write an essay on <insert topic>", then pasted it to chatgpt after logging in from a diff account
it rated it an 82/100💀, like if its the same algorithm then?
tall fable
my why major essay had a bit on how I want to extend my current research on robo...
Dude you're making the process much more competitive for us😭
spice sigil
pasted all of mine in and asked it to rate them as a whole
You are aware ChatGPT logs API calls, right?
meager bison
wait, whats humanity evaluation?
lavish kraken
wait, whats humanity evaluation?
its the english teacher rec i think
spice sigil
How long does it take to gain access to the beaver break room?
unreal kettle
Usually a couple days
unreal kettle
Dude you're making the process much more competitive for us😭
Nahhh I’ve got hope we’ll all get in! :)
amber flame
neither does chatgpt
I was so frustrated with being at 85-95 but never reaching ...
Yeah it's actually funny how it can't write what it likes
But the funniest part is
I've noticed that it's slightly more specific with it's responses than like a few weeks ago
Idk what happened with that
unreal kettle
Yeah I’ve noticed that too
lament dew
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I totally forgot to talk about a project that was a focal point of one of my ECs I talked about
is that going to look bad? i submitted like right before the deadline and that was my last essay so i totally forgot :(
meager bison
you forgot to do the essay or did you do the essay and forgot to include the point?
lament dew
you forgot to do the essay or did you do the essay and forgot to include the poi...
in my activities list, for an ec (club i founded) i mention im building a pvc satellite receptor with my club members
in my ec essay i talked about a discussion we had in heliophysics blah blah accessibility its rlly cool i might share it but i completely forgot to mention it specifically
agh should i submit a research portfolio with details on it ;(
meager bison
in my activities list, for an ec (club i founded) i mention im building a pvc sa...
oh, in that case you could simply include it under supplemental materials
just take anything that happened recently within the club, say you're updating on that, and then 'explain' it through your essay
or maybe just put the essay,
unreal kettle
Nope
meager bison
creative video? where even was that?
lament dew
at the end i mention "expose students to ideas they may have never had the opportunity nor resources to pursue prior", do you think its still worthwhile to submit a portfolio w/ my stuff or an update with the project?
OOOOOO
omg i might actually submit art
and i can update on my pvc stuff there
meager bison
at the end i mention "expose students to ideas they may have never had the oppor...
oh, i'd say its a cool essay, def include it, personally liked it
lament dew
oh, i'd say its a cool essay, def include it, personally liked it
no thats in my application already lol
meager bison
i'd attach a collage of my card-stacking
lament dew
i just forgot the point on the project
meager bison
no thats in my application already lol
oh sorry i got confused
lament dew
hmm alright ill send in art stuff
and then think abt including the project stuff too in an update
meager bison
I also love how every college has a plethora of CS geniuses and still all the portals are mostly the same
lament dew
for simplicity idk
meager bison
one more thing
ik the checklist is under works
but if my counsellor sent school report and transcript together, and its showing a checkmark for school report but not for transcript, should I be worried?
lament dew
i dont think so, but contact your counselor
meager bison
well he def uploaded it to CA,
all other portals are showing a checkmark
also, always imagined my AO to be a balding dude on the verge of retirement, reluctantly reading my app cuz he had to
but my caltech AO seems so contemporary and cool
lament dew
also, always imagined my AO to be a balding dude on the verge of retirement, re...
im not sure who my ao is butttt ive talked to an ao over the summer and they were so cool
meager bison
well I think you can see you regional ao on the breakroom
lament dew
ah i dont have it yet
lament dew
do you think it’s worthwhile to submit a photography supplemental?
i have a LOT of really neat photos i’ve taken from trips
but i feel like that’s kinda not something you want to emphasize
i could submit my astrophotography ones
amber flame
i could submit my astrophotography ones
yeah sure
steel falcon
Caltech
This thread will be used to discuss Caltech, regardless of the application types (Early/RD). Feel free to ask your questions or discuss results or anything else about Caltech here.
spice sigil
If I am a co-author on a paper that enters prepublication in early February, would that only be relevant if I got waitlisted, or would I be able to email it to the admissions office?
rare shadow
If I am a co-author on a paper that enters prepublication in early February, wou...
what exactly do you mean by pre-publication? do you mean submitted as a pre-print on an open research archive? or you've already submitted for peer review the manuscript was returned with edits
spice sigil
what exactly do you mean by pre-publication? do you mean submitted as a pre-prin...
The latter.
rare shadow
what were the edits? did the journal confirm publication after revision in february?
amber flame
Anyone get their portal
lament dew
Anyone get their portal
I did
spice sigil
what were the edits? did the journal confirm publication after revision in febru...
The edits requested were relatively minor, aside for one which will take longer. They did tentatively confirm publication in Feb.
spice sigil
Anyone get their portal
I haven't; my common app application hasn't been downloaded by Caltech yet, which is a little concerning.
rare shadow
The edits requested were relatively minor, aside for one which will take longer....
Ok I'd say it's worth an email to update. Since you have feedback, you've gone farther than just preprinting on a research archive, and it would be worth noting. Explain to them what you just did to me; they should add it to your application since it's only jan 4.
and then if you get waitlisted, a publication would be a strong achievement to update them with, since hopefully the paper will have been published by then
spice sigil
I have another paper in the very early publication stages to be preprinted on arxiv within a week and a half I would be able to link to it then; is that also something worth updating them with, or just the former?
amber flame
If it continues, I'll contact them
But you guys uploaded late or?
amber flame
But you guys uploaded late or?
No, I uploaded at 11:57 in my time zone
I realized it's trying to say I was in the Eastern time zone
So I uploaded 12:57 there
Idk why it did that (I live in Illinois lol) but that's probably the cause
amber flame
No, I uploaded at 11:57 in my time zone
Ah then, let's hope they are just working on it
lament dew
So I uploaded 12:57 there
Idk why it did that (I live in Illinois lol) but that...
they download apps at 12am est
amber flame
Yup 📿📿📿 that was my best app thus far I think, I'll be pissed if it wasn't recorded due to a glitch
lament dew
so it might take them an extra day to do so
amber flame
Yup 📿📿📿 that was my best app thus far I think, I'll be pissed if it wasn't re...
I spend all this year researching their university just for not getting an email
😭😭 I've never received a caltech email either
amber flame
I imagine they look oddly similar to their Massachusetts counterparts✨
unreal kettle
🥴
rare shadow
I have another paper in the very early publication stages to be preprinted on ar...
Pre-printing on ArXiv requires no formal peer review and is known to be not very impressive (coming from someone who has a paper on arXiv). Unless this new paper is not mentioned at all in your app, a submission to ArXiv is certainly not worth an update. Your pre-publication holds a lot more weight
spice sigil
Pre-printing on ArXiv requires no formal peer review and is known to be not very...
It would be as a coauthor status with a professor(who has a very good publication record) as the PI, and a couple graduate students. The arxiv one isn’t an individual submission, if that’s relevant?
rare shadow
did you mention that paper in your application at all? how did you present your research (i.e. what research work did you mention) in your app?
spice sigil
did you mention that paper in your application at all? how did you present your ...
I mentioned my research, as I was invited to present at a prestigious international conference at SLAC, and have since been collaborating with a team there. I said two papers would be published or pre-published soon, but didn’t say anything else about them.
I didn’t include estimated dates for this because I was worried that would make them want to waitlist me(if they liked the rest of my application)
*I forgot to mention: with the Arxiv preprint, 2 related medium-sized git repos(for the software to implement this) would also become open-source.
rare shadow
what did you present at SLAC? the conference required you to submit an abstract, right?
i assumed initially that this arXiv paper was research work you've already mentioned (including the type of work, your role, and the professor whom you worked with). at that point, submitting a pre-print would be frivolous.
rare shadow
I mentioned my research, as I was invited to present at a prestigious internatio...
but, if you omitted the specifics of the papers here, then i would say it's fine to update them and mention that you have the pre-print submitted to arXiv after you introduce the specifics of the work
spice sigil
Alright, I will do that. Thank you for the information.
rare shadow
np and best of luck! congrats on your papers; a college decision can't take away what you've accomplished already. 👍
meager bison
for the caltech hum eval
I can get it from 2 teachers, both know and like me enough to give a great LOR,
one of them taught me only in grade 9 but knows me a lot better on a personal level, also she mentored many of my ec's as she was the school coordinator for a lot of extramural oratory competitions
the other teacher has interacted w/ me only in class, but she has taught me for all 4years of HS, hence knows my academics a lot better
the deadline is 18th jan and I can't get both LOR's in time, who should I go to?
sour skiff
aw this caltech portal is so cute
empty wagon
aw this caltech portal is so cute
my exact reaction
sour skiff
all my other ones istg use the same template and look like the design is older than me
i love this
meager bison
yep + you can see who your AO is, so cool
sour skiff
i got melissa
meager bison
I got tessa
sour skiff
hear me out guys.. what if i submitted a meme into my portfolio
cause i have no portfolio
or a funny .gif ?!!
meager bison
well tbh, i low-key wish unis would stream all convos abt that applicant's apps, no matter how good/bad
meager bison
hear me out guys.. what if i submitted a meme into my portfolio
if you made it then sure go ahead, im also thinking abt uploading a stand-up script I wrote and performed
but if its a random funny thing off the internet then do.not.do.it
meager bison
for the caltech hum eval
I can get it from 2 teachers, both know and like me eno...
any suggestions?
sour skiff
if you made it then sure go ahead, im also thinking abt uploading a stand-up scr...
lol
let me read what you said
sour skiff
for the caltech hum eval
I can get it from 2 teachers, both know and like me eno...
i'd do the one from grade 9 personally, one with more personal connection is always better imo
especially if she can write about your growth throughout highschool
for me i used an environmental science/marine biology teacher who's known me and my family for around 5 years now and i've had for college level courses junior and senior year. i also participated in a mission trip to florida that was lead by her where we cleaned plastic on an island and all that
my other one was my AP language teacher who is also my cross country and track coach that i've known for all four years of high school and been close with. he also knows my sister and my family decently well, and i'm varsity for cross country and track and a captain for cross country, probably the same for track but the season hasn't started yet
meager bison
for me i used an environmental science/marine biology teacher who's known me and...
damn everyone applying to caltech sounds so sick how do AO's even choose
meager bison
they'd just call it probabilistic weightage to you app💀
sour skiff
we'd all survive the school and pass our classes
they just don't have that many spots
we'll succeed wherever we end up though even if we get no prestige ❤️
lament dew
ok so i think i screwed up
spice sigil
Is the portfolio due date based on when it was sent out. Because, I still haven’t received anything and it’s only a couple days until the due date.
lament dew
your humanities rec is supposed to attest to your writing skills—my teacher sent me mine and it does not do so
sour skiff
Is the portfolio due date based on when it was sent out. Because, I still haven’...
you'll receive the portal soon probably, i literally got mine an hour ago
lament dew
it says “(name) is one of the best students i’ve taught in my 11y tenure” and talks about my personal characteristics + how hard i work
it’s a literature and philosophy class
does that count or should i ask for another rec specifically attesting to my writing abilities
sour skiff
i don't think it needs to specifically attest for your writing skills.. in my opinion?
on caltech's website ^
a teacher from economics probably
can't attest for writing skills
lol
lament dew
i don't think it needs to specifically attest for your writing skills.. in my op...
i was on the website and it said
We would like your humanities or social science teacher to comment on your writing skills, so be sure to ask a teacher from a class with a significant writing component.
spice sigil
Maybe unassign them and reassign them on the common app?
sour skiff
oh fr? where's that at
spice sigil
If you are comfortable answering: How’d you go about gaining access to that. Did you reach out to the teacher to see or did they send it to you?
lament dew
If you are comfortable answering: How’d you go about gaining access to that. Did...
they sent it to me after they submitted.
i didn’t ask for it and i said i preferred not to see it
spice sigil
they sent it to me after they submitted.
Is there any way to remove the LOR, and then reinvitr them?
lament dew
is it not good that they didn’t specifically comment on how i write?
sour skiff
well i guess i got lucky there since mine was my AP Lang teacher
lament dew
i waived fafsa
sour skiff
i haven't read mine though so maybe they just talked about me being a hard worker or some generic letter of rec
lament dew
well i guess i got lucky there since mine was my AP Lang teacher
yeah i used my IB english A hl & IB TOK teacher
sour skiff
i'm not gonna stress about if my letter talks about my writing skills tbh
lament dew
i don’t feel like that would be grounds for rejection
sour skiff
if my ap language teacher is writing about my proficiency in class i think that stands to say that i'm a good writer
lament dew
i feel like if they needed more info they’d contact the recommender
sour skiff
probably
plus i submitted 8 whole ass essays to caltech they should be able to figure out my ability as a writer lmfao
- common app
lament dew
IB eng hl is one of the most intensive writing classes at my school if not the most intensive .___.
so i hope it’s fine for him to just say that i’m one of the best in 11y
sour skiff
i think you're probably good
trying to perfect a letter of recommendation isn't in anyone's best interests anyways imo
the more genuine and authentic the better
lament dew
LORs don’t matter that much
- he got me into a few really good programs with similar recs
spice sigil
I wonder how long Caltech spends on the entire application compared to other schools.
lament dew
i haven’t seen my math rec and i’m not going to request it but i trust in it too
lament dew
I wonder how long Caltech spends on the entire application compared to other sch...
they get less apps
so probably slightly longer
also they have professors review it
spice sigil
Yeah, that’s why I’m curious about what the process looks like.
sour skiff
at least 15
lament dew
i talked to a caltech ao over the summer
the professors provide feedback on the students under review
although aos are the ones who make the decisions
sour skiff
why do you have to go above and beyond man i haven't been west of Kentucky since i was 5
wait no
UW is
far west
i rescind my statement it's too late
spice sigil
the professors provide feedback on the students under review
Yeah. The part I am wondering is whether it is a quick glance or a more in depth read.
lament dew
i think it’s a bit more in depth since these professors are trying to scout out research assistants and whatnot
sour skiff
i'd guess the professors look through and point out anything important or significant
lament dew
yup
i think it’s more to verify everything you’ve said is cogent with the field ur going into
spice sigil
The AO i talked to this summertold me to submit as many LORs as I wanted as long as they were unique. I wish I had double checked with the website for this year, as I had 6 or 7 submitted
spice sigil
I just looked through it again, 7
lament dew
i might ask my calc teacher
i had the same teacher from calc 1-3
but didn’t ask for a rec because i never spoke much in class and knew it’d be generic since everyone asked for one who was a senior
so i asked my ib maths teacher instead
knows me better and for a bit longer so hopefully it works
sour skiff
i'm just getting close to my ap calc teacher now because
nobody in ap calc really understands it
and he's pretty chill but very few people can follow his lessons
meager bison
I wonder how long Caltech spends on the entire application compared to other sch...
well lets compare it with say cornell
Cornell had 70k apps and gave decisions out on 1 april
caltech had 7-8k and gave decisions out in mid march
i'd say thats about 7-8 times longer per applicant, considering review starts after mid jan
vapid ember
did ya get app fee waiver from caltech @versed field
So you paid 75 dollars?
BTW if you have any idea do they even offer app fee waivers?
@versed field
spice sigil
well lets compare it with say cornell
Cornell had 70k apps and gave decisions ou...
To be fair, doesn’t Caltech also have a smaller admissions committee?
lament dew
BTW if you have any idea do they even offer app fee waivers?
they do
I got an ATP fee waiver through applying to their fly in
meager bison
To be fair, doesn’t Caltech also have a smaller admissions committee?
even if its half the size, thats still 3.5-4 times,
you could consider the variance of the plot of time against applicant, since some will def get more consideration, but given the surplus margin of 1 mean over the other, i'd say the lowest frequency would still beat other college's average ( not factoring in auto rejects)
lament dew
caltech doesn’t autoreject
just another thing i heard
they have no basis to reject off of
meager bison
caltech doesn’t autoreject
that reduces error bars in our calculations then
meager bison
they have no basis to reject off of
seems fair
lament dew
and i rlly don’t think 1.0 gpa ppl are going to apply to caltech given their supps
you’ve gotta have strong stem ecs to fill those out in the first place
and multiple of them
meager bison
when if we're talking about outliers then one might just bs their way upto the min word count if they're really determined to be rejected
btw im curious as to how one might submit 11*.5*/13 apps? @lament dew
lament dew
oh uhh submitted cornell application waiting to do essay
will be 12.5 today and hopefully 13 the day after
lament dew
i have made the executive choice not to apply to stanford because they don’t have a definitive astrophys program
meager bison
i already used up something like that in the idea meaninful to you,
no i'd have to redo 2 essays
meager bison
i have made the executive choice not to apply to stanford because they don’t hav...
personally speaking, i wouldnt mind majoring in physics with astrophy exposure as long as im getting research opportunities
lament dew
yeah same here i actually applied as a physics major for a few colleges (including jhu) which have major astrophysics research going on
i’m just not comfy because i can’t immediately find an astro department and they don’t have a physics + astro joint dept, but you can minor in space science
so idk
i felt like focusing my efforts on mit was a better option for today
meager bison
well i just winged jhu tbh, they're so bad with aid I'd have to have 10 times my current stats to get the aid i mentioned in my css
meager bison
aren they need-blind for domestics?
lament dew
yeah
apparently need blind + meet full demonstrated need but aren’t generous with it
per the npc id still be paying more than all of my other schools
meager bison
yeah well colleges often pull those labels on just to get better rankings
lament dew
yup
unreal kettle
Yeah, that’s why I’m curious about what the process looks like.
They talk about it on their site
unreal kettle
the professors provide feedback on the students under review
Mhm, faculty review apps too
spice sigil
They talk about it on their site
I’m aware about the general process they make public; I’m just curious about the specifics about what that looks like.
unreal kettle
I’m afraid that’s confidential 😎
lament dew
I LUCKED OUT SO HARD
YOU CAN SEE YOUR ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR IN THE BREAKROOM RIGHT
so i did a quick search and MINE IS SUPER PASSIONATE ABOUT THE EXACT RESEARCH IM DOING
and my background
and my ethnic background
AAAAAAAAAAAAAA i’m so happy
spice sigil
I just contacted Caltech's admissions office because I still haven't received the breakroom. They said they didn't have a record of my application.
I looked back at my common app and it turns out I submitted the payment 17 secs early, but the application was not submitted until literally 24 secs past the deadline...
lament dew
I just contacted Caltech's admissions office because I still haven't received th...
D: I’m so sorry. Is there anything you can do about that? If you submitted payment 17s early they should at least be able to look at it?
spice sigil
Their webpage does say, "We know life happens. If you need an application extension for Regular Decision, email [email protected] as soon as possible."
upper crater
I just contacted Caltech's admissions office because I still haven't received th...
Nooo
spice sigil
Mine still only says submitted.
MST
In the common app, it says Application -- Submitted instead of Application -- Downloaded by college.
lament dew
could be a commonapp issue
i’d contact support too
when was caltech deadline again
jan 3
ah yeah that makes sense
they might download it tonight
unreal kettle
YOU CAN SEE YOUR ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR IN THE BREAKROOM RIGHT
Yeah me too
Mine seems to really like astro robotics
lament dew
that’s so cool :0
unreal kettle
I just contacted Caltech's admissions office because I still haven't received th...
Oh nooo :( I hope it works out!
lament dew
i was so worried that my policy stuff wouldn’t be seen as “caltech worthy” in my supps but still wrote abt them and i’m glad i did
:D
near finch
If you are submitting a research paper, we require an additional recommendation from someone who can comment on the research experience that produced the paper. This recommendation can come from a supervisor, a mentor, an adult collaborator, or an administrator. Submitting research is not required as part of the application process.
How do I send them the research recommendation?
Oh, "Are you ready to submit your research? Do so here! Once you have uploaded your Research Paper, you will be prompted to fill out your Research Recommender page. This page will only be available for you to see if you have submitted your Research Paper already."
I have done research with a faculty at a state college that we are currently in the process of writing on. Will I still be able to submit the research portfolio and research recommendation with just an abstract uploaded
Or, does it need an actual research paper?
quiet orchid
I have done research with a faculty at a state college that we are currently in ...
abstract is good enough
rare shadow
How do I send them the research recommendation?
after you submit the research supplement, it will prompt you to enter in your recommender's details, including their email. they will then get an email and they must upload the recommendation on their end.
near finch
Is the recommender also sent my response to the question/upload? Because I would like the recommender to focus on topics I include in that response, so I'm wondering if I should send them that separately or if it will be included for them to write the letter?
spice sigil
Is the recommender also sent my response to the question/upload? Because I would...
I don’t know, but I would assume so. Probably so the recommended can verify the claims made in the application description.
unreal kettle
Yeah
rare shadow
Is the recommender also sent my response to the question/upload? Because I would...
I don’t think so actually. If you really want to focus on something specific in a LOR, I’d ask
Why wouldn’t they focus on the topics in that response though? They will know it’s for a research supplement and will talk about their research experience with you, which is what Caltech wants
near finch
Well, I also want to kinda know whether the research supervisor can see my responses as that's a little relevant to how I respond to that question.
meager bison
could anyone share the link for that creative protfolio section or tell me how to acces it?
is it the same update research/portfolio option or is it diff cuz i didnt see mentions of any artisitc portfolio?
so i just make portfolio prefrence as yes and then go too...
oh got it, thanks!
gritty harness
when’s the teacher letters for because I have to ask for my teacher to write one
meager bison
when i submitted my app i was certain that my supps ate but now they feel mid af 😦
q
amber flame
i'm so glad caltech is coming in clutch with the free portfolios, not whipping out 10 bucks again
also i made a portfolio with 3 of my individual research abstracts and 2 of my youtube vids (with my satellite loops and simulations)
same for you ofc- and yeah sure
does the channel embed yoyube vid links
yeah ofc
it's one of the satellite imagery loops i sent
it's infrared imagery
Basically, I acquired a ton of 1-minute data from a certain site that dispenses GOES-16 mesoscale sector data, then I processed it using python and a software called "MCIDAS-V"
ii think it was 2000 files?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D1r-NcegMs&t=13s then this was my simulation'
oh ok, one sec
meager bison
oh god thanks guys, I just got a rad idea for a portfolio, it wont guarantee acceptance or anything but its gonna be memorable
ofc
i dont think caltech has a 7% acceptance rate
nah i did
amber flame
tysm! lmao that's actually this thing called "3D vorticity" which is basically spin but visualized in 3 dimensions
Also, i watched your portfolio, it's actually really interesting
i think what you did to capture your life outside just comp sci stuff was great
amber flame
Good luck on your exams, gonna pass with flying colors
meager bison
wh would it be
well I agree with your perspective about drudgery of our system rn
but I just like the rigor, idc abt my rank as long as I score good
indeed
although logistically it makes sense given our population
yeah, i mean we all have perspectives and everyone lacks stuff
anyhow lets not carry this on and focus on u chich quirky essays💀
imma screenshoting this to princeton lmao, they had that prompt
tall fable
well there are ppl who do both....like me
I'm doing both too. I'd prefer BITS over t20 - t50
But imo everything is changing rn and it's improving
Yeah true. I just feel I'd have more opportunities at BITs pilani CS than say some t50
That's true
yup 🙂
For core CS I'd obv go for IITB or IITG over BITs but BITs has a good startup ecosystem which compensates
Probably after JEE Adv
So after Jun4
Ahh makes sense. Thanks man!
empty wagon
guys i'm not getting in i have no clue why i applied
unreal kettle
You took your shot, that in itself is respectable :)
The applications been submitted so we’ve just got to wait and see what happens now, in the end we’ll all be just fine
tall fable
guys i'm not getting in i have no clue why i applied
sometimes the most unexpected things do happen
spice sigil
How do I access creative portfolio? I only see the maker portfolio, research portfolio, and additional information section.
lament dew
Im kind of thinking about submitting an arts portfolio.
i talked about arts and music in my commonapp
would this help? i feel like if i submitted art i’d have to submit music too
spice sigil
i talked about arts and music in my commonapp
I'm in a pretty similar situation to you. I started my common app with a hook related to drawing, transitioning to music, and then finally to math. I wanted to submit a music portfolio, but I wasn't sure how to/if it would take away from something else.
lament dew
same here!
i don’t think i’d be able to get to a good enough quality piano for long enough to record.
my piano is old and out of tune :(
but i have an arts portfolio that is pretty good
spice sigil
For me, it is kind of flipped: I don't really draw anymore, what I was referencing was a piece I created around 8 years ago(which was made apparent). It was very good for my age(and won some state competitions), but that was for my age -- its not 'very good' now.
lament dew
ah ye i have 9 years of piano awards but also major art ecs
i help plan the county art festival every year & teach panels
spice sigil
I would have a very good music portfolio, and I wanted to focus on that for a supplemental portfolio. But, since I referenced a specific piece, I was wondering if I should upload it just to prove I wasn't lying.
lament dew
ohhh okay
yeah i think you’re fine
i did what you did for art
i feel like it provides more context
spice sigil
Okay, so would you recommend also uploading that drawing, and mentioning in the description that it is the drawing referred to in the common app essay?
lament dew
No, not unless it’s particularly impressive
but that’s just a personal thing
i wouldn’t upload something from 8 years ago
spice sigil
i don’t think i’d be able to get to a good enough quality piano for long enough ...
Does your school have a better piano? Also, consider your local community college or state university. If you have taken classes there, you should already have an ID and potentially access to something like that. Even if you haven't, you should be able to quickly register as a non-degree seeking student and get an ID.
lament dew
we sadly don’t have one at the local CC and my state flagship is over an hour drive
our school piano is out of tune too lol it sucks
i have a piano teacher though
i just don’t think i could record something long in one take
and i’ve had conflicts with piano & work that required me to miss piano this week
spice sigil
I mean, you do only get 2 minutes for the portfolio, but I don't know if you were planning to use montages of something longer.
lament dew
it would be rlly cool if i could upload something like interstellar tbh
that’s a shorter contemporary piece im fond of
im wary to upload anything classical
spice sigil
You could try to mix piano and art, transitioning between the two, or fading out of you playing to showing art if you don't want piano to be the focus.
lament dew
i’ll see tbh, i think if i do choose to upload a portfolio, it’ll be art
spice sigil
I was also wondering: where do we access the creative portfolio?
Because, I could only find the maker and research portfolios. Do we just upload it to the additional information.
lament dew
hmm i’m kinda confused too
meager bison
https://www.admissions.caltech.edu/visit/regional-admissions-counselors
kinda useful to check out what your ao likes if you haven't already
spice sigil
Is anyone here familiar with some video editing? I have to condense a 40-minute music performance into 1:50 mins for the Caltech portfolio, and have never edited a video outside of in python.
If so, I was wondering if there was free software that could work well? And, I was wondering how I could quickly create this kind of montage?
upper crater
Is anyone here familiar with some video editing? I have to condense a 40-minute ...
davinci studio
some aspects are hard to understand but it works well
spice sigil
Yeah, I've heard of it, but I was under the impression it had a pretty steep learning curve.
upper crater
not if ur just cropping videos id assume
if its on mobile, capcut works too
u could also use any online site meant for cropping videos
or the editor built into windows or mac or mobile
spice sigil
Yeah, I want to cut and mix parts from several clips. Thanks for the suggestion.
meager bison
is it alright if I use clippings of another yt video (with credits) in a non-monetized yt video for my portfolio?
spice sigil
Should I have underreported activities hours on the common app. I had tried to be as accurate as possible, but I just realized(it’s too late for most schools), they sum to around 55-70 hours 45wks/yr. This reporting is genuine x but I am starting to worry colleges may not believe it.
rare shadow
That is pretty unbelievable for 45 wk/year. Do most activities overlap weeks?
spice sigil
I had the lab at around 30 hrs/week. The thing is, that includes lab work which I often am able to do during classes at school. I probably shouldn’t hVe reported that. Also, robotics is a class at my school as well as a club, so hours for that overlap
Also, those hours are the average for this year(where I get out of school at 12:00). Should I have averaged all years of participation?
rare shadow
This year your school gets out at 12? Why is that?
For your lab, that’s year-round? For robotics, you shouldn’t have counted the robotics class
spice sigil
This year your school gets out at 12? Why is that?
For your lab, that’s year-r...
I have met graduation requirements, and am taking less classes at school(I take classes at state+community college though)(
rare shadow
I wouldn’t worry about it really since I doubt they would manually add up all the hours, unless they particularly notice large numbers across the board. But do check and be more conservative for other estimates
spice sigil
Well, will it look like I lied previously if I decrease the hours for future applications?
rare shadow
Who’s gonna see both applications
I added hours for one of my activities because I was continuing through apps, so my early apps will show different hours than my regular apps
A college is not gonna know what you previously listed in a separate applications
spice sigil
Shoot, if I discount class mandated hours, Robotics goes from 16hrs/wk to 8hrs/wk
Should I send an email to the AO explaining this, or not mention it?
lament dew
if it’s part of your curriculum i would not include it as an ec
meager bison
well I'd say emailing them over it would only draw more attention to it than it would normally get
although you could email if you think its too important
meager bison
if it’s part of your curriculum i would not include it as an ec
true
spice sigil
if it’s part of your curriculum i would not include it as an ec
It isn’t curriculum(it’s an almost entirely student led FRC robotics club). It is just allowed to be a class on the transcript due to the high time commitment to it at my school.
upper crater
I had an ec 55 hrs per week
Changed it from 32 wks per year to 16
To make it more believable
😭
meager bison
isnt that 8+ hrs per day? if you're comfortable in sharing, what even was it?
upper crater
isnt that 8+ hrs per day? if you're comfortable in sharing, what even was it?
online volunteer work
half that time was over weekends lol
and i did it during free periods in school as well
and tbh 4pm to 12am is fairly accurate as to the amount of time id do
55 is a significant underestimate
lament dew
I had an ec 55 hrs per week
i had one i underreported to 50h/week
it was more like 100/wk because i was constantly working but all of my recs shortened it to “50+”
so i just did as well
upper crater
yeah mine was like 75+
55 was lowest i felt comfortable going
plus it was volunteer work so it shouldnt look too bad on me
unreal kettle
i think all of my activates sum to quite a bit per week
but that's mostly cause the activities are all year round but summers are where I dedicate the most time
amber flame
You'll never guess wtf happened today
While trying to edit my caltech portfolio at school, I found out that the school literally blocked the entire Caltech website
Because it's marked under "entertainment"
That was a fun support ticket to send
lament dew
Because it's marked under "entertainment"
the only entertainment will be me crying after getting rejected
lament dew
ip address
gritty harness
use a vpn
tall fable
did caltech defer most applicants this yr like MIT or few like stanford?
jagged harness
From my personal statement to supplements, all stem related
lament dew
did caltech defer most applicants this yr like MIT or few like stanford?
I think caltech rejected a lot
I didn’t see anyone in here deferred around REA time
tall fable
I didn’t see anyone in here deferred around REA time
Ahh cool
lament dew
so i think the pool should just relatively be rd people
upper crater
lament dew
let me see if i did the things in there
lament dew
she did math stuff and applied for a chem major
you have to be good at math
like on their website they said “you will be miserable if you don’t have a passion for math”
upper crater
she looks so tired
tall fable
like on their website they said “you will be miserable if you don’t have a passi...
lol obv - but most her stuff was math though
lament dew
she looks so tired
caltech is tiring af
i didn’t write about it tremendously but they’ll give me the ability to jump into jpl first year
and that outweighs the rigor
empty wagon
as weird as it is i like the rigor
lament dew
me too tbh 
amber flame
Please, I go to a school that's open until 5 everyday and forces us to take 8 classes, rigor is my life☠☠
lament dew
highest my school offers is IB math SL but i’ve gone through hell to complete calc 1-3 and discrete at a cc so i hope that helps a little bit
lament dew
given their humanities thing i think i’m going to submit my art portfolio
upper crater
"it hasnt changed since i went there. i wouldnt wish this upon my worst enemy"
im probably not getting in i dont have the best grades
mostly applied cuz i had a waiver
lament dew
mostly applied cuz i had a waiver
yeah same
it kinda sucks that they’re not at least t/o
tall fable
as weird as it is i like the rigor
same
empty wagon
im probably not getting in i dont have the best grades
me too
lament dew
Please, I go to a school that's open until 5 everyday and forces us to take 8 cl...
wait open until 5???
do you start later??
lament dew
bro what
tall fable
im an intl though
lament dew
ah okay
amber flame
do you start later??
No
lament dew
yeah my school is 7:25-2:15
amber flame
We start at 7
meager bison
mine was from 8 till 8 for 2 weeks
same here
my parents were concerned but it was fun tbh
lament dew
We start at 7
are you including clubs/sports too?
tall fable
same here
my parents were concerned but it was fun tbh
ikr
we were grinding through physics and organic chem for the last week lol
lament dew
that’s insane
amber flame
are you including clubs/sports too?
No😭😭 those come after
I'm usually there until around 6-7
meager bison
ikr
we were grinding through physics and organic chem for the last week lol
our portion was done in nov
but yeah revision is clutch
tall fable
No😭😭 those come after
damn that as a regular schedule is insane
lament dew
bruh my suffering is being discounted tf 😞
8-8 or 7-5 is a full time job
amber flame
That's why I had to move all my researching and stuff to summer
There's no other time-
empty wagon
yeah my school is 7:25-2:15
p much same
mine is 7:25 - 1:30 with one 10 min break in b/w