The Pros and Cons of MIT and Caltech

What’s the reputation of MIT and Caltech?

“world-class STEM research” “science nerds” “everyone’s studying CS” “incredibly rigorous” “Nobel Prize-winning professors” “highly collaborative” “inspiration for The Big Bang Theory TV show” “future science leaders” “Hogwarts-style residential system” “impeccably prestigious” “even the smartest students feel just average here” “prepare to be humbled”

The most gifted high school STEM students who wish to pursue a career in math, science or technology will likely consider applying to MIT or Caltech, or both. And since these two institutions have so much in common, we thought we’d talk about them together.

As the names imply, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Caltech (California Institute of Technology) are basically two sides of the same coin. They’re both world-class private STEM universities. They both have absurdly low acceptance rates of about 4%. They’re both extremely well-regarded within the scientific community. They both have extremely low 3:1 faculty-student ratios. They even both have beavers as their mascot. But there are some key differences in terms of academic focus, campus culture, and admissions strategy which we’ll explore here.

The similarities between MIT and Caltech.

Let’s first look at what these two universities have in common.

#1 Highly Collaborative: Despite what you may have heard, the campus culture at both schools is much more collaborative than competitive, and almost all students do their homework “problems sets” together in small study groups. There will always be exceptions, but in general the feeling is that these schools are so hard, the only way that any of us will survive is by working together. It’s not “me against you”; it’s “all of us against this insanely difficult institution.”

#2 Notorious Grind Schools: Both schools have the reputation for being incredibly difficult academically, and for providing a “ridiculous” amount of homework. If you go to either school, you will spend the vast majority of your time studying rather than socializing or sleeping; there’s no way around it.

#3 Stellar Research: Both schools excel in providing world-class STEM research opportunities to undergraduates. At some other schools, particularly large public universities, it can be difficult to compete for these coveted positions. But since both MIT and Caltech have more than enough research to go around, everyone gets involved. All you have to do is ask.

#4 Similar Demographics: Perhaps unsurprisingly, both STEM schools are predominantly Asian (35% vs. 20% for the Ivy League). They also have a smaller percentage of white students (20% vs. 30-40% for the Ivy League). And unlike in the past when both schools skewed heavily male, MIT and Caltech are now evenly split 50-50 male/female. The major difference is that Caltech has a much larger Hispanic population (22% vs. 12% for MIT and the Ivy League), but a much smaller African American population (3% vs. 8% for MIT and the Ivy League). This is likely due to the fact that Caltech draws more than a third of its students from California which is 40% Latino. International students make up about 10% of the population at both schools.

#5 Hogwarts-style Housing System: In an effort to create tight-knit student communities, both MIT and Caltech have a residential housing program where incoming freshmen choose a housing community that fits their interests and personality, and will become their “home away from home” for the next four years. Each house has its own culture and traditions, and some even have their own dining hall. In addition, MIT has an active Greek system, and about 40% of students belong to either a fraternity or sorority. By contrast, Caltech has no Greek life at all.

#6 Extremely Low International Acceptance Rates: While both MIT and Caltech are extremely difficult to get into for all applicants, it’s twice as hard for international students. While US applicants have about a 4% chance of admission to either school, international students have a 1% acceptance rate at Caltech and a 2% acceptance rate at MIT. The good news is that it’s much easier to get into these schools as an international student for graduate school.

The differences between MIT and Caltech.

#1 Size: Caltech is very small with fewer than 1,000 undergraduates (and only 1,500 grad students), compared with MIT which is much larger with about 4,500 undergraduates (and 7,000 grad students). Caltech features a very small, intimate setting, almost like a high school, and you can pretty much get to know everyone after a while.

MIT’s larger size means more variety. There are more extracurricular organizations, more academic clubs, more (and better) sport teams, more courses, more majors, more research options, more parties, etc. In addition to the stellar STEM programs, MIT also has the Sloan School of Management, which rivals Wharton as one of the top undergraduate business programs in the nation. (Students don’t apply directly to Sloan out of high school. Instead, they apply to MIT in general, and after their sophomore year they declare a Sloan business major.) MIT also has excellent humanities, social sciences, and architecture programs, plus a world-class writing program. Caltech has far fewer options in these non-STEM areas.

#2 Prestige: Within STEM fields, both universities are equally regarded as among the very best in the world. But outside of STEM, MIT is much better well-known. If you plan to pursue a PhD or work in a STEM field, either university will look fantastic on your résumé. But if you plan to work in business or in some non-STEM industry, MIT will give you an edge.

#3 Location: Both schools are located in prime locations. Caltech is in sunny Pasadena, California, which features moderate temperatures of 60-80° year-round with highs of 95° in summer. MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is just across the river from Boston. Caltech has the benefit of a beautiful campus, southern California weather, and year-round beach access. You can basically walk around in shorts and a t-shirt all four years. Boston has the advantage of four distinct seasons, you can “cross-register” for courses at Harvard, and Boston features excellent public transportation (LA does not). Both cities offer rich diversity, great restaurants, major sport teams, big name concerts, etc.

#4 Academic Focus: MIT specializes in more practical, hands-on engineering, while Caltech specializes in more theoretical, pure science. While Caltech is best known for students who intend to pursue a PhD, MIT is best known for students who plan to enter the workforce after graduation to work in business, tech, engineering, or to launch a startup. MIT is known for robotics, AI and new technology, while Caltech is known for “pure sciences” like astronomy, physics, and studying abstract concepts like antimatter. Caltech operates the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (think: the Mars rover), and the popular TV show, The Big Bang Theory, is based on a group of geeky Caltech physicists.

How to get in…

#1 Acceptance Rate: Admissions is equally competitive at both universities with about a 4% overall acceptance rate. But it’s important to note that both schools receive twice as many male applicants as female applicants, which means it’s easier to get in as a female (6% acceptance rate) than it is as a male (3% acceptance rate).

#2 Diversity: One major difference is that MIT considers race in admissions, whereas Caltech is race-blind. This affirmative action may explain why MIT has a much larger percentage of underrepresented students such as African Americans (8% at MIT vs. 3% at Caltech). MIT is also one of the few top universities that doesn’t evaluate candidates by their region or school. This means that each student is evaluated purely on his or her own merit; they won’t pass on you just because they already admitted a few other geniuses from your school.

#3 Standardized Tests: Starting in Fall 2024, both MIT and Caltech will require either the SAT or ACT for freshman admissions. MIT has required standardized testing for several years, and Caltech just joined the growing trend of top universities who are reinstating the testing requirement. For either school, you want to aim for an SAT score of about 1550 (with a 790 or 800 in math), or an ACT score of 35.

#4 The Application: Caltech uses the Common Application, which means you can input all of your personal information once, and then send it to all of the schools on your college list. MIT doesn’t use the Common App. Instead they use their own proprietary application so you have to input all of your information again. This is a bit of a hassle, but presumably MIT does this to “weed out” students who aren’t truly serious about applying there.

#5 Early Action: Both Caltech and MIT offer Early Action and Regular Decision options. But Caltech’s Early Action option is called “Restrictive Early Action” (REA), which, although non-binding, restricts you from applying Early Action or Early Decision anywhere else (with a few exceptions). MIT’s Early Action plan does not put any restrictions on you at all. Ultimately, there’s no real statistical admissions advantage to applying early to either school, other than the fact that you’ll get a decision back in mid-December.

#6 Waitlists: Waitlists are one of those variables that can change dramatically from year to year. For the Class of 2027, for example, Caltech placed 167 students on their waitlist, and 15 of them (9%) were ultimately admitted. That same year, MIT placed 682 students on their waitlist, but none of them (0%) were ever offered admission. Historically, MIT has one of the lowest waitlist acceptance rates in the country; it’s always around 0%. By contrast, Caltech is usually around 3%, which is about average for the Ivy League.

Final Thoughts: Imposter Syndrome

A quick word about mental health. There’s a common theme among students at both MIT and Caltech: they all started out as some of the “best and brightest” at their high schools, only to come to MIT or Caltech and suddenly feel like the “dumbest person in the room.” This is completely normal (and terrifying), but this is what happens when you surround yourself with classmates who are the top 1% of STEM students in the world, perhaps even the top 1/10th of 1%. Instead of getting down on yourself, let go of the need to be the smartest person in the room, embrace a collaborative approach to learning, and enjoy the ride. You are now among the very best of the best, and you 100% belong there.