Admissions Blog

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Battle of the Tech Titans: Caltech vs. MIT

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If you are debating between applying to (or attending) Caltech (California Institute of Technology) or MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) as an undergraduate, here are some factors I would consider before making such a momentous decision.

Enjoy this latest installment of College List Deathmatch below, and good luck!

More context about Celebrity Deathmatch and College List Deathmatch can be found here. To watch past additions of this series, click on the links that interest you below.

Penn vs. Georgetown

USC vs. NYU

University of Maryland College Park vs. Penn State University Park

WashU. vs. Northwestern

Colby Working to Help Rural Students Attend College

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Colby College has announced that it has been selected as an inaugural member of the Small Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network.

The STARS College Network is a group of sixteen colleges and universities across the United States working together to increase access, affordability, and college advising for students from rural and small-town communities. The other current colleges STARS colleges include Brown University, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Case Western Reserve University, Columbia University in the City of New York, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, The Ohio State University, The University of Chicago, The University of Iowa, University of Maryland, College Park, University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Yale University.

As part of its membership, Colby will help fulfill a critical role as the sole small liberal arts college in the network, ultimately committed to helping students from small-town and rural communities enroll in, succeed at, and graduate from the undergraduate program of their choice. Events, workshops, and college access opportunities in conjunction with this new membership are in the works beginning as early as this summer.

Colby College is a private liberal arts college located in Waterville, Maine, in the northeastern United States.

With easy access to outdoor recreational activities, including hiking, skiing, and rafting, strong academic programs, particularly in the fields of environmental science, biology, and economics, a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1, a commitment to becoming carbon-neutral by 2025 and large investment in sustainable infrastructure and practices on campus, a vibrant campus community with a wide variety of clubs and organizations, and a strong athletics program, Colby College offers a unique combination of academic excellence, environmental stewardship, and a dynamic campus community in a beautiful location.

Colby College has an Island Campus on Benner Island.

University of Chicago shared more about the STARS initiative as well, including the fact that it is supported by a $20 million gift from Trott Family Philanthropies, the foundation of University of Chicago trustee Byron and Tina Trott.

Caltech cuts SAT Subject Test, alters official ACT/SAT submission requirements

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Caltech’s Undergraduate Admissions office, with the support of the Faculty Committee on Freshman Admissions, has revealed that it’s eliminating the university’s long-standing requirement for submission of SAT Subject Test scores as part of the undergraduate admissions process. This change takes effect for students applying for the Caltech starting in Fall 2020.

Caltech has long required students to take and submit scores from the SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 2 along with at one science themed SAT Subject Test (in either ecological biology, molecular biology, chemistry, or physics).

“In reviewing our admissions requirements, we have come to the conclusion that the requirement for submission of SAT subject test scores creates an unnecessary barrier to applying for a Caltech education,” announced Nikki Chun, director of undergraduate admissions, noting that only a small percentage of high school students take the SAT subject tests. “We are guiding our focus back to long-term academic STEM preparedness based on coursework and grade performance.”

Of course, SAT Subject Tests do assess students’ depth of knowledge in advanced high school sciences.

Chun added that the Caltech admissions process has always focused, and will continue to focus, on seeking students who will approach the Institute’s core curriculum with as much enthusiasm and interest as they do classes in their specific major.

“This move will definitely widen the door for talented candidates we may not have been able to reach in the past who deserve our consideration.” said Jarrid Whitney, Caltech’s assistant vice president for student affairs, enrollment and career services.

In related news, Caltech will continue to require submission of SAT or ACT scores for first-year admission; however, applicants will not be asked to pay ACT, Inc. or College Board for the submission of ACT or SAT results “until and unless they are accepted and decide to matriculate at Caltech, Whitney adds.” Thus, Caltech will now accept self-reported scores during the admissions process.