We look at any research work you may have done, your publications if you have any, letters of recommendation, your GRE scores, courses taken, grades, and your essay statement of purpose. Especially for students from less well-known schools and foreign countries, they provide an important normalizing factor. Please make sure that your GRE scores reach us well before the closing date. This is a better record than holds at most other major schools. Students are encouraged to begin research as soon as they arrive.
Research can be independent or with a faculty member.
Each graduate student chooses a faculty advisor at the end of his or her first year at Caltech. You do not have to work on your advisor's pet project to receive financial support. Only in the rare cases when a student fails to make significant progress in his or her chosen area of research is a student ever assigned a project. The undergraduates major primarily in technical fields, but receive a broad education in the humanities as well, while graduate studies concentrate exclusively on science and engineering. Within a 4 mile circle around Caltech are located the Southwest Museum, Eaton Canyon and Arroyo Seco recreation areas, the Los Angeles County Arboretum, the Santa Anita horse racing track, and Pasadena's celebrated Rose Bowl stadium.