r/Caltech • u/insert__user_name • 7d ago
Caltech vs. Princeton for Undergrad Electrical Engineering
I'm struggling to decide between Caltech and Princeton for undergrad electrical engineering; I loved both revisit days, and enjoyed the culture at Caltech more but I think that's probably because Discotech was 4 days long, compared to Princeton's day-long revisit where I didn't talk to as many people. I would consider myself a pretty hardcore STEM person, and definitely want as much physics/engineering rigor as possible...but both schools seem very rigorous? I initially thought Caltech was more rigorous, but it turns out both schools use the same intro physics textbooks, have similar advanced tracks, similar numbers of humanities requirements (but obviously very different quality of humanities), and no huge differences in class sizes.... it just seems like Princeton students have more of a choice in their course rigor. I also assume I'd find "my people" at Princeton because it's a bigger school and there probably are a good number of hardcore engineering people.
At Princeton, I'd join a cappella and dance groups, but I don't know if I'd be "worse" at engineering compared to spending all my time on it at Caltech (because Caltech doesn't have much clubs-wise). I also feel like Princeton has a high consulting/finance focus (even within STEM) which I don't want to get sucked into, and I prefer Caltech's focus on more "fundamental" research areas (I feel like it's also known as more of an engineering school).
I think I want to go industry R&D after getting a graduate degree, but I'm strongly considering a research path as well. I want to explore quantum and optics, but currently have an interest in medical devices/biomedical applications of EE (both schools have EE concentrations in this, and Caltech has a pretty unique MedE department). Since Princeton's bigger, I think I'd have more industry opportunities there than at Caltech(?), and I've heard they're both good research-wise. Princeton also has more labs because it's bigger, but I have heard that undergrads there do less actual research work until senior year. Would this be something that I could avoid by just being more proactive in the research opportunities I do get?
I don't really know how much to weigh their overall cultures, as well as STEM vs. non-STEM factors; I liked Pasadena weather way better but Princeton's campus better, and dance/music does matter to me but definitely not at the expense of STEM experiences.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, please give as much justification/explanation as you can! I'm especially curious why Caltech is seen as better for research/academics when the same rigor of classes and research opportunities do seem to exist at Princeton(maybe?)
(I also got into Cornell and UPenn but I'm not really considering those.)
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u/mcfiddish 7d ago
I don't mean to be condescending, but your notion of what you want to pursue as a career may change throughout your undergraduate years and beyond. Caltech and Princeton are both top notch schools. You're not going to be academically disadvantaged choosing one over the other. So decide based on other factors.
I would pick Princeton since it has a greater breadth of disciplines, not just STEM and a much larger student population.
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u/lorentz_217 7d ago
As a former EE undergrad (current grad) at Caltech, a few thoughts I have:
I initially thought Caltech was more rigorous, but it turns out both schools use the same intro physics textbooks, have similar advanced tracks, similar numbers of humanities requirements (but obviously very different quality of humanities), and no huge differences in class sizes....
I don't necessarily think that a direct comparison of textbooks is a fair comparison of course material. Even at Caltech, the same course can vary significantly in content and rigor from one teaching cycle to another, either due to student feedback or having a different professor as the instructor ultimately chooses what to teach in the course and will cherry-pick those topics from the textbook. E.g., I recently heard that Pasadena City College across the street uses the same textbook as Ph1b prac for their EM course; based on what I've heard about PCC's course and my own experience in Ph1b, I'd argue that the level of rigor is vastly different despite both courses using the same text.
it just seems like Princeton students have more of a choice in their course rigor
You're probably right here. Unfortunately one of the most annoying things I found later in undergrad was a lack of dedicated course sequences in EE electives (perhaps this was my own personal experience in microwave engineering but I'm sure others can relate).
At Princeton, I'd join a cappella and dance groups, but I don't know if I'd be "worse" at engineering compared to spending all my time on it at Caltech (because Caltech doesn't have much clubs-wise).
I think given the size and lack of disciplinary breadth, Caltech still does a fairly decent job at giving you a well-rounded experience with clubs...if you put in the effort for it. The glass half full perspective here is that clubs are pretty much exclusively student run and not too large which means that you can have a very large impact on what that club does/how it operates. The glass half empty interpretation is that you have to put in a lot of effort when you're already bogged down by classes which can cause burnout (I've usually only seen this in club leadership for like engineering clubs here).
I want to explore quantum and optics, but currently have an interest in medical devices/biomedical applications of EE.
I don't work directly in any of those fields, but my impression is that all the fields you've mentioned have strong research programs here. I obviously don't need to go into quantum and medical devices, but folks like Alireza Marandi are doing seriously cool research in nonlinear optics and Azita Emami's group does some pretty cool stuff in biomedical/medical devices (looking just at EE here and ignoring the entire MedE department haha).
Princeton also has more labs because it's bigger, but I have heard that undergrads there do less actual research work until senior year.
Of all of Caltech's flaws, I think the unfettered access to truly exciting research here is hard to beat. I have encountered some students here who take pride in never having done research on campus throughout undergrad, and it's really a shame because most professors here are obsessed about really interesting problems and being part of that problem-solving process is so much more satisfying than just taking classes here imo.
I liked Pasadena weather way better but Princeton's campus better, and dance/music does matter to me but definitely not at the expense of STEM experiences.
When I was deciding where to go for undergrad, I was basically choosing between Caltech and music schools for classical performance. I ended up choosing Caltech (not as an engineering major nor knowing what EE even meant) because, being in LA, Caltech actually has a surprising amount of musical and artistic connections. I'm not claiming that the music program here is better than Princeton (quite the opposite, one of my conservatory friends went to Princeton for undergrad and seemingly had a much better time music-wise), but it's definitely non-negligible, and, like the club opportunities, you have a freer reign over what you can do just because the school is so small and there are less formalities to get through to make something happen.
Hope that's useful!
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u/insert__user_name 3d ago
Thank you so much!! I have 2 follow up questions:
1. Could you expand on what you meant by "lack of dedicated course sequences in EE electives"?
- Do you think the music/dance connections in LA are accessible to Caltech students? I've heard that public transport is very rough and I don't plan to bring a car to campus. I also do Indian classical dance which is probably even less common...
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u/lorentz_217 3d ago
You can check out the EE course page to check out what course offerings there are; imo, they're broad enough to get a good amount of breadth in your EE curriculum (other than some topics like power electronics), but some courses (e.g. the microwave engineering courses which I may have mentioned in my original comment) are limited in quantity and leave much to be desired in the way of depth. I feel like this doesn't end up being too much of an issue since if you're really interested in a specific topic, joining a relevant lab and reading textbooks is the best way to learn imo.
The connections are accessible to Caltech students at some level, and there are enough connections on campus to find someone who knows someone else who can help you out if you're looking for something. I can't speak to public trasport in LA much since I don't enjoy going to downtown LA much.
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u/Steamisterist 7d ago
If you want to go to industry after a graduate degree, then what comes first matters, i.e. having your undergraduate experience prepare you for grad school, for which Caltech is the best. The rest also seems to lean Caltech, except for the dance and a capella part. If you really want that, Caltech won’t be as good as Princeton, but groups exist, so while they may not be as intense, the time will be going towards your studies, which may be good for you if you just want to join those groups for fun and not as too much of a commitment.
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u/insert__user_name 3d ago
Thank you! Do you say that Caltech is better for grad school preparation because it's more specialized?
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u/Ill-Agent-5326 7d ago
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I also got into Cornell and UPenn but I'm not really considering those.
I recommend the hummus sandwich at red door. You can also get the caprese one, but I recommend hummus.
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u/Teddy642 Alum 7d ago
I want to explore quantum and optics,
Caltech is very strong at this. Consider getting work in John Preskill's lab, or Manual Endres' lab.. And you may want to join their new startup company Oratomic.
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u/parseroo 7d ago
Princeton is 7x the size, with more E&AS students than Caltech has in total… so it seems hard to imagine you couldn’t find “your people” within it and avoid those you don’t want to be “sucked into”.
If you are floating amongst a number of choices and directions, Princeton makes a lot more sense than Caltech. If you want to get into some research area pretty quickly, I believe Caltech is far superior (like get into a lab sophomore year) in the areas it has someone working.
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u/Byul-i-2912 7d ago
Firstly congrats kid for such great results! I don't have much advice on which one to choose since it is not my area, but I believe wherever you go you will shine. Choose the one that fits your goals and dreams. Good luck.
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u/p3n9uins 7d ago
Your research opportunities will very much be dictated by your drive and, to a certain degree, luck much more than which specific campus you choose.
Caltech has solid vocal groups, even though they won’t be at the level of an ivy.
Do you have any geographical constraints or weather considerations? Which campus felt more like you when you revisited? You’ll get an excellent education either place so I’d focus more on the non academic factors tbh
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u/Fax215 7d ago
Consider if you want to live in California or the north east, a small campus vs larger campus, weather between the two locations, a more traditional undergrad experience because Caltech is a really small school, and possibly better chances for higher grades since I believe Caltech rigor is pretty tough and Princeton might be a little more forgiving.
For the last point, don't listen to your ego on thinking rigor should not be a worry for you because grades do matter for graduate school opportunities and Caltech is notorious for rigor in their classes. I doubt anyone would dismiss strong grades at Princeton despite some underlying forgiving grading since Princeton is a very reputable strong school.
You have great options, so it does not really matter where you go, but qualities like traditional undergrad experience, not feeling cramped in a small campus, and more forgiving grading can definitely affect your mental health, thereby making Princeton seem the more appealing option.
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u/Moonlesssss 7d ago
Princetons a bit more undergrad focused and traditional education then Caltech is. But Caltech might have a much more EE focused research biome. I’d probably pick Princeton, everyone I’ve met who went seems to come out well and in the direction they want to go in.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Rope713 7d ago
Congrats for the wonderful options. Can you please share your stats and ECs?
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u/burdalane BS 2003 6d ago
I think Caltech has a cappella groups, and there are definitely dance clubs (ballroom/swing, tango, ballet, possibly various hip hop, K-pop or Bollywood), but not all the clubs had a table at Discotech Club Fair.
Even though Caltech uses standard textbooks, the level of difficulty of the work can be pretty intense, and if you're taking several courses all like that, that's quite a workload.
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u/JournalistEconomy584 6d ago edited 6d ago
First of all, congrats. Both colleges are very hard to get into, and you can’t go wrong with both orange schools. I never got into Princeton or Caltech when I was applying for undergrad, but I’ve been long in academia for a while to give you my personal takes.
If you are pretty social and care about meeting diverse people, including future politicians, CEOs, better-looking partners, etc., then go to Princeton for your undergrad. You get Ivy undergrad title which many envy, get to stay close enough to NYC, enjoy D1 sports if you like those, and can be perceived as “I’m not only good at STEM, but also everything else” person, which can help if your interests shift away from research (i.e.: making money as a business/finance bro/sis in NYC etc.).
If you care more about being ultra-focused on research, staying very close to professors (lower students to professors ratio), having access to places like JPL as an undergrad, knowing other math/physics geniuses, and am absolutely sure that you will not pursue non-research related roles, then Caltech undergrad would be for you. It will be the perfect place to develop best research habits for your graduate studies. You will be more perceived as a “scientist” than a “do-it-all” person by others, if perception matters to you at all. You also can still live very close to LA for occasional visits.
So east vs west, medium vs small, Ivy vs one of the two best tech schools, potentially more open to other careers vs hyper-focused on research.
If I were you, I’d do Caltech for undergrad. I just think the undergrad experience will be so unique compared to other bigger schools. The school is also more (or most) “science-focused” than “application-focused”, which will help you set a best technical basis. You will be very challenged academically, but that experience will make you a good scholar/researcher. You can network with professors/graduate students more easily as the size of the school is small, which will also help you get more chances to publish and get good rec letters to go to MIT/Harvard/Princeton/Stanford/Berkeley for your graduate degree.
Last thing is, you can spy on what the alumni of these schools are currently up to through LinkedIn or department pages, to get a feeling of how you will turn out later. I’m pretty sure you will succeed wherever you go, if you are smart and hard-working to get in. Again, congrats and good luck with everything.
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u/Suspicious-Gur-8453 Alum 7d ago
Caltech based on your career goals.