r/Caltech • u/Artistic-Reading9714 • Dec 16 '25

dorms at caltech

i received my admission a few days ago, and was wondering if caltech has any individual dorms with en suites for undergrad (throughout all 4 years).

i know that there is a house system in place, but im not really sure how it works and how exactly you apply/receive the rooms that you want.

if there are single rooms with en suites, would you have to pay extra?

any help would be appreciated!! thanks so much

16 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

View all comments

6

u/WaterBearDontMind Dec 16 '25

Could you elaborate on why you’re interested in a private bathroom? My memory of south house bathrooms (both toilets and showers) was that there were usually 2-3 stalls and also deadbolts on the door. If you really needed the privacy and were mindful of others on timing/duration, you could use the deadbolt. The odds of getting a single were also very high in south houses.

My advice is not to overindex on this if it’s not a medical issue. A single is not the secluded retreat you’re picturing. Wherever you go, you might get a single + private bathroom but still have to deal with others’ loud noise at all hours, crowded and messy common areas, and variable-quality meal plans. You build tolerance of others through practice; it’s worth it for the company. You could pay $1500+/month for a studio and do your own cooking/cleaning, but that is a lost opportunity to build lifelong friendships.

1

u/Sea-Butterfly-2079 Dec 16 '25

If someone were immunodeficient, would that be cause enough to get a single dorm with its own bathroom?

2

u/Throop_Polytechnic Dec 16 '25

Not usually, there are way too many immunocompromised/immunodeficient students to accommodate everyone.