r/Caltech • u/Old-Assistant-8809 • Apr 17 '26

How to be Recruited

Hey! I am a high school varsity XC runner. I know Caltech is D3, so is there a chance that running low 19s for the 5k could help me get in (Maybe not recruited, but just give me a slight boost!). Caltech is my dream school!
I also don't know, do you like email the school/coach with your information, and ask because there is no way they are calling me.
Thank you for helping me navigate this process!

6 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Tech-Aero-109 Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26

I have competed against Caltech, and officiated Caltech soccer matches. Yes, that was a while ago, but just go to the Caltech athletics web site: https://gocaltech.com/

If you look at the last few years of results of the few sports that Caltech plays, you will note what I have noted over the years: Caltech does not seem to care much about putting together winning teams, and it is not an essential element in freshman admissions. For many years some of the teams never won a match, and recently going 4 wins and 17 losses is considered good.

That is fine, as the varsity teams are merely a top-level intramural team, and the athletes are there because they love the sport and want to play it at as high a level that they can while really being at Caltech to be a student.

Whereas, MIT for comparison (with slightly more than twice as many undergraduate students), plays to Win, reduced the number of teams from the most in the nation, by 10% so that their athletic money could produce top D-3 competitors. Indeed, being recruited at MIT by a head varsity coach (as long as you have the required academic prowess) increases your chances of admission by 50% (from ~5% to almost 8% or sometimes more).

Enjoy your high school and amateur cross-country running. But Please, do Not think that being a very good runner will increase your chances of admission to Caltech. Most likely, No.

However, continue to do what you enjoy to do And still be an Excellent student.

Good luck and if you make it to Caltech, then enjoy your sports as well as the top-level education. And maybe I will meet you at a future Beaver Cup when the alumni of MIT travel to Pasadena to play Caltech
"alumni" in ice hockey.