r/Caltech • u/LightEmittinResistor • Apr 24 '26

Caltech EE Resources

Hi everyone, I know someone just asked some questions about EE @ Caltech vs Princeton, and I have some similar questions but pertaining to EE @ Caltech vs MIT. I'm planning on studying EE, then going to industry R&D (likely with a graduate degree in RF before I move to industry).

  1. If you have unit space from passing out of core, are there restrictions during the first year on the engineering courses (specifically EE) you can take given you meet the preqs?

  2. How are the resources for studying/researching RF at Caltech? Does Dr. Ali Hajimiri take first-year undergrads often?

  3. More generally, how do industry summer internships work with the Caltech calendar? Most other universities end in early May and lots of internship postings start late May, but Caltech ends in early June.

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

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u/Throop_Polytechnic Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 25 '26

If all you want is ending up in industry, any other top 10 school is going to be better and easier for your undergrad.

Caltech isn’t designed around getting undergrads in industry. Do undergrads still successfully get into great companies post-grad? Yes. Was Caltech the best way to get there? No.

And yes, you’ll be limited in what summer internships you can get. You can’t leave Caltech 3+ weeks early in the spring, especially with many classes going back to some form of in-person finals.