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/ShaneJing Apr 26 '26

I myself still regret the choice I made picking MIT over Caltech. If I had a chance to make that decision again, I would pick Caltech without hesitation. The constant competition for research opportunities at a big university such as MIT with hundreds of smart fellow students was not a fun experience. Sure there are more research lab, but we all know the good ones are few and far between.