Few Caltech students will take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad during their undergraduate time here. Understandably, undergrads are some of the busiest people you will meet here: classes throughout the day, sports and house activities through the afternoon, problem sets throughout the night and well into the morning, sleep if you can afford it, rinse and repeat. Our four-year plans are often packed; graduating on time is important when your tuition is, to say the least, exorbitant. We are lucky if we have the sheer time management to fit in downtime, much less plan opportunities to exit the Caltech bubble, the boundaries of which are fortified by mediocre public transport and the expense of a car. Throughout my freshman to junior years, I struggled intensely with work-life balance, gradually setting goals to leave campus once a week to control the stress associated with this place.
The Caltech Y regularly organizes Cultural Cuisine Tours across L.A., allowing people to try out new cuisines for a subsidized rate in the presence of a cultural leader, who understands the cuisine and can provide additional information about the food options. Recently, I helped them organize a Cultural Cuisine Tour to Annapurna Grill, specifically to explore South Indian cuisine. And in so doing, I found out just how little people actually knew about South Indian cuisine.
From random backyards and patios to overpasses and warehouses, these shows have some unconventionally cool venues. One such memorable show took place at a skatepark, where people were doing tricks on motorcycles and some guy brought a microwave into the pit. Consisting of the dry, dusty backyard of a suburban household, the “cum house” was another favorite. By the end of that concert, there was dirt under our fingernails and in the fold of our eyelids.
In a heartwarming story of alumni giving back, Caltech spinoff company Virtualitics has pledged $100,000 over five years to support cutting-edge artificial intelligence research at its alma mater.
New students, welcome to Caltech! There’s a lot of great places in and around Pasadena, ranging from flea markets, art stores, boba arcades, and free museums.
Unlike many other college institutions, Caltech gives us all the chance to take our first two terms of college on pass/fail, meaning that this is the perfect time to go out, explore, and have new experiences.
Although I love red door, sometimes I just want to get out of the campus bubble. This is why I have compiled a list of my favorite cafes around campus rated by aesthetic, studyability, and the quality of coffee/pastries.
On February 7, due to uncertainty in their fiscal allocation for fiscal year (FY) 2024, the JPL Administration “took an exceedingly difficult workforce action” that laid off around 530 employees and 40 contractors…
