2022 Caltech question

The coach knows what he's doing. I think your son  should be feeling very, very good right now about his prospects, but just keep breathing until the admissions portal is open and it's all official.

Seems like you only have a week or two to go until you get the official notification but with coach support, it should be a given that your son is being accepted.  You are just in the awkward period.  It will pass.

HA coaches, especially coaches at HA's that are as HA as Caltech (what, maybe one or two other D3s that are as hard to get into) very rarely jump the admissions gun.  Nerve wracking to wait on admissions, though, I know. Hang in there.

OTS, I didn't know Caltech's original name was Throop College.  I did a little more digging and discovered their sports teams back in the day were called the Throopers, but the "h" was silent, so it sounded like Troopers.  One sports headline from a Pomona-Pitzer-Caltech baseball game read: Sagehens Storm Throopers.  

Another, more positive headline, this time for a Caltech-Cal Lutheran baseball game, was Throopers Storm Cold Knights.

I thought that was interesting and wanted to share.

Deep breaths, deep breaths....

Wine is  a wonderful thing...

Best of luck!

@BOF posted:

Deep breaths, deep breaths....

Wine is  a wonderful thing...

Best of luck!

I second this! December 15th cannot come soon enough.

@smokeminside posted:

HA coaches, especially coaches at HA's that are as HA as Caltech (what, maybe one or two other D3s that are as hard to get into) very rarely jump the admissions gun.  Nerve wracking to wait on admissions, though, I know. Hang in there.

OTS, I didn't know Caltech's original name was Throop College.  I did a little more digging and discovered their sports teams back in the day were called the Throopers, but the "h" was silent, so it sounded like Troopers.  One sports headline from a Pomona-Pitzer-Caltech baseball game read: Sagehens Storm Throopers.  

Another, more positive headline, this time for a Caltech-Cal Lutheran baseball game, was Throopers Storm Cold Knights.

I thought that was interesting and wanted to share.

Throopers…. Kinda sounds better than Beavers but YMMV!  But I’m digging the black and orange regardless!  Thanks for digging up the history!

@BOF posted:

Deep breaths, deep breaths....

Wine is  a wonderful thing...

Best of luck!

Wish I drank right about now!  Just excited for him - he’s put in a TON of work to get here and it’s really cool to watch it all coming together.  But definitely nerve racking for me in a totally different way than for him ($$$)! Thanks for the encouragement!

We're all hoping for a positive result.  And, by the way, welcome!

I find the fermented yeast elixir helps. We have been hunting our USPS informed delivery emails daily. 12/15 can't get here fast enough...I will hold off my congrats until your announcement your kid was accepted

@2022NYC posted:

I find the fermented yeast elixir helps. We have been hunting our USPS informed delivery emails daily. 12/15 can't get here fast enough...I will hold off my congrats until your announcement your kid was accepted

Informed delivery is very cool but your son will get notification of a status update in the Admissions Portal long before DeJoy and friends scan your snailmail.

Feel free to PM. Son is a Sophomore Pitcher at Caltech.

Thanks everyone for the insights and encouragement.  You were all right.  Coach knew what he was doing.  S was admitted yesterday.  Nice to finally get a good night of sleep - it’s been a while!

WooHoo! congrats.  CalTech is a huge opportunity! Great job to everyone involved!

Decided I should post a finale/follow up to my OP while info is fresh, just in case someone stumbles onto this thread in coming years.  Qualifier: I'm recapping what I was told by an 18YO.  Sounds like the letter was not as big a deal as we originally thought.  Coach only wanted to make sure that parents knew their kid was having these recruiting discussions (I'll note letter was addressed to son and not us).  Son was able to get in touch with Coach several days after he received the letter arrived.  By phone.  In addition to info about the letter, son asked if admissions had received his updates (sent in latest grades, which were strong and included several AP classes including the required AP Physics).  Coach said yes but that he was past the point in admissions where grades mattered and that he was in the 'faculty review' round (faculty are part of the admissions process here, which is somewhat unique).  Definitely not a guarantee of anything but all good news. 

My biggest takeaway from the process - students should establish a voice / video call relationship with Coach early in the process.  He made several suggestions about the application and essays, suggested some admissions seminars to attend, and pointed him to the regional representative to contact prior to application submission.  I don't know how much this stuff mattered but it definitely let my son build a relationship with Coach, and let him learn about what to expect from Coach in the future in terms of response time, level of interest, etc.  Do not expect important info to be communicated via text or other messaging.  They're not going to put it in writing.  Much more willing to give the student 'unoffical' info on a voice call, esp if they've developed that relationship.  Good luck!

That is amazing.  Your son got into Caltech!   You must be incredibly proud.  Personally I'd have a Caltech t-shirt , sweatshirt, and whatever other swag I could wear and parade around my city.  "Why yes... My son does go to Caltech.  How did you know?  Oh! I forgot I was wearing this."   

Semi related...  Have you ever noticed that when you meet someone who went to Stanford, they work it into the conversation within the first 5 minutes?  Test it out. 

I'm a Professor at another University so I'm going to have to keep my Caltech swag at home!  And yes, I deal with that all the time in my work - but it's usually when you ask someone where they went to school, they reply 'In Boston', ie Harvard.  Makes me insane!  In all seriousness, these schools are not that different - I used to work at an Ivy and the students at my current non-Ivy University are WAY better! Its more about finding the right fit.  Caltech is the right fit for my son because its going to give him the chance to geek out without consequence, push himself academically, AND continue his baseball career.  Very few places where all of those things were possible for him.  Fortunate that it worked out.

Congratulations!!

1. @Dadbelly2023 posted:

That is amazing.  Your son got into Caltech!   You must be incredibly proud.  Personally I'd have a Caltech t-shirt , sweatshirt, and whatever other swag I could wear and parade around my city.  "Why yes... My son does go to Caltech.  How did you know?  Oh! I forgot I was wearing this."   

Semi related...  Have you ever noticed that when you meet someone who went to Stanford, they work it into the conversation within the first 5 minutes?  Test it out.

I lived in the northeast until I was sixteen. I returned when I was thirty-eight. Ivy Leaguers have a tremendous ability to work it into the conversation. One told me Ivy Leaguers are taught things other top universities don’t teach students. I couldn’t help but ask, “How to be an intellectual snob?”

I don’t have anything against people who go to Ivies. It’s an accomplishment to get accepted. But once we’re adults and successful how much does it matter where we started? You could make an argument people who had to kick down the door versus having it opened for them are mentally tougher.

My education was next level down from Ivy. Some people see it as HA. I’ll stick with next level. There are high quality schools that aren’t Ivy, Duke, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Northwestern. I’m talking major universities, not small colleges.

As for hiring I preferred ex military and athletes. Lose is not in their vocabulary.

Congrats, Slamiti!  Best of luck to your son.  

I was born one dark and stormy night….

No, I’ll save my own random reminiscences for a more appropriate thread, if such a thing actually exists.