tony

nice! i'm looking forward to meeting you too!

But who will get an offer from MIT and decline it? If no one is doing that, even if you are top of the waiting list, you still won't get the offer...

i'll definitely vote for caltech! first of all, the campus of caltech is super nice! i'm studying in caltech, and i've been to berkeley for summer exchange, so i also know the environment near berkeley or san francisco quite well. berkeley and san francisco are definitely good places to live in, but pasadena is just fantastic! it's both quiet and comfortable, and there is also night life if you go to hollywood or in the old town of pasadena, which is a splendid place to have a drink. all the houses in pasadena are gorgeous, since the neighborhood of caltech is full of rich people, and you can go for a very nice run around the area when you need some relaxation. personally, i find berkeley is not comparable in this sense. secondly, the relationship between caltech and jpl is so close that you almost can't distinguish the two. many graduates will go to jpl for work after they get their phd, which is just a fantastic place for science research. thirdly, the ranking of caltech in applied mathematics is higher with a smaller faculty, showing that they are all the leading characters in their respective fields! besides, the academic atmosphere in caltech is very strong, since everyone here is either in the academia or is going to enter the academia. you can always find people from all different areas of science and engineering to talk to, and they are always ready for a highly intellectual discussion! so caltech is definitely the right place for you!