Caltech

Farewell Prefrosh and Good Luck!

Saturday was the final day of Prefrosh Weekend. There were activities planned out for the entire day that included lunch and dinner (which made students very happy because that meant that we didn't need to go out or cook for ourselves). All day various groups were hosting events for the Prefrosh. Dabney Hovse had  tie-dye T-shirt party. The Rock-Paper-Scissors club hosted a tournament during the barbecue lunch:

That's the tournament and here is the barbecue:
Tom Mannion, the man who among many things teaches the famous cooking class made lunch with his crew.

During dinner we had live music and later that night more houses hosted more events. Blacker Hovse had a Quidditch game and Page House (my house) had Midnight Wieners (actually at 10pm). There were many things going on that day but you could tell that Prefrosh Weekend was coming to a close as suitcases were heard rolling around campus. It was somewhat melancholy because the weekend worked out so well and now it was obviously finishing during the weekend it seemed that the Prefrosh were enjoying themselves. It was a bit strange being on the other side of things being a Frosh and remembering that one year ago I was going through the same things as the current Prefrosh. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy Prefrosh Weekend this year. In fact, I had a great time being on campus and meeting the Prefrosh and their parents. Finally being a Techer only helped me connect more to some of the Prefrosh more because I could understand what their concerns were and I could also see what the answers to most of these concerns were. I must conclude that the Class of 2014 seems to be a fun and bright class so all of us here are waiting for you guys next year! I wish you the best of luck in you college decisions and I wish that you are happy with your final choice.

Once Prefrosh Weekend ended the campus seemed especially quiet. First, the roaming Prefrosh were gone. Second, there was no more music or other sounds that are necessary to entertain Prefrosh. Finally, all the Techers buckled down to work. During the weekend earplugs sometimes did the job but then again, it was Prefrosh Weekend and I felt that since I enjoyed it so much last year, I should participate in it this year to make sure that other Prefrosh enjoy it too. So, the beginning of the week was especially busy so I had no time to mope about the end of a fun three days. However, tomorrow (Friday) will be a type of make-up Prefrosh Weekend and I think I'll be having lunch with more pre-parents tomorrow!

Cheers and good luck with upcoming AP/IB exams if you're taking them! (If you're nervous about starting college, at least keep in mind that you won't have any AP/IB Exams to stress about. Of course, you'll have Caltech exams if you come here but that's a whole other story.)

Nina.

Prefrosh Weekend: Day Two.

A year ago I was having the best time of my life yet! In all those senior questionnaires asking about my best High School experience, I always gave two replies: getting the early decision acceptance letter from Caltech and going to Caltech's Prefrosh Weekend. This time, I'm on the other side of things doing what I can to make sure that other Prefrosh are having a blast. I never thought that such a fun and memorable event like Prefrosh Weekend could be so tiring (for reasons other than eating donuts at midnight and running around the campus in the single digits of the morning for various entertaining reasons). Hanna and I hosted three Prefrosh this week - one stayed in our room for one night before the other two arrived and then she moved to a neighboring room. At the beginning of the school year Hanna and I already decided that we wanted to host Prefrosh this year so I had a good reason to get a couch. The couch looks deceptively small but it folds out into a sizable bed that can perfectly fit two Prefrosh!

So, as Techers we also want to enjoy Prefrosh Weekend, or at least make it enjoyable for the Prefrosh. Many students are participating in concerts such as the One-Act Plays, the Jazz Concert, etc. Others volunteer directly by doing things such as helping arriving Prefrosh find their rooms. On Friday I volunteered to have lunch with parents and answer any of their questions. Prefrosh, you may not think it, but your parents are really proud of you. If they don't want to show this pride to you, they do find great joy in showing it to others when you aren't around (sorry parents)! Friday was still a weekday so classes were still going. This allowed Prefrosh to sit in on some classes but it also reminded Techers that we still have work to do besides entertaining Prefrosh. Many professors adapted Friday's lectures to make them more visual. For example, our Physics professor fried an egg to demonstrate electromagnetic induction!  

 

Our Physics lecture hall filling up.

Later on Friday there was the Club Fair with many of Caltech's clubs advertising themselves. There was more free food, cotton candy, and one of those huge inflatable slides. The club fair was followed by an In-N-Out dinner for which Caltech ordered In-N-Out trailers to campus. In case you're not from California, Arizona, New Mexico or Utah, In-N-Out is an excellent fast-food restaurant that began just west of Pasadena and is famous for its amazing burgers! In case you don't believe me that In-N-Out is so fantastic, look how long the line was on Friday!

 

The whole campus takes advantage of this yearly meal!

Here's a wishful Prefrosh waiting for his burger and standing among former Prefrosh.

That same evening several Houses hosted their own events. Avery had a Mafia Night, Blacker had its traditional "Blacker Deconstruction" in their courtyard: they have a competition between Prefrosh and Techers to see which team can deconstruct a piano the fastest. A piano is deconstructed if all of its parts and pieces can fit through a whole perhaps eight inches in diameter. Unfortunately I was not able to get pictures of these events because as a non-Prefrosh, I had work to do. Since my room is in a rather downtown location of Caltech, I could hear everything that went on all day from my room so finally I got out m earplugs and buckled down. However, I did take a break to see one of my favorite events from last year: Ruddock's event. Ruddock House builds a mini-golf course going through its hallways every year. There are various obstacles such as a giant pinball machine. The course starts on the first floor and makes its way continuosly up to the second floor. In its way, the course passes an indoor hot tub.This hot tub exists only during Prefrosh Weekend. It is actually a Frosh room with all of its furniture taken out. The room is flooded with water and the water is kept circulating and is chlorinated for cleanliness. Here are some photos:

Well, now I've got to get back to work to make sure that this enjoyable Prefrosh Weekend doesn't take a heavy toll on me next week!

Cheers,

Nina.

I Spy...

Yesterday (Thursday) was the official beginning of Prefrosh Weekend! In the past few weeks we have been seeing more and more Prefrosh wandering around campus but on Thursday several hundred of them swarmed in to check out Caltech - their prospective home for the next few years.

I believe that the longer you stay here, the better you get at spotting the Prefrosh in crowds. To simplify tings, Caltech gives them orange lanyards to wear but things can still get confusing sometimes. Try to see i you can spot the true Prefrosh as they explore the amazing world of Caltech!

 
 

This is a genuine Prefrosh but he has decided to not wear his tell-tale lanyard.

 

Now this is a Frosh pretending to be a happy Prefrosh.

 

This one can't get more real!

  Happy Prefrosh about to have dinner in Page House!

 

Hey, some Prefrosh fit right in!
 

Now that's a Prefrosh!

 

More Prefrosh chilling - maybe the outside world that they're still fresh from isn't that different!

By the way, I checked with all these Prefrosh that I can use their photos!

Well, now I'm running of to In-N-Out dinner. Caltech has ordered In-N-Out trailers to campus and everyone gets to enjoy this! I'll write more about Prefrosh Weekend as the weekend progresses!

Cheers,

Nina.