I graduated from Caltech. The suicide rate there used to be worse, especially among incoming freshmen who, after being in the top 0.1% of their classes, suddenly find themselves normally distributed for the first time and getting not A+'s. This is why incoming freshmen take their first quarter pass/fail and their second quarter with "shadow" grades.
The school itself is very challenging, much more so than even the closest competitor (MIT). Students there are generally exhausted from working hard and playing hard and there is a culture of depression and self-loathing there. I was generally surprised to not see more suicides there to be honest.
The school itself is very challenging, much more so than even the closest competitor (MIT). Students there are generally exhausted from working hard and playing hard and there is a culture of depression and self-loathing there. I was generally surprised to not see more suicides there to be honest.