加州理工学院(California Institute of Technology)是美国的一所久负盛名的大学，位于加利福尼亚州的帕萨蒂纳(Pasadena)，创建于1891年。这所学校规模不算大，只有1000余名研究生和900余名本科生，《泰晤士报高等教育增刊》2009年世界大学排名名列哈佛、斯坦福、耶鲁之后。而在物理、行星科学、地学领域公认为全美第一。美国Princeton Review在2006把加州理工学院在全美“最难申请上的大学”里排名第六。
下面来看看加州理工学院本科申请要求及申请短文题目。
申请要求Request ：
· SAT: Critical Reading, Math, and Writing OR ACT: (with or without the optional writing section) AND SAT Subject Tests: Mathematics Level 2 and one of the following Subject Tests: Biology (Ecological), Biology (Molecular), Chemistry, or Physics
· TOEFL
· Two Teacher Evaluation We require one letter from a humanities or social science teacher and one letter from a math or science teacher.
· School Report
· Mid Year Report
· Personal Essay
申请短文Essay：
Please write an essay (250 words minimum) on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below. Please indicate your topic by checking the appropriate box. This personal essay helps us become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself.
· 1) Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
· 2) Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
· 3) Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
· 4) Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
· 5) A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
· 6) Topic of your choice.
