Vol. CXXIX, Issue 7

Ricketts Hovse hosted a Norse-themed interhouse party Saturday night, transforming the space with decorated columns, runic wall designs, and DJ booth styled in Ricketts’ signature gothic aesthetic.

I am currently sitting in front of my computer, definitely too late considering that I have to wake up at 6… and it is already the a.m., with me staring at a problem set that I intuitively understand is unsolvable, much like the broader equation of my life.

I received this writing assignment some time ago, but while trying to leave graduate school in one piece, it took longer than expected to sit down and write it. This opinion piece is aimed primarily at fellow Caltech undergraduates who are considering or applying to Ph.D. programs. Junior graduate students in their first few years, especially those interested in an academic research path, may also find it relevant, or at least unsettling.

“What do a Waring blender, a wooden toothpick, and CRISPR have in common?” This was the question that Prof. Dianne Newman asked during the first lecture in Microbial Genetics.