TechSupport

TechSupport is a student-led undergraduate mentoring program designed to help welcome the first year undergraduate students and integrate them into the Caltech community through upperclassmen connections. First year students are invited to sign up to learn about a wide range of activities that go on at Caltech, and will be connected to upperclassmen mentors who will serve as resources and provide them with the knowledge they need to succeed.

TechSupport is spearheaded by student leaders Paulina Ridland, Alex Guerra and Irene Crowell.

Additional information is provided below. If you have any questions, please email TechSupport at techsupport-mentoring@caltech.edu.

Frosh Sign-Up

Mentor Application

How does TechSupport work?

Each freshman participant is paired with an upperclassmen mentor, who they can virtually meet with individually, or with an assigned group of 1-3 other frosh/upperclassmen pairs. By providing specific points of contact in small group settings, freshmen can get guidance on topics as broad as an overview of what life at Caltech is like, or as specific as asking for help on a given assignment. The program is organized such that even if the specific upperclassmen cannot answer all the questions, they can serve as a pipeline to put frosh in contact with the groups on campus who can. In this way, TechSupport can not only put frosh in contact with other students who share the same interests as them, but also with a broader community of students and faculty who make their time at Caltech great!

FAQ: Frosh Asked Questions

Dear Frosh: You're not alone! Your TechSupporter can help you with many commonly asked questions:

Registering for Classes

How do I register for classes? Which classes should I register for? Will I get the class I need? What if I don't? How do I pick a major? Can I quadruple major in Math, Physics, ChemE, and EE?

Pass/Fail

How does P/F work? What can I P/F? How can I tell if I can P/F a class? What if I want to P/F it after term starts? Am I going to fail? (Hint: probably not)

Analytical vs Practical

Is Analytical or Practical Math/Physics better for my major/me?

Set Extensions

When/how can I get an extension? How do I write an email to a Professor/TA/Dean? I can't keep up with my extensions; what are my options?

Imposter Syndrome

What is it, and how does it affect people? Do upperclassmen have it?

Social Life at Caltech

Is it possible? What can it look like?

Work/Life Balance

How do I balance my academics, social life, and extracurricular activities? (And how do I do it while sleeping?)

Extracurricular Activities: Clubs, Houses, Campus Leadership, Sports

What activities are available to me? How much of a time commitment are they?

Group Specific Support: International Students, Women, LGBTQ+, Cultural Groups (Religion and Minority Groups)

How do I get involved/what support is there? What challenges have you faced as an upperclassman, and how did you approach them?

Mentor Expectations

Mentors will be required to attend one of the following 1-hour training sessions:

Tuesday, October 13 at 5:00pm PDTThursday, October 15 at 12:00pm PDT

Mentor and mentee matches will be made by committee based on overlap of areas of interest and time commitment expectations of both parties.

Mentors are expected to follow the guidelines outlined during training and may reach out to the TechSupport committee and/or the Office of Residential Experience for any questions, resources or other support to assist them in their mentor relationships.