I dunno, how about pursuing careers as scientists rather than as hacks for the finance industry? Is that "gravely wrong"? And as far as being close to a prospe

I dunno, how about pursuing careers as scientists rather than as hacks for the finance industry? Is that "gravely wrong"? And as far as being close to a prosperous city -- that is because Caltech is near the world hub of the entertainment industry. A Caltech education is mostly irrelevant to finding employment there.