Most of the pranks in Real Genius were actual pranks done at Caltech in the 1970s. The McDonald's prank, for example. I don't recall Caltech having any ethics

Most of the pranks in Real Genius were actual pranks done at Caltech in the 1970s. The McDonald's prank, for example. I don't recall Caltech having any ethics classes. Caltech did have an honor system, however, which was surprisingly effective.