<p>Obviously I can't say if my decision has paid off yet, but so far I've been really happy with it, and I'd love to tell anyone why I eventually chose UChicago. I got into UC early action in December and Harvard and Brown in April, but the debate had been raging in my mind since December. Eventually, in very very late April, I officially enrolled at UChicago. If anyone has any "why UChicago?" questions for someone who just went through the college application process, I'm at your disposal!</p>
<p>Youve basically already asked it…Why did you pick UChicago?</p>
<p>Ha alright, I guess I did. Well, here’s an essay. Keep in mind, I will be keeping this entire post relative to other top colleges, since that’s how my mindset has been functioning ever since I started to think about it.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The Core. I know this the antagonist of many current students, and I’m sure at one point in my UC career I will learn to despise it, but in the long run, your education is the real lasting value of college, and I don’t think there are any schools as academically-focused as UChicago is. I’m down for a couple years of extra stress if it means spending the rest of my life as a more knowledgeable and well-rounded individual. </p></li>
<li><p>The city. Chicago is an amazing place, and I can’t wait to get to know it. I’m really into music (God that sounds pretentious), but almost once a week a band that I really love is playing in Chicago. Not to mention the theater (another interest of mine), the city life in general, and internship opportunities.</p></li>
<li><p>This might be a little subjective, but the student body seemed to really click with me more than at any other school. Of course, I only visited for a weekend, but people seemed to be really active, and even studying looked more social than other schools. Maybe that’s another perk of so many required courses: a culture of people helping each other in their strong fields. Also, I got to witness a lot of discussions, and it simply seems different than the other places I visited and most other situations I’ve ever been in. I can’t even really describe it. It’s just…smarter. Again, this is a huge generalization based on limited experience. But there really is an air of intellectual curiosity at UChicago that I just didn’t witness anywhere else.</p></li>
<li><p>A somewhat minor point, but I’ve read a lot about professors and RA’s at UChicago really being involved with undergrads. I’ve seen several accounts of professors giving feedback longer than the actual papers they reviewed. This is a huge plus for me, since I often work with teachers before I turn in assignments to end up with the best possible end product. Although I’ve heard it’s not a big problem at Brown, professors are notoriously hard to reach at Harvard.</p></li>
<li><p>Again, somewhat subjective, but I’ve grown to really like how UChicago’s just a little bit different. I’ve been on the East coast my entire life, so now’s a good time to switch it up.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Sorry, it took me forever to write that up. I had lots of distractions haha. I’m open for any more questions, and I might add more if I later remember anything I forgot to mention.</p>
<p>Also, a big worry I had when exploring colleges was whether I’d be able to have fun (i.e. drink and party) at UChicago. But it’s certainly possible, and I’m actually glad it’s not as popular as it is on most campuses. There’s certainly enough of a frat scene to have fun, but I think the sheen will wear off after a couple months, at least for me.</p>
<p>Thanks, never really thought about the core like that.</p>
<p>About your gap year? Could you tell me more about that. Like do schools just simply allow you to take gap years or did you have to sign up for some program, etc.?</p>
<p>You chose UChicago over Harvard and Brown?
…You made the right decision. ;)</p>
<p>wow - haha - enjoy your gap year man - see you on campus in two years!</p>
<p>How’d your fin aid look for the three schools?</p>
<p>Confucian: It was easy, really. I didn’t decide I wanted to take a gap year until early April, and didn’t even tell UChicago until mid May. I just sent an email explaining why I want to take a gap year, what programs I’ll be traveling with, etc. It was only a paragraph long. A week or two later I got a letter saying that I’ve been enrolled in the class of 2016.</p>
<p>OxalisWombo: I didn’t apply for financial aid, so this wasn’t a concern in my decision.</p>
<p>your post history indicates some serious DID whaaaaa?</p>
<p>i have really average grades an my sat scores were also not very great, about 2000. i would really like to go to brown but i was not sure if i even have a shot at gettting in there. and if i should even keep in on my list. what do you think i should do?</p>
<p>soulful, what is DID? I’m actually very new to this website; my friend showed it to me the other day and when I expressed interest he gave me his account, stupid name and all. Don’t really know why; I feel like it causes more confusion than anything else. But he insisted.</p>
<p>lohiaaditi, it’s totally your call. Plenty of people who are qualified don’t get in, and some people who aren’t qualified do get in. If Brown’s your first choice, just go for it. Better to get denied than to always wonder. That said, I won’t chance you or anything. I don’t believe in “chances” concerning something as mysterious as college applications, and worrying about your chances isn’t going to get you in.</p>
<p>What did you think about the student populations at Harvard and Brown, personality-wise? P.S. I’ve visited H and UC, and I would probably make the same decision as you (though I’m not applying to Brown), though I don’t know many other people who would.</p>
<p>chrome16, I think on the whole, Harvard kids seemed pretty competitive and career-oriented, and Brown students were typically “normal” kids: balanced and cheerful. There were a considerable number of Brown students who seemed pretty ditzy, something I didn’t see at either UC or H. That said, they were the easiest to immediately get along with and jump into a conversation. It’s a really down-to-earth school, and the student population seemed happier than almost every school I visited (which includes Duke, Stanford, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Vanderbilt and UGA).</p>
<p>Back to Harvard, the students were very friendly, like all college students. People were also very modest, a good trait for any Harvard student to have. However, like I mentioned earlier, they also seemed very competitive, in a play-your-cards-close-to-your-chest kind of way. The final clubs, for example, being so difficult to join, seemed to cause a division between “final club kids” and “non-final club kids.” Maybe that’s because the person I stayed with was in one, though. Still, some typical conversations I’d sit in on included sentiments like, “I don’t know how X got this position and Y didn’t.” Nothing really harsh, but there were certainly undercurrents of mistrust that I picked up on.</p>
<p>Haha no hate - that cleared me up. I have a question about supp writing. Sup. If you remember, approx how long (a page double-spaced, two?) was your “Why do you want to go to UChicago?” essay? There is no relative guideline on the Common App…</p>
<p>^^EXACTLY how I felt when I visited. Glad to see I’m not crazy 
Thanks for the detailed response. Could you elaborate on what characteristic(s) of UChicago students made them “click” with you? By the way, what is your field of interest/prospective major? Thanks again for answering!</p>
<p>soulful, my “Why UC?” essay was 379 words. I just tried to be honest and wrote until I reached “enough.” I didn’t try to shorten or lengthen it, really. If you feel like you’re dragging, then stop, and if you have more to say, say it.</p>
<p>chrome, no problem! I’m glad to help. 
My prospective major is Philosophy. In terms of careers, I’m caught between trying my hand at being a writer (the risky, unorthodox approach to life) or a lawyer (the less risky but still interesting approach) (I want to be “the good guy lawyer,” not the “the corporate lawyer with a Lamborghini”). Now, for the student body at UChicago:
People are generally quieter at UChicago than at other schools. There were a couple people who would complain about the workload, but those same people insisted I come. Sarcasm seemed to be a second language to many students. Lots of conversations about, for example, the food in the cafeteria, would go extremely deep, almost to the point of absurdity, and then diverge to something totally different. It was like every conversation was a discussion-based class. The students also seemed more straightforward than at other campuses. Small talk wasn’t common, but almost everyone had something to say. Some were socially awkward, but the majority were simply reserved. I will say that setting up beer pong in one girl’s room was among the most awkward experiences I’ve had in a while, although I think my host was kind of forcing it to prove how much “fun” UChicago students can have. Once we got started, it was a blast.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for sharing Sounds a lot like my high school (that’s also what I said n times during the info session before the UChicago tour lol)</p>
<p>Thanks for your post SmallGarbageBag UChicago will be lucky to have you! You are the type of student that make up the student body applicants choose UChicago for. Good luck with your gap year!</p>
<p>Thanks! At this point I’m extremely excited for my gap year, and even more excited for UChicago. The next five years will be good. :)</p>