<p>Thank you, corranged. I guess the point you are making is that this forum lacks any objectivity whatosever and that people come here to feel better about whatever they are already inclined to do. " I like Chicago, so let me ask questions here so that these people tell me what a great place it is, how it would be a fit for me and then I will feel much better about my decision."</p>
<p>meow360- refrain yourself. Corranged and ohio_mom are doing a good job trying to make some intelligent observations. Please, do not ruin their efforts and make the discussion look stupid.</p>
<p>If you paid attention to the posts in this forum, you would see that the vast majority of questions are sincere and by potential students who have real worries or questions about different aspects of the school. Most students posting (at least until high school seniors past May 1) do not know where they want to go to school, and they value getting their questions answered by current students who like the school. </p>
<p>The point I was making in my last post is that looking for an objective opinion about a college is, frankly, an idiotic and pointless endeavor.</p>
<p>
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Most students posting (at least until high school seniors past May 1) do not know where they want to go to school, and they value getting their questions answered by current students who like the school.
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</p>
<p>May I ask you then, how asking questions here is going to be of any help to those students, if, as you have already acknowledged:</p>
<p>
[quote]
The point I was making in my last post is that looking for an objective opinion about a college is, frankly, idiotic and pointless.
<p>The students posting are not looking for opinions that are "objective." They are looking for opinions or answers from current students or other applicants.</p>
<p>From my first post:
[quote]
Since when do objective opinions about a college exist, anyway? Evaluating a University is not something that can be boiled down to numbers or condensed into some kind of anthropological study. I think that all of the students who post on this board know that they are getting views from a certain, naturally baised source. The key is to factor in the inherent bias present in any opinion and gather information from a variety of sources. I think all of these students do that in one way or another. There is no single truth in matters of opinion and experience.
<p>^^^^^LOL...
[quote]
The students posting are not looking for opinions that are "objective." They are looking for opinions from current students or other applicants.
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<p>That comment of yours reflect part of the problem with the forum. How dare you say something like that? Who are you to know what students posting here are looking for or not?</p>
<p>I agree with you that it is difficult being objective and that we all have our personal biases. I think that recognizing that fact is important and helpful.</p>
<p>You won't find objective opinions, but what you can do is find a diversity of opinions, read them skeptically, and then come to an approximate truth. Why don't you:</p>
<p>1) Ask the questions that you have about the school here on the forum; see how students and parents answer them (none of us are inclined to answer each other in the same way, we aren't part of some grand conspiracy).</p>
<p>2) Contact the official prospective students e-mail address with those same questions: <a href="mailto:psac@uchicago.edu">psac@uchicago.edu</a></p>
<p>3) See how your questions are addressed using the various "official" college guidebooks out there.</p>
<p>4) Ask the same questions about Chicago under the "College Search" bar.</p>
<p>That way, you'll be able to hear lots and lots of different voices. Where there is the most overlap is what you will find to be the most "objective." You might also like posting on the College Search forums because there are posters out there with absolute vendettas against Chicago-- maybe hearing from them might counterbalance those of us who are proud of our school?</p>
<p>jack4640....If being a troll is being assertive and not intimidated by stupid remarks like yours, then yes. By the way, you are looking very smart and intelligent. Keep it up. I am sure that a lot of prospective students will be impressed by that...especially the really smart ones that can follow a debate.</p>
<p>amykins..you are right. Perhaps I phrased my question wrong. However, I really do not get why it is so hard to have a good discussion here and why the lack of diversity of opinions? Why is everyone so defensive? That attitude just turns posters away..( Look at the comments from jack4640 ! )</p>
<p>Someone just PM me and told me "do not bother with those people in the forum". At the end....yea, who cares? But do you people think you are helping the school image any with that attitude?</p>
<p>It has already been established that a more productive conversation is not possible in this forum. I am interested in hearing from those who may have a different view than what you, jack and others are capable of sharing. You guys are way too predictable and I am amazingly able to anticipate what any of you may say. I appreciate those who are sending me PM messages. That's all. Let the thread die.</p>
<p>I know, I know, this thread should be left alone to die a slow and painful death. But I needed to address something.</p>
<p>You came on here, the University of Chicago forum, for an objective view on the school? Now really, what are the chances of someone who doesn't like Chicago to waste their time here? Really? </p>
<p>And if you are so amazingly able to anticipate what everyone will say, you must have known from the beginning that you wouldn't get the answer you wanted. </p>
<p>And, to quote another poster in this thread whose name escapes me at the moment, what in the world is an "objective view"? Anywhere you look you're going to get an opinion! Some will think Chicago is a godsend; others will think it's a school for anti-social nerds that use big words in everyday conversation. An "objective" view would be only something like, as meow said, "I saw a student reading a book."</p>
Actually, he reminds me rather strongly of my TOK teacher in high school. By the end of the year, we felt that we knew as much about his son as he did! :p</p>
<p>(This is not an attack on idad, by the way.)</p>
<p>I disagree with the claims that so many of the usual posters are making about the inability of anyone to have an "objective view". If that comment is coming from some parents, then there is a lot more to worry about. There are many situations in life that will demand of us to be objective or at least to attempt to be. It was not my intention to discuss that point or not, but as usual, it is very hard to stick to a point in question here.</p>
<p>Perhaps I phrased my question wrong (as I have stated before) and unintentionally touched upon some sensitivities. The pretentiousness of some people here is quiet striking. The posters here do not represent UChicago, nor are they representative of what the students, parents, professors at UChicago are like. They are voicing their opinions and whether biased or not, that is not the point I am arguing. We are all entitled to our own. Do not attack people who do not share your views. I think is kind of funny how some students posters take the answers to their questions as the gospel. Some people are rather naive, I guess.</p>
<p>Only in this forum can the attack of a former senator, in the UChicago area, can be spinned as something positive for the University. That was quiet hysterical.</p>
<p>As far as the reasons why people post here or ask questions, stop making assumptions.....You end up making an..... Well, you know.</p>
<p>Serchingon, if this school does not appeal to you, if you think we are pretentious, if you think we don't answer questions clearly or well, you have every right not to apply to the school and not to consider it. </p>
<p>You know that the people who float around on these forums are doing this pro bono, and we're not in the business of making everybody like us-- we're here to attract the students who are right for the school and to answer silly, nagging questions. Check out some of the other threads, where students have asked questions about core, about student life, about specific processes and activities, and look at how the posters have helped the prospective students out.</p>
<p>Chicago does not, I repeat, does not appeal to everyone, nor do we want to. Some students, I'm sure, do consider us snobs, and I guess in a certain "Let's talk about Marx and Kant" kind of way, we are. I think a lot of people think academic name-dropping and a schoolwide sarcasm epidemic is pretentious. I think people who care too much about the way they look and their careers are pretentious.</p>
<p>amykins, just because I think that "you are pretentious, do not answer questions clearly or well, etc.".... will have nothing to with the appeal of the school to me and with the fact of whether "I decide to apply, consider it or not". That will be to give you too much credit, credit that you do not deserve. Fortunately, I am smart enough and have enough common sense to realize that none of you are representative of the school and that it is likely impossible that most students of UChicago or their parents are like some of you. (Thank God and the adcoms for that). What I think of the CC posters in this forum, does not influence AT ALL what I think of the University. I just hope that the rest of the readers are not mislead by the misrepresentation.</p>