<p>2 for 2 but now what do I do? ADOCH at Brown is too late for "preferential housing" deadline at U of C. Lot's of pressure to go to an Ivy, closer to home in Boston (maybe too close), 2 ex girl friends at U of C (maybe too close). I'm a lefty liberal but like diversity in the debate - can't all be lefties at Brown, are they? </p>
<p>...any words of wisdom out there...</p>
<p>"Diversity in Debate" is a Chicago hallmark, and the school is big enough not to worry about running into people you don't want to see. </p>
<p>But these are not really considerations in comparison to the big decision you have to make about what you want your education to be like. Though many may disagree with me, I think that Brown and Chicago make good bedfellows, because both schools have the same ideal of "learning for the sake of learning" (albeit Brown and Chicago achieve those goals in opposite ways), and that both schools are known for a quirky student atmosphere.</p>
<p>Thanks, but what do you mean "Brown and Chicago achieve those goals in opposite ways"? Core curriculum vs. open format?</p>
<p>Good, I think that you see a lot of what I saw in the two schools when I was applying. I think people secretly thought I was crazy for applying to those two in particular, but I think you picked up on what I saw in them too. </p>
<p>At the moment, I am leaning towards Brown. After a seriously intense high school experience, I don't know if I'll be able to take the intensity at UChic, although in theory it sounds great. </p>
<p>BTW, I'm the actual person above. My father was trying to be clever and pose as me. I'd rather he not talk about some of the things he did in his original post, but now he can't delete it so it's there to stay. (He changed some things about me -- like the gender of my exes, and it definitely doesn't sum up the entirety of my inner debate about all this. Actually, the point about variety in debate was something I hadn't even thought about for half a year. Whatever, I wouldn't mind others' opinions in the Brown vs. UChicago matter, even if it isn't presented as I would present it.)</p>
<p>But what I really need to know is about the differences between the two schools. I don't want to be scared off of UChicago's intensity because their attitude towards learning is what I liked about it. I also like that it's not an Ivy, but just a good education. </p>
<p>I just don't know.</p>
<p>Thanks, I'll be me now.</p>
<p>The open curriculum/ core is precisely what I meant in terms of opposite philosophies. A Brown person may consider Chicago's core intellectual babysitting, but Chicago students see it as a way to expand into new disciplines without the trappings of survey courses. (Core courses are "great books" style-- my humanities core class has covered everything from the Iliad to one of Shakespeare's lesser-known plays, and my social sciences core has done everything from Marx to Freud).</p>
<p>It's important to point out that Chicago students WANT CORE as much as Brunonians WANT FREE CURRICULUM. The core is not something that students resent or rally against-- if anything, the Chicago Maroon wrote an editorial about how the sciences options should be more intensive than they are presently.</p>
<p>And... though there is a math requirement, it doesn't mean you have to take calc-- you can take comp sci or stats instead. You can get your physical sciences and bio sciences out of the way with non-technical classes.</p>
<p>You're a current UChicago student?</p>
<p>indeed. you can PM me for more Chicago-specific questions.</p>
<p>People absolutely love Brown whereas Chicago has a lot of unhappy students. In terms of prestige, Brown is more prestigious than Chicago at the undergraduate level. I think the open curriculum is great, and Brown students do extremely well in graduate school admissions and career placement despite the less restrictive curriculum.</p>
<p>Go to Brown...it can get really depressing in Chicago (not the school, but the city..because of the weather).</p>
<p>I'd choose Brown, much more community and fun with equal academic value.</p>
<p>OK - “daughter teaches dad about chat etiquette, and ethics.” Sorry for the indiscretion. We never stop learning, but some of us are a lot thicker than others.</p>
<p>Data mostly drawn from USNWR</p>
<p>OBJECTIVE DATA</p>
<p>Undergraduate Enrollment:
Brown: 6176 U Chicago: 4671</p>
<p>Cost (Tuition & Fees):
Brown: $34,620 U Chicago: $34,005</p>
<p>Graduation & Retention Rank
Brown: 3rd U Chicago: 20th
-% of Students expected to graduate in 6 years:
Brown: 93% U Chicago: 91%
-% of students who do graduate in 6 years:
Brown: 95% U Chicago: 91%</p>
<p>Faculty Resources Rank:
Brown: 18th U Chicago: 6th
-% of classes with 50+ students
Brown: 10% U Chicago: 5%
-% of classes with <20 students
Brown: 67% U Chicago: 66%
-Faculty/student ratio
Brown: 9/1 U Chicago: 7/1</p>
<p>Student Selectivity Rank:
Brown: 10th U Chicago: 22nd
-Average SAT/ACT:
Brown: 1330-1540 U Chicago: 1350-1530
-% of students ranking in top 10% of high school class
Brown: 90% U Chicago: 79%
-% acceptance rate
Brown: 15% U Chicago: 40%</p>
<h1>of NMS Finalists from 2005:</h1>
<p>Brown: 76 U Chicago: 196</p>
<h1>of 1500 scorers enrolled:</h1>
<p>Brown: 1998 (32% of student body) U Chicago: 1501 (32%)</p>
<p>Financial Resources Rank:
Brown: 27th U Chicago: 10th </p>
<p>Alumni Giving % and Rank:
Brown: 38% (10th) U Chicago: 33% (20th)</p>
<p>SUBJECTIVE DATA</p>
<p>Peer Assessment:
Brown: 4.4 U Chicago: 4.7</p>
<p>U Chicago loses on some of the objective measures, eg, overcoming a high acceptance rate (I think most observers acknowledge that the applicant pool is more self-selecting than other schools) and a comparatively low Graduation & Retention rank, perhaps indicating a more difficult academic environment during the undergraduate years. Brown benefits nicely from its high G/R rank, high selectivity rank and high alumni giving rank. The SAT scores for each school are among the very highest in the country and the student bodies of both schools are exceptional in almost anyone's book. Among academics, as indicated by the subjective PA score, U Chicago is a favorite and scores below only three other schools (HYP) and only two others (Caltech, UCB) score at the same level. </p>
<p>Obviously, these are two of America's top colleges. Congratulations on your acceptances and good luck wherever you land.</p>
<p>"People absolutely love Brown whereas Chicago has a lot of unhappy students."</p>
<p>The people who think Chicago is an unhappy place are those that don't attend it. While they see students flocking to the library for a torture session, I see students active, engaged, and involved with the material, students who went through high school thinking that they were the only ones who actually ever liked integral calculus and were awake in class when everybody else was asleep. Those kids are here, and they are absolutely ecstatic to be in an environment where other students are just as passionate about their own intellectual pursuits.</p>
<p>There is also no typical Chicago student: too many times I've seen people I've stereotyped as stupid by their fraternity/sorority paraphernalia get really intense about Chinese art and Stanley Kubrick. I've seen kids with dreadlocks, piercings, and hair dye talk about Marx. I've seen fashionistas give me the lowdown on Jewish literature and "America's Next Top Model." </p>
<p>We don't all have that much in common, we don't even all study or do homework. What we do have in common, though is an appreciation and a respect for what's going on inside the classroom.</p>
<p>^^^ while this may or may not be a fair representation of the life of a typical UChicago student, one thing is pretty undeniable:</p>
<p>students at Brown generally love it there:</p>
<ul>
<li>Ranked no. 1 Happiest Students (Princeton Review)</li>
<li>Ranked no. 18 Best Quality of Life (Princeton Review)</li>
</ul>
<p>the schools that typically rank highly on those lists year in and year out generally don't change:</p>
<p>Brown, Princeton, Stanford, Dartmouth, Amherst</p>
<p>the point? there IS a difference between LOVING a school and NOT hating it. to provide my own anecdotal evidence all of my friends who went to Brown absolutely loved it there, whereas i can't give that same endorsement to those of my friends who ended up going to UChicago.</p>
<p>both are absolutely fantastic schools nonetheless, so really it comes down to a matter of "fit" (as with most things).</p>
<p>Haha, my friends at Brown also love Brown. I really can't talk smack about the school.</p>
<p>(On a side note, I looked up Chicago's rankings on PR. It doesn't place in the top 20 for happiest students, but it's #1 in Overall Academic Quality and Brown doesn't place in the top 20. I tend to think the PR rankings are bogus, anyway, but at least they rely on current college students for their information.)</p>
<p>The funniest thing about these two schools is that they are constantly fighting against common perceptions: Chicago will always, always be considered as the school "Where Fun Comes to Die," and Brown as a slacker school.</p>
<p>For every time I've been infuriated by somebody going, "CHICAGO? REALLY? ARE YOU STILL ALIVE? IS YOUR HEAD OKAY?" , I'm sure there are several Brown students who are infuriated by somebody going, "BROWN? REALLY? DID YOU DO, LIKE ANY WORK EVER? DID YOU SMOKE UP ALL THE TIME AND PLAY THE BONGOS?"</p>
<p>I think there is more of Brown's spirit in Chicago and more of Chicago's spirit in Brown than is given credit for.</p>
<p>So yes, maybe from here it's all a question of fit.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The funniest thing about these two schools is that they are constantly fighting against common perceptions: Chicago will always, always be considered as the school "Where Fun Comes to Die"
[/quote]
Well, it's not like they don't promote that reputation (i.e. Chicago: Hell does freeze over, Chicago: where the only thing that goes down on you is your GPA, Chicago: the level of Hell Dante forgot, Suicide Prevention Day, etc.).</p>
<p>I love the GPA one, but my second fave is
Chicago: Where the squirrels are more aggressive than the men</p>
<p>oh haha i just saw that this thread is mad old. i used a search, so i wasn't even paying attention to that, but now i feel like the Mary Shelley of CC or something</p>
<p>I'm a freshman at Chicago. I love the people and the academics, but I don't think anyone can deny the brutal toll that the winter takes upon its students. I'm right in the midst of it now. The colder it gets, the more we tend to drink.</p>