I think the culture at Chicago has changed quite a bit and isn’t the intensely intellectual hothouse it once was even just a decade ago. I fear you’ll be put off from choosing it because ppl are emphasizing “it’s where fun goes to die.” One girl whom I volunteered to help with college apps just graduated from Chicago. I was concerned when she applied bc she had a 29 aCT, UW GPA of around a 3.2 (mostly Bs, a couple of As, a couple of Cs) no honors or AP classes, little ECs (she was an URM). She had learning issues but was tutored for reading disability & her act for a year (her father, it turned out, owned 4 McDonalds & could well afford the top NY tutors). I didn’t think she could make it at uchicago. She just graduated in 4 years time and with a much higher GPA than she had in high school. Uchicago resources helped her quite a bit, even gave her a note taker for all her classes. And she could do well while still partying. When I saw her after her first semester, I asked how it was going. Among the things she told me was that she was introduced to Jell-O shots at frat parties, lol. She also met her BF at a frat event and they seem very happy.
Anyway, I just read a thread that discusses now Chicago is changing because its frat culture is expanding. One of the posters is a current student and I think a reliable source of insider info.
So, don’t be too fearful that you won’t see the sun or the moon for the next 4 years should you choose Chicago. Choose it because it’s an academic fit, because you really want a core, and you think you’ll find your peeps. And maybe you should add a post in the linked thread to ask about what the social life is actually like there in the present day:
UChicago’s brand in the busines world is helped greatly by it’s top Law School and Booth School of Business. It’s seen as a very serious place where where students are exposed to all viewpoints and ideas… Brown is has a rep of being that weird hippie school with no core curriculum requirements…
Both are excellent choices. Have you been formally recruited for your sport and met your future teammates? You will be spending a lot of time together with a Div 1 schedule, so you should make sure the fit is right.Official visits would be a way to attend class at each school and see what life is like as a student at each. I believe you will feel the difference immediately.Division 3 schools also may have a harder time getting athletes through admissions at a top school like Chicago unless you fit their profile anyway.
I would say Chicago. Yes Brown is an Ivy but not all ivies are created equal. While Chicago is not on the level of HYPSM in terms of overall prestige and recognition, it has the research, departmental strength/quality and brand strength of the middle ivies, i.e. Columbia and Penn. I have always seen Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell as the bottom tier of ivies. Of course all of these schools are excellent and the differences are super small and of course it makes sense to choose one over the other if you prefer it for some subjective reason. But if you want to get down to the more objective, nitty-gritty details, this is my take.
While the student body has changed at UChicago from the geek nirvana it once was, I don’t think the faculty got the memo, and UChicago is still a very difficult school compared to Brown. Whether that appeals to you or not should inform your decision as to which you prefer.
Will you be able to take business classes at Brown ( Classes like Financial accounting, managerial accounting, investments, etc etc). I don’t know the answer to this question for Brown, but you can take up to 6 classes at the Booth Graduate school as an undergraduate at Chicago. (Advantage ? - Not sure)
Wall Street has a lot to do with Networking. There is a big presence of MBA alums in Wall street from Booth. That makes it easier to connect with them, meet them for coffee ( the ones that work in the Chicago offices), ask them about the firm, maybe have them pass along you resume etc. This is a real practical advantage. Again not sure how many Brown alums work on Wall Street, but my guess is that number is smaller. (Advantage - Chicago probably)
Wall Street is very “stats oriented” with notable exceptions if you have hooks. So where can you get better grades? ( Advantage - Brown probably)
Geography. I know there are some great opportunities in Chicago when it comes to prop trading and of course the City has smaller I-Banking offices of the NY firms. So easier to interview, meet folks in the industry etc. Not as convenient as being in NY, but a large city has its advantages. Advantage (Chicago)
Do you plan to go to Grad school to get an MBA? I have it from a very reliable source that Chicago alums who apply to Booth have a much higher rate of acceptance to Booth than the non alum general pool. But then again Brown is not exactly “General population” (Advantage - Probably Chicago, but only for Booth)
In the end, the above differences are not huge and can all be overcome, one way or the other. A good student who wants to work on Wall Street from Brown will get that offer.
@CollegeAngst Thank you so much for your post. This is very useful information. To be honest, I am leaning towards U Chicago as I think it would give me better opportunities but I know I will have to work hard to maintain a good GPA at Chicago
You should look at the course requirements for your intended major at UChicago before you make your decision. MY son is double majoring at UChicago with Econ as one of his majors. At least half the Econ classes are heavy duty math classes. If you don’t love math and excel in it you probably won’t be able to make it in Econ and there is not a business degree at UChicago. The Core classes are pretty intense though the sports dept will probably be able to tell you the easiest options though none are truly easy. For core Humanities class last year my son read 15 books and they were all long complicated books, no easy novels. He picked one of the easier options too. There is a year long foreign lang requirement if you don’t test out of that. My son loves it but he gave up his sport (not recruited) as did his room mate (recruited). Check out the course requirements and the list of majors to see if there is something other than Econ that would work with your life goals just in case you aren’t that into the math associated with Econ.