Hi all. Two great school, but I know they have distinct differences. Are the core courses at Chicago special enough to give up on the freedom of the open curriculum? Is the Math department at Brown competitive with the Math department at Chicago (I guess many would say the latter is much stronger in Math). Has Chicago loosened up over the years so it’s not such a pressure cooker? What about safety? Intellectual vibe? Diversity of opinions? Welcome thoughts from anyone especially those who know the two schools well.
Thanks
Have you looked at what Chicago’s core curriculum course requirements actually are, and do you like what you see there?
Have you looked at the upper level (and graduate if you are very advanced already) math offerings in each school’s math department, and do you see either of them being a better fit for your math interests, or as having more or better options that you may explore as a math major?
Does cost differ or matter to you?
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I wouldn’t worry too much about pressure cooker reputation at UChicago. Yes it is a very academic school, but the students they accept can handle it. I think UChicago also tries very hard to have a diversity of options. The thing about the core is that it forces the students to go deep in a variety of topics.
From one of your other posts, it looks like your daughter is involved in Mock Trial. All 4 of the UChicago teams qualified for the opening round of the National Championship but you can only send two. Both of those teams advanced to championship tournament (next weekend). Neither of of Brown teams advanced out of the opening round.
Brown’s math program is underrated.
Yea, it is rated under UChicago’s. Sorry, that was too easy.
The one thing that may be of importance is if the OP’s DD is more interested in applied math or pure math. I keep getting the comments from my DS that his math classes are heavy on theory.
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Wouldn’t any pure or applied math major include some theory-heavy math courses like abstract algebra and real analysis?
Sure, but this was for two classes that are not part of the major track, Mathematical Methods for Social Sciences and Linear Algebra. He is a likely Econ major so it is maybe just whining on his part.
Pre-PhD economics majors are recommended to take some highly theoretical upper level math courses like real analysis and (theory and proof focused) linear algebra. So not sure why he would complain if that is his goal in doing math-heavy economics.
This is just the normal Econ track at UChicago. He is way more likely to go to law school than a PhD. They do have a Business Econ track if you are really math adverse. But now we are way off topic.
Any other thoughts about the general experience at the
2 schools? Super hard choice…
I would construct a possible first year schedule at both schools and see what kind of reaction you get from her. A first year schedule at UChicago would look something like.
Hum (required) this is 1 of 8 classes for at least 2 quarters.
Math depending on placement. A good placeholder would be the 160 series.
Maybe the biology core sequence
If a 4 class, one of the Sosc sequences.
If you don’t test out of foreign language, that may be substituted in the first year.
FWIW Over a decade ago, my niece & my nephew (sister & brother) graduated Brown & Chicago as math majors. Niece is a college professor in math. Nephew worked at a Chicago based hedge fund for a few years before moving to NYC for Masters at Columbia & is now a published author. Father is a chaired professor so kids received strong guidance with respect to college selection.
Seems like both Brown & Chicago are great options for a prospective math major.
My thought is that part of the decision should rest upon whether one wants an intense versus laidback college experience since both schools offer strong math programs.
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I can’t imagine two elite schools that are more different from each other than Brown and UChicago. What attracted you to each one?
So many differences between the two:
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Academic experience: Chicago has an intense academic experience whereas Brown is laid back
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Core: UChicago mandates a core. While you have options on the specific topics you study (unlike Columbia where everything is set), you will spend about a third of your classes in the core.
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Quarter vs semester: Chicago has a quarter system and 4 classes per quarter is typical, so up to 48 courses in all. At Brown, 4 classes per semester, so 32 courses in all. So despite the UChicago core, you have plenty of classes for your major and other interests. Many UChicago students double major without a problem.
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Politics: While all elite schools tilt left politically, Chicago is at the moderate end whereas Brown is quite liberal
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Free speech: UChicago emphasizes free speech on campus, including ideas you may disagree with. Brown less so.
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City size: UChicago is in a suburb of one of the country’s largest cities. Brown is in the center of a small city.
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Prestige: UChicago has less lay person prestige than Brown, which has the advantage of being in the Ivy League. Professionally, UChicago may hold a slight edge.
Backing up, both universities are excellent, but you are right that UChicago is considered to have a better math program.
My daughter is finishing up at UChicago this year, and she has loved the place. She was obviously a great student in high school, but also the type of person who would coast whenever she could. UChicago’s workload was a fit for her because she realized how much she could actually accomplish, and she felt great about it. But it’s not for everyone.
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U of C is not in a suburb of Chicago.
It is in Hyde Park, which is a community area/neighborhood located on the South Side of Chicago.
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Brown = gpa inflation
Uchicago = gpa deflation
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Unless a person is looking to go on to do a medical or law degree, this is irrelevant. Other grad schools are aware of grading practices at these schools and treat the GPAs of graduates of these schools accordingly.
Lol
Two great options. I’d take a hard look at Chicago’s core and see if that is something you want.
IMO large cores can be good for some and not so great for others. FWIW my S went to a college with an extensive core and it was great for him – he was a business major undergrad and the core insured he got an extensive and well rounded liberal arts background. However, my D had some very specific academic interests she wanted to study in college and a large core would have been very frustrating to her as it would have gotten in the way of pursuing those interests.
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In terms of official classification, you are correct. I was thinking of how it feels, which to me is like a suburb. But it’s only 20 minutes to the heart of the city.
And Hyde Park is not Lincoln Park with respect to safety.