<p>Go to Brown. I went to Chicago, but would pick Brown in a heartbeat. Georgetown is only the best choice if you specifically fit in with the government/international relations scene. It might be best if you want to work in Washington, DC. But spread your wings for now, you can do that later.</p>
<p>chicago has a great name in the academic community for very particular departments. though it is a great school in terms of academics for undergrads overall, it doesn't carry as much prestige outside the academic community. chicago doesn't have the draw that a place like brown does (chicago has fewer applicants, a lower yield, and much higher acceptance rate) so it can't afford to be as selective.</p>
<p>it depends on what you value though. at brown you are less likely to find such a large proportion of "traditional" academics, something that is very much celebrated as part of the culture at chicago</p>
<p>It's a huge mistake to pick one great college over another based on slight differences in the quality of specific departments. That sort of stuff doesn't make sense until grad school. Take Brown #1 and Georgetown #2. Georgetown is in a great neighborhood in an exciting city; and it has a superb international reputation. Forget about Chicago--surrounded by slums, and even moderate nerds find the place too bookwormish. Horrendous winters, too.</p>
<p>Okay, show some respect and stop using the word "nerd" negatively. Are we all in junior high here? I would hope that the people on CC would WANT to go to college to be with nerds. Isn't there enough shallowness of ditzy girls and meathead boys in highschool? And yes, Chicago students consume less alcohol than most college students, but that obviously doesn't mean they are less social. It's really too bad that people consider "nerdy" college students discussing philosophy and politics instead of getting drunk every night a BAD thing.</p>
<p>Who's stereotyping now? You assume that colleges which offer a well-rounded experience are one big keg party. I drank beer AND talked philosophy (have taught college philosophy for 10 years). I've lived in Chicago, and am related to a U of Chicago prof. There is little doubt that it offers a great education, but there are a lot of places that offer a great education AND a lot of other things.</p>
<p>I was faced with that decision myself. Chicago and Brown are among my favorite schools for different reasons and both made my final cut. It really depends on fit, but one cannot go wrong with either. If you are a die-hard intellectual that likes a challenge and is intellectually independent, I recommend Chicago. On the other hand, if you want a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere, Brown is hard to beat.</p>
<p>Hyde Park is like the upper west side of new york ...but prettier,,, safe but don't be stupid. For econ go to Chicago.....what aq menue... from Wolfowitz (mean) to Richard Posner (mean but interesting) to Freakonimics (really intersting but is this mean???)</p>
<p>All three schools seem very appealing. Let me put my two cents in for Chicago by giving you anecdotal evidence.
My S applied to UChicago and Georgetown (along with five other schools) and was waitlisted at Georgetown. He chose Chicago and has never regretted it. He received a BS in Mathematics(2005) with a concentration in Stats and he took many econ classes. We have a friend who is the head of the ugrad program in Mathmatics at UChicago (she was in our wedding). She was one of the first females to get a PhD in Math from UChicago. When I told her that our S had decided on UChicago, she proceeded to tell me that Chicago was the best in Math. She said that in the previous graduating class, Stanford had graduated 4 Math majors. UChicago had graduated 50!! When my son graduated in 2005, she said that 76 had graduated from Chicago with a math major. She says the department coddles them and encourages ugrads to major in math because you can do so much with it. If you go visit Chicago, look her up - Diane H_<strong><em>-C</em></strong>_. My S had four job offers six months before he graduated. He has a great job at a hedge fund and makes over 6 figures.<br>
Tourguide - he drank beer, talked econ, math and philosophy and had a great time. He was a frat boy who loves sports -watching it and playing them. In HS he was a state champ in volleyball. At Chicago, he participated in intramural soccer, b-ball and football big time. He loved the neighborhood and the city. He went to some White Sox games and some Cubs games. He got a great education and did a lot of other things.
I grew up in and around Chicago, having lived in Hyde Park for about 10 years at various points. Hyde Park and Chicago are much safer than it used to be. The neighborhoods around Hyde Park are transforming. The present and the past mayors (Daley and Washington) have improved Chicago 100%, I must say! It's safer, cleaner and prettier (flowers everywhere including hanging over the train tracks!).
Brown is great too - no course requirements - that's awesome! That is probably the main difference with Chicago which has a core curriculum. Providence is a nice city too.
dcircle - You think that Chicago doesn't carry as much prestige outside of academic circles - you're wrong. Employers know the caliber of UChicago grads. They have much respect for their critical thinking skills.</p>
<p>did you even get into all three?</p>
<p>Are you asking me? Yes, Brown, Chicago and Georgetown are three of the schools I got into and visited thoroughly. I loved all three schools.</p>
<p>Admission rates and yield differences don't necessarily make much difference in student quality. It is interesting that even with a much lower acceptance rate, Brown gets no better students than Chicago, both are remarkably similar.</p>
<p>From the PR:
Brown
SAT - Verbal Range (25-75%):660-760
SAT - Math Range (25-75%): 670-770</p>
<p>Chicago
SAT - Verbal Range (25-75%):680-770
SAT - Math Range (25-75%): 670-760</p>
<p>I know little about the social experience at Brown, but I have son at Chicago that is having the time of his life, both academically and socially (and he has always been a very social kid), he loves it. </p>
<p>I also have a good friend who graduated form Georgetown, and loved it. As he says, how can a school that can produce both Pat Buchanan and Bill Clinton be anything but great.</p>
<p>"Okay, show some respect and stop using the word "nerd" negatively. Are we all in junior high here? I would hope that the people on CC would WANT to go to college to be with nerds. Isn't there enough shallowness of ditzy girls and meathead boys in highschool? And yes, Chicago students consume less alcohol than most college students, but that obviously doesn't mean they are less social. It's really too bad that people consider "nerdy" college students discussing philosophy and politics instead of getting drunk every night a BAD thing."</p>
<p>I have to say - that's the best post on this whole site! Glad to know I'll be going to school with people like you. See you in Chicago!</p>
<p>-Andrew D. Anderson</p>
<p>I feel as if Chicago students think in terms of black and white; the world isn;t seperated into nerds and meatheads. What's so great about a place like Brown is that 2/3 of the kids are intellectual on a daily basis but yet they still know how to let loose.</p>
<p>For the record, kcirsch in post #3 was the first to use the n-word on this thread. If the pocket protector fits...</p>