<p>Honestly, thought I was going to get rejected from Chicago, but got accepted, making the decision of where to spend the next 4 years even more difficult. Right now, I have an interest in biomedical/chemical engineering and just biology in general. I am in state for Michigan, so paying ~$25-30k a year sounds much more appealing than ~$60k at Chicago. As for the feel of the campuses, I actually couldn't decide whether i liked Michigan or Chicago's more. I love Ann Arbor; i literally become so happy whenever my friends and i travel there for football and basketball games, and i felt more alive and upbeat when I toured Michigans campus. However, I equally like Chicago's amazing campus, the intellectual and calm environment, and the idea that I can easily talk to a random student and have an intellectually stimulating conversation. Right now, my parents want me to attend Chicago because they believe I'll land a higher paying job than if I graduated from Michigan. They are willing to pay the full $60k, but I honestly don't think we are that wealthy and don't want to hurt my 2 younger brothers' chances when they're deciding on colleges.</p>
<p>Summary:
Michigan Positives:
~Felt more energetic when touring campus
~Incredible tradition
~Football and basketball...
~Living in Ann Arbor would be heavenly
~Couple of close friends are attending</p>
<p>Chicago Positives:
~Enjoyed the quiet and calm environment
~Campus reminded me of Hogwarts :)
~Chicago...probably has great night life
~Prestige</p>
<p>In summary, do you think Chicago is worth the extra cost?</p>
<p>Very interesting. Tough choice. You’ve toured both places and you’re still torn. I think a tipoff is the fact that you feel more alive and upbeat at Michigan. Michigan has that big time sports feel that you will totally miss at Chicago. I don’t mean to denigrate UChicago athletes because they are there and they are good and they work hard. On the other hand, UChicago will have that big time intellectual atmosphere that will be more intense and pervasive than Michigan, though Michigan is certainly a great, great school–just more uneven in the intellectual realm.</p>
<p>I suspect that if you go to UChicago you’ll really hunger for that Michigan school spirit which is present at UChicago but expressed in very different ways. I don’t think its a forgone conclusion either that you will get a higher paying job coming out of UChicago. I don’t want to come right out and say what I think, but I think you can read between the lines?</p>
<p>Now take my opinion and put it at the bottom of 20 others that you should get before making up your mind!</p>
<p>Another thing to keep in mind at UChicago is the extensive core. The core will be a large part of the academic experience at Chicago, and you’ll have to do a lot of reading in philosophy, history, and so-on. To the poster above, Chicago introduced molecular engineering this year, which has significant areas of overlap with biological engineering. Chicago will also have smaller class sizes for Michigan, making it much harder to evade professors and the pointed opinions of other students. All things to consider! </p>
<p>My son is a current student at UChicago. He is extremely happy with the academics, the many amazing activities offered as well as his social life. He is also a sports nut and goes to the occasional pro game and plays sports on campus. My wife and I are thrilled with his intellectual development. Chicago’s recognition and prestige are also on the upswing. I am also very familiar with Michigan; it is a great institution and i am sure you would be very happy there. My feeling is that UChicago is a very unique place and the education one receives is truly exceptional and well worth the extra money. You, of course, have to make the decision that is right for you. Good luck and congratulations on having been admitted to both Michigan and Chicago.</p>
<p>It is a tough question when you are in state and Michigan is one of the best public schools in the nation.</p>
<p>I assume you have already run the financial calculator for both schools. I do not know you situation. If one or both of your brothers enter college in the next four years your EFC will be reduced significantly.</p>
<p>If sport is a top priority for you not many schools in the nation can rival the atmosphere in the big house playing the Ohio state.</p>
<p>Other than those you can compare Michigan with Chicago. Chicago has many things going for it too - small classes, medium-size, big city, etc.</p>
<p>Also a student may change her/his majors during college. It may be wise to not factor it into consideration too much too early.</p>
<p>I posted this on the Michigan thread but, to cover all the bases:</p>
<p>Echan527, there’s an important additional question that you haven’t yet answered: where else have you applied? If you gained acceptance to UChicago (now in the top handful or so of selective colleges), there’s a strong chance you will receive favorable decisions from other top schools that have more of the components (e.g. an engineering school) you want. Such schools are:</p>
<p>Cornell
U. of Penn
Duke
Johns Hopkins
Columbia
Princeton (a reach)
Harvard (a reach)</p>
<p>Have you applied to any of the above? If so, I think your decision process would change. If you get into, say, Cornell on Ivy admit day, your decision would be quite different.</p>
<p>For your specific inquiry, I’m not sure why you’d prefer UChicago over Michigan when you state engineering as one of your potential interests. UChicago doesn’t have engineering, so, no matter how strong its liberal arts curriculum and draw for you, it doesn’t have one of the components that you’re seeking. </p>