<p>Hello, I have been accepted to Chicago, Northwestern, Brown, Penn, Dartmouth, and WashU. I would like to ask for your advice. :)
Academically, I need a college with a broad-range of (liberal arts) education. My current interests include economics, natural science (biomedical science), and pre-med (or possibly law) track. I don’t exactly know what I want to do after college. Yet, serving others is what I want to do in life.
I’ve heard about Chicago’s academic excellence, but lowering GPA might hurt my chance of admissions to the medical (or law) schools. Also, I want to play sports and have fun with people around me. I prefer to be in near city (urban or suburban environment).
I think Chicago (without TOO much pressure in academics), Northwestern, and Brown are good fit schools for me. Penn seems to be way too pre-professional (hard to change major), and the others are just out of my sight. Thank you in advance for your advice.</p>
<p>First off, the schools you might apply to after chicago will consider the rigorous school you came from and adjust their perception of your GPA accordingly.</p>
<p>If you prefer to be near a city, cross Darthmout off your list now. Like, right now. It is beautiful, but it is in the middle of nowhere. More isolated than Cornell, even.</p>
<p>If you are choosing just between Chicago and Northwestern, Chicago all the way. Much more prestige, and many more diverse course offering and opportunities. My interviewer went to chicago undergrad and northwestern grad. He said that northwestern was much more of a typical college experience, very similar to that found at state schools. “Much less intellectualism and much less academic exploration.”</p>
<p>You are very right about Penn. You pick when you get there, and it’s hard to change because all the schools are separated into different colleges. Much less freedom than Chicago. And, though it’s an ivy, it’s really not the same as chicago academically. WashU is similar. It’s just not in the same academic class as Chicago. They are both excellent institutions, but they just aren’t comparable to Chicago in terms of academics. And St. Louis just sucks. I’ve spent way too much time there. I would’ve applied for the BME program, but I felt like Chicago is a good fit for me, and I can always do engineering grad school (even without engineering undergrad).</p>
<p>It sounds like you need to explore a bit. For that, i would take the choice down to Brown vs. Chicago. Those are the two schools on that list that are academically challenging and encourage exploration (and had internships/externships to support it). Then, it becomes a choice between the core program and the open program of Brown. Both are near civilization, and both are excellent academically while still providing opportunities for taking a break and getting involved in something else. </p>
<p>Personally, I was choosing whether I wanted to apply to Chicago or Brown, and I chose Chicago because I personally prefer the core over the open program. That, and Chicago has the kind of scientific research I want to work on. I would also consider the cultures of both schools, and definitely visit both. It’s really a choice between core and open program.</p>
<p>Good luck! That’s a hard choice, and congrats for having to make it! :)</p>
<p>I actually have similar concerns about uchicago. I’m 70% sure that I want to pursue med. school, but am kind of afraid that the brutal grading at chicago might hurt my chances. I doubt that most med/law schools take into consideration where you went to school for undergrad or how hard the grading was, if you were dedicated enough you should’ve been fine at any school. In that case, going to a school like uchicago where it is known for more brutal grading and then doing very well in it will definitely help you in terms of admission. </p>
<p>The problem with me is that I don’t know exactly how brutal the academics at uchicago is 
and if I can do well enough (putting dedication aside) at the school to apply to top tier med schools. I’m actually trying to decide b/t my state school (UW-Mad) and uchicago… may seem kind of ridiculous, but I have no clue which one would be more advantageous for a pre-professional track :/</p>
<p>Kitkatkatie is, imo, unduly dismissive of Northwestern. The differences between UChicago and Northwestern are more a matter of school culture than of quality - and I respect UChicago as much as anyone.</p>
<p>Brown ftw.</p>
<p>If you really think you can’t handle chicago, then do go to your state school. That frees up a spot for someone who really wants to be there. I’m just saying that Chicago is a good school for academics. If you’re obsessed with med school, then it would be better to go to an easier school and get a 4.0. I care more about what I learn and how I learn it than the grades I get, so that’s why I’m set on Chicago, even if I decide to become pre-med. </p>
<p>Northwestern just doesn’t compare to the academics and intellectual culture of chicago. notice I state how I am comparing the two schools. Yes, it’s better for journalism and sports, and probably for pre-med as well (grading scale and core classes less rigorous), but it is just not comparable to chicago academically.</p>
<p>If you don’t want a challenge, please go somewhere else. Chicago will be difficult, and they tell you that multiple times when you are considering the school. The admissions committee thought that you could handle it, and if you think that, after their years of experience, they made a wrong judgement, then by all means go somewhere you think is easier.</p>
<p>This is up to you, not me or anyone else on the internet. This site is crazy, and I wouldn’t let it influence one of the biggest decisions of your life. Talk to your parents, your friends, your counselor-- go with your gut on it, even if it means being uncomfortable or taking a chance. Sometimes growth is painful/uncomfortable. Making your own decisions in life is important. Make your own decision. You’ll hopefully be doing it for the rest of your life. May as well start now.</p>
<p>“Northwestern just doesn’t compare to the academics and intellectual culture of chicago. notice I state how I am comparing the two schools. Yes, it’s better for journalism and sports, and probably for pre-med as well (grading scale and core classes less rigorous), but it is just not comparable to chicago academically.”</p>
<p>This is quite a statement, considering that you haven’t (as yet) taken a single class at either institution. My affiliation is with UChicago, and I appreciate - and share - your enthusiasm for the place, but Northwestern is essentially a peer institution. Trying to characterize it as as journalism/jock school is just silly.</p>
<p>:/ It’s not I don’t think I can handle chicago because I’m always up for a challenge. I think it’s pretty clear that anyone who has been accepted/applied to this school have always challenged themselves inside/outside of school.</p>
<p>It seems pretty ridiculous to assume that just because I also care about my grades, I don’t care about my education. The reason why I applied in the first place was because I wanted an liberal arts education that uchicago can provide me. But regardless of that, undergrad will only be a part of my yet-to-come education and the harsh truth is that many professional schools won’t even look at you without the numbers. And I wouldn’t call my dedication and desire to become a doctor an obsession. </p>
<p>I’m sure that uchicago is a wonderful school that is full of challenges that will help me grow, but I’m just trying to keep an open mind here. Considering the fact that it’s almost three times the cost of going to my state school, I feel that weighing my options is quite important.</p>
<p>Brown seems like a fit given your description. You can more easily sample a range of courses and decide what it is you would like to do.</p>
<p>for what it’s worth brown was the hardest to get into by a considerable margin…
it likely comes down to a matter of personal fit however between chicago and brown</p>
<p>chicago is a bit more conservative, whereas brown is a bit more progressive
chicago has a strongly enforced core curriculum, brown has an open curriculum and encourages academic autonomy
chicago has a reputation of being “where fun goes to die”, whereas brown has a reputation for having the happiest students in the nation (according to the princeton review rankings)</p>
<p>(i’m obviously biased though-chicago is an awesome place with a lot of upward momentum lately)</p>
<p>Thank you everyone! Still, not many people compared b/w Chicago and Northwestern.
I will be taking the pre-med track (and I know that many people tend to give up on their low pre-med grade), so having a good grade is the extremely important factor of my decision. Also, I need some time to relax, but I go to college to learn and broaden my mind. Another question: how hard is getting a good (pre-med) grade at the two schools, Chicago and Northwestern? Feel free to add Brown to your comment.</p>
<p>P.S. I don’t want to choose a college b/c it is a bit harder to get in or more prestigious in your mind (it is just one of the decision-making factors). I would rather go to a school where it provides a good fit for me—not Chicago/NU/Brown’s jeffrey1446, but jeffry1446’s Chicago/NU/Brown. I should be the center, not one of the so many numbers. I hope you can understand what I meant.
:)</p>
<p>Chicago and Northwestern are similar because they are both excellent, selective universities located on the edges of the same city. Notwithstanding the differences between them, there is a huge overlap between their student bodies. My daughter (a recent graduate) has a friend who went to Northwestern (also a recent graduate) who could be her twin, and she is UChicago through and through.</p>
<p>That said, Northwestern is much more “standard” in many respects than Chicago – more frats, more pre-professionalism, more sports, more drinking, less intellectual (and pseudointellectual) angst. Most people will instantly feel more drawn to one or the other. Go with that.</p>