<p>“As I often said to my children ‘Be Nice’ and you seem much more confident and assured.”</p>
<p>so, so true! wonderful advice indeed.</p>
<p>You’re sure to get an unbiased opinion in this subforum.</p>
<p>So regarding campus, though I am a student at UChicago and have not visited Columbia, I would vote for UChicago’s campus, personally. From what I know of Columbia, its campus is much like that of UChicago’s. The campuses are both not very big, both urban, both are open to the public etc., but the architecture is what, for me, puts UChicago over. I love Neo-Gothic and so Collegiate Gothic architecture and UChicago does it so well. We have beautiful quads, an incredible reading library that feels like Hogwarts, and nearly all undergrad academic buildings are in this style. Our “student center” called Reynolds Club was built to resemble a tower from a college in Oxford. </p>
<p>In terms of intellectualness, I think UChicago is more abrasively forward about it. People here sometimes fetishize intellect and knowing the most philosophers etc., but mainly the academics are what create the feeling of intellectual might. You get firsthand experience with Nietzsche, Locke, Plato, Aristotle, Dante, Marx, Roussea and a whole slew of others.As others have stated there is a differnce in the Cores of the two schools. </p>
<p>I think the main difference in the “cultures” of the two schools comes from the regional differences, the Ivy League tag that Columbia has, and the types of students each school attracts. I think that Columbia and the top Ivies tend to select and attract the most polished students who know that they are the best. UChicago goes for a more strange sense of success, and this I have felt being here. The school feels like a selective and powerful private college, but I have not seen much of an elitist vibe at all. The students are not begrudging the school’s status as below HYP, but know why UChicago is great without regard to other schools. We will routinely display our affections for this school because of its unique aspects, and ask anyone here if they’d rather be at Harvard, and nearly all students would reply no. Students here are special, but they don’t feel they are above others.</p>
<p>I’m sure that the people on this forum will be in favor of Columbia, and the people on the UChicago forum will favor UChicago. It’s very difficult to get an unbiased report here, since so many want to defend their schools.</p>
<p>I’d recommend visiting both campuses for yourself, if possible, to see how it feels to you.</p>
<p>As to friendly and outgoing, I think it depends on the type of students you hang around with at UChicago. I know all types of students, though the common trend is that people are interesting, everyone has their own quirk. Everyone is passionate about something, and yes, some people are not good at communicating fully and there is a strong presence of nerds, gamers, loners and wacky people, most of these people still have friends. Not everyone is going to be able to converse with everyone else, and the quirkiness vibe does attract probably more socially awkward students, this isn’t a bad thing.</p>
<p>I faced the same dilemma when I was doing my apps. These two school were my top choices. I did my college trip during last year’s spring break to clear things up. I visited u chicago, columbia, harvard among others. I loved Chicago’s campus and staff. Everything was perfect…except for the students. I thought they all looked like smart introverts. Nerdy and socially awkward. I saw students walking from class to class and I couldn’t imagine one of them being my friend. I only saw one good looking girl during my time there. The only two students I could identify with were two preppy athletes i saw eating outside a subway. However, I really the like the intellectual side of Chicago, which i think is more rich than columbia’s. The environment really did seem about the life of the mind. But the students were not my type. Of course there’s all types of people, but I figured it would take a while for me to adapt, if I ever would. If you’re not that much into partying, drinking and would sometimes prefer to stay at the dorms during the weekends and converse about intellectual matters, I would say you’ll find your niche faster at Chicago. Also, south chicago is a horrible area but you only get to see it if you leave campus. On the other hand, Downtown and some northern areas of chicago are the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. </p>
<p>Columbia seemed much more balanced. Students seemed to have a good combination of socializing and studying. I don’t even have to mention the city. Beautiful campus. Good looking students. Smart extroverts. A close friend of mine is a freshman at columbia right now and he tells me that weekends are much more crazy than he expected. But again, I did not get that intellectual vibe that Chicago has. </p>
<p>I didn’t even end up applying to Chicago because I was accepted ED at Columbia. If you party as hard as you study, I’d recommend Columbia. If you’re an introvert that deeply enjoys reading and math, Chicago. It all depends on your interests. These were my observations.</p>