<p>How are they similar, different, strong programs, weaker programs. What's campus life like at each?</p>
<p>It is hard to compare them, they are so different. BTW, my D was accepted to both, but attends Chicago.</p>
<p>Similarities? Size, mostly. Somewhat nerdy reputation. Urban locations. Cost.</p>
<p>Differences? CMU=greek for guys. CMU=more men. CMU, engineering flavor. Chicago, stronger grad programs. CMU has strong fine arts.</p>
<p>One key limitation of CMU is the challenge of taking some courses outside your college and the difficulty of changing majors.</p>
<p>In some ways, it is easier to compare CMU to NWU than to Chicago.</p>
<p>"Chicago, stronger grad programs" -> i think the op was referring to undergrad :/</p>
<p>NW and Chicago seem very similar to me so I don't understand your comment: "In some ways, it is easier to compare CMU to NWU than to Chicago." Enlighten me please?</p>
<p>Chicago is stronger in a wider array of subjects than CMU (from Chemistry and Physics to Economics to Anthropology), while CMU is very strong in the fine arts, engineering, and computer science, as stated. Chicago doesn't even have an engineering program, or an undergrad business program (although its graduate program is ranked in the top 10).</p>
<p>NW is really not very much like chicago but for the location. NW is a bit bigger (by about 3500 undergrads), has a MUCH livelier greek scene which in some peoples' opinion dominates life there, doesn't really come close to chicago in terms of undergrad attention or quality of faculty, has an intense preprofessional education type bias whereas chicago has no bias really except maybe a slight grad school bias. In terms of the social scene alone they're polar opposites (in the realm of high quality schools). NW has a massive greek scene with alcohol everywhere and parties always, chicago has many fewer parties which constricts alcohol (all very general terms). NW has active and supported sports teams in the big 10, chicago is D3 in everything and for a very long time during the mid 20th century didnt even have a football team.</p>
<p>"Chicago doesn't even have an engineering program, or an undergrad business program "
Gee Chicago, with it's 4,000 undergrads is really into a liberals arts undergrad experience and is very into theoritcal programs, they do not do applied science as undergrad</p>
<p>Chicago versus Northwestern? quert271 is spot on. In addition, NW has engineering and a strong fine arts program, especially music. (notice CMU parallel?). Just visit both campuses on the same day (but make it a warm one - parkas tend to look the same everywhere). NW looks like a J. Crew photo shoot. Chicago looks like, well, Chicago.</p>
<p>I would say that Chicago students read more on their own, and pursue intellectual interests. I went to Chicago, and a close friend attended CMU.</p>
<p>I am very familiar with both schools having lived in Hyde Park and Oakland for a number of years. Chicago is more of a liberal arts school with heavy emphasis on research and going on the graduate or professional school. The area around the school is very heavy on UC families who have kids going to the Lab school on up through the University Highschool and some even on through UC to a doctorate! CMU is a much more pragmatic school. I don't find it similar to NW at all. The area is more of a college town as Pitt is right around the corner so there are over 20,000 student in that small area with the required staff, and a number of other colleges, schools and hospitals right there. CMU is very much a preprofessional school, though a number of the kids do go on to grad school. A lot of engineering, computer scie, architecture types there. There are very sharp differences in the types of kids going to CMU as there are the theatre kids, the business school kids, the engineering type kids, whereas in Chicago there seems to be a more cohesive thread. You don't get the extremes of a performing arts genius, in fact, many of them, in sharp contrast with the computer science and robotics types. I would say that CMU has the most fragmented student types I have ever seen, yet they do manage to pull them together on that campus.</p>
<p>Adademically they are not on the same level.</p>
<p>Chicago is stellar in Arts & Sciences.</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon is best for Computer Science, Engineering, Drama/Art, Psychology, undergrad business and Music- not general liberal arts.</p>