<p>FYI, I did the count at commencement in June. It was a long ceremony, and my D was one of the very last to receive here diploma. 
. Thank goodness they did not pass them out in rank order by GPA…</p>
<p>Well, Washu and UChicago are both elite private urban schools in the midwest. The only other elite private urban university in the midwest is Northwestern (I dunno how big a town South Bend is, so I’m not going to mention ND). She would likely get into Macalester, a small LAC in Minneapolis/St. Paul that I’ve heard great things about…apparently a very serious-minded student body that comes from all over (sounds a bit like UChicago). Would be a good low match for her.</p>
<p>She has visited 3 schools now and has put the brakes on any more visits. Should I push for more visits during spring break, especially those in her own backyard, or should I let her lead the process? Although she is only a junior, I want her to be able to have seen many schools to be able to make an informed decision.</p>
<p>Here are reviews of both colleges from The Princeton Review. Read them and think about which of the colleges would your D1 fit best at:</p>
<p>University Of Chicago</p>
<p>"Dedication to enriching the life of the mind is palpable at the incomparable The University of Chicago. It is home to the best Economics Department in the country and one of the best (and most monstrously ugly) main libraries on earth. Chicago students believe that no university offers a better academic experience, and there is an unexpectedly vibrant school spirit that comes not from athletics, but [a] shared academic involvement. Undergraduates must complete an intense, interdisciplinary core curriculum that teaches them how to think about literature and philosophy and science. The Core is rigorous and You will spend about a third of your time here on it. But its [also] fantastic, and you come out an incredibly well-rounded thinker with opinions on a wide variety of subjects. Naturally, Courses are tough. Once youre out of the fire, though, You realize how much more enriched youve become intellectually, with respect [as] to how to learn and . . . knowledge itself. Professors at Chicago are the best in the world and are real celebrities in their fields of study, but they make every effort to help every student who asks. Still, there are duds. Not everyone with the intelligence to do amazing research is capable of teaching. The incredibly supportive administration takes pains to engage the entire campus in a sort of collective, community-wide conversation. . . . They bring in all sorts of speakers, allow student groups almost absolute freedom, and are very supportive of student initiatives.
“Students at Chicago are intense, opinionated, engaged with the world around them, and somewhat zany. Most everyone has a quirk, a senior reports, like the center on the football team whos really into Dungeons & Dragons. Without question, the popular stereotype of the Chicago student is a nerdy, socially awkward person. Living up to the hype are an abundance of students religiously dedicated to academic performance and a bunch of strange people, usually clutching some fantastic book. However, There arent as many extremely strange and nerdy students as there have been in the past. A portion of the student body at the U of C [are] actually talented, cool, and (gasp!) attractive. There are loads of people that are fascinating, a sophomore writes. There are artists, communists, fashionistas, activists, and even some who arent posing at all. Everyone who is at The University of Chicago considers themselves at the best possible university, concludes one student. Its a self-selecting group, and most people are happy to be here. Chicago students look down on other schools, particularly the Ivies.”
“The quarter system makes for a particularly fast-paced schedule. We wear t-shirts that say U of C: Where fun comes to die, and were proud of it, explains a first-year student. Dont come here if you dont plan to work very hard, an economics major warns. We spend a large chunk of our time studying and should be studying much of the time that we are not. However, according to one student, As much as a lot of people complain about the extremely rigorous academics at this school, we all secretly love it or we wouldnt be here. And contrary to popular belief, students certainly do know how to have fun. There are concerts, plays, movies, and tons of truly brilliant events on campus. Students also spend a lot of time just talking with fascinating classmates who can hold their own on any topic under the sun. The frat party scene is not much at all compared to other schools, but its still there. Room parties with extended friends and random people from the building are usually more popular. While scorn for the lovely neighborhood surrounding the campus is exceedingly common, downtown Chicago is very accessible. The city is a huge asset and resource, whether its for an internship, a night out, or just a day away from campus.”</p>
<p>Washington University In St. Louis</p>
<p>“Rigorous but very rewarding, Washington University boasts a strong premed program, a very intense curriculum, and a very, very stressful academic atmosphere. Teachers are tough, warns a biology major. They have high expectations. Architecture majors for instance, have so much work and that they go for days without sleeping, observes a junior. Overall, though, students at Wash U wouldnt have it any other way. Ive had an amazing time since my first day of class, declares an English major. However, students arent without complaints. Distribution requirements are complicated and difficult for students to understand. The engineering professors are very poor teachers. However, All of my professors have been brilliant, says a chemistry major. My only problem with them is some of them are so smart that they cant even conceive how I dont understand an idea. Professors really care though. They love to talk to their students and they are remarkably accessible. Management is a huge hit. Administrators realize that their first priority should be the students. This school is also very wealthy and therefore offers greater opportunities than some schools would be able to. From building amazing new facilities to creating world class programs from scratch, it really feels like the sky is the limit.”
"Some people may say the typical student is a Jew from Long Island, but really this is just a hyped-up stereotype, says a junior. East Coasters definitely have a presence at Wash U but Midwesterners predominate. The campus is very ethnically diverse. However, self-segregation is a big issue. People who are very wealthy tend to hang out together, too. There is a frantic premed culture and, overall, the campus is a little nerdy. I hadnt seen so many hot geeks in one place until I came to Wash U, claims a first-year student. Jocks, punks, and goths are rare. A lot of people look exactly the same. This isnt really the best place to explore your education or figure out what you want to do with your life, reflects a senior. The typical student here has a plan and a goal they are working toward. These overcommitted, fun-loving high-school all stars are pretty politically apathetic but they have an array of other interests. I think the thing that connects everyone is passion, suggests a sophomore. Every student brings something different. There are the students involved in way too many activities just for the sake of activities, the premeds, the counterculture and counter-counterculture art students, B-school partiers, intense architecture students, frat boys, sorority girls who promised themselves they would never join one, the ethnicity-obsessed, and then a huge melting pot of all of those mixed together.
"The food is really amazing on this gorgeous campus. Dorms are reportedly fabulous, too. Things are way too expensive, though. Outside of class, Wash U students hit the books hard. The library is always incredibly crowded. Campus involvement is big as well and no one social scene dominates the campus. Wash U is a bit of a bubble, describes a senior, When youre here, the school experience shapes your entire lifestyle. Its a pleasant world, but hard to divorce yourself from the happy beauty of the campus and take note of the greater world and its problems. Not every weekend is buck wild but, of course, debauchery does happen. Some students seem to live this strange double life of intense studying and partying. A lot of students go to parties at the fraternities. There is little pressure to drink, though. If you just want to stay in and watch a movie or play board games with friends, its not a problem. The eclectic area next to campusfondly called The Loopis a great neighborhood to walk to for restaurants, boutiques, and bars, though sketchy neighborhoods are mere blocks away. St. Louis is a great sports town, so there are always great baseball, football, and hockey games and there is some culture here but much of the city shuts down after about 1:00 A.M.</p>
<p>who cares? seriously who cares? u guys need to get over urselves.</p>
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<p>I wouldn’t count on any merit aid from the U of C. They give it to very few students. I’m not sure what their criteria are, but while the OP’s D has a great GPA her ACT will not put her at the top of the heap at the U of C. If she’s an NMF they do give those scholarships–$2.5K, IIRC–but they only matter to students with no need-based aid, since any grant money will be offset by that amount.</p>
<p>That said, the U of C is a wonderful school, and I personally certainly prefer it to Northwestern and WUSTL, and it sounds as if the OP’s D would too. </p>
<p>I would look at Carleton for an intellectual, quirky girl who needs a bit of a social push.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t COUNT on merit aid at any of the schools mentioned. My D is a soph at WashU. She was NMF, val, 33 ACT, ECs above average which included regional tennis champ and state medalist in singles, national work with a group that supports a chronic illness including lobbying in D.C. and creating the art for their annual fundraising holiday card, voted top math and science student by faculty, leadership positons, etc. etc. and only received $2,000 a year NMF award from WashU.</p>
<p>My nephew was NMF, val, Pres Schol semi, 2390 SAT (one and only testing), pretty good ECs, and received only the $2,500 NMF a year award from Northwestern.</p>
<p>My D sounds a little like your daughter. She is a quiet soul who prefers studying to socializing. Her study groups ARE her social groups. She is double majoring in a science and a language, while taking the premed prereqs. She spent last summer at Middlebury’s Summer Intensive Language Program. She’s never attended a sporting event on campus, but does go to the occassional lecture, theater performance, etc. that interests her. She is smart, she is kind, and has a megawatt smile that melts your heart. I will tell you that after breezing through high school, she is working her tail off at WashU to stay on the Dean’s List (3.5) every semester. She often tells us during phone conversations, e-mails or in texts, etc. about another amazing experience she has had with a professor - they just blow her away, as do the other students on campus. Often the last words she types in a correspondence are, “Ah, WashU!” She’s in love with the university!</p>
<p>I would suggest that your daughter visit each of the places - that is what made the difference for our D.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your thoughtful replies. MidwestParent, your daughter sounds like a real gem, a treasure. You must be so proud of her. I’m glad she is thriving at WashU. Can you provide any insight to the other schools she was considering and what was the deciding factor in her choice?</p>
<p>We have visited WashU, made ME want to go back to school! She thought she could never find a school she loved as much, then we visited St. Olaf, which she adored as well. I then realized that there are many schools out there which could be just right, and we will see U of C over spring break. I still wonder how many visits are necessary, if you already have 1 reach , 1 match and 1 safety.</p>
<p>Lassie3 -
My daughter was sort of an anomaly for CC - she only applied to 4 schools. WashU, Notre Dame, and two that were offering her four year free rides due to NMF. We visited all of them in depth TWICE and WashU won out in the end. She wanted to apply to Notre Dame because although her ideas may be liberal, her morality is not. She liked the idea of single sex dorms and even the idea of parietals didn’t bother her. Also, they have a wonderful new science building and a new performing arts building. On our first visit, we had never encountered such a warm student body. Kids just walking across campus would stop and ask if we had questions, and stayed to answer them. The second visit was more in-depth and she just found several particulars more to her liking at WashU. We asked her to consider Northwestern, but she just didn’t seem interested. I think she read somewhere that Greek life ruled and that wasn’t appealing to her. My nephew is at NW, is not involved in Greek life and LOVES it there. She also considered University of Chicago, but I think the “where fun goes to die” reputation scared her off. I am not sure why it would because all she does at WashU is study! She found the academics lacking at the two “free ride” schools. So, that was her journey and reasoning, strange as it may be!</p>
<p>We also visited Duke (and UNC since it was close), but it wasn’t what she was looking for and she didn’t apply.</p>
<p>WashU fits her so well because she wanted to be challenged to the max. She wanted to be able to double major and minor (which she is doing in science and a foreign language with music on the side). They have a wonderful major called P-N-P (philosophy-neuroscience-psychology) which she loves – sort of like one major letting your deeply explore three areas. She is surrounded by kids who in her words, “Think like no one I’ve ever been around before” (she attended a very mediocre public h.s.) and she is. A conversation or e-mail might start with, "I just had the most interesting conversation with this girl from France…Today I helped this guy from Hong Kong tune his instrument…”, experiences this little girl from the Midwest has never had before.</p>
<p>I also want to mention that we have a very wise older friend in town who adores our daughter. She herself had three daughters who attended Duke, NW, and Rice. She was on my D constantly about St. Olaf – she absolutely loves the school! My D gave brief consideration to visiting, but was worried that since music is a big part of the school, her ability on her instrument might not be up to the level of others and she might not have been able to play in their orchestra. I don’t think she would have had anything to worry about, but some had cautioned her to watch out for that. This lady’s daughter plays in a large city’s symphony and recently went to St. Olaf for their Christmas concerts with a friend. She came back and reported to her mother, “That is the most homogenous place I have ever been. I definitely felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb not being a blonde!” She was exaggerating, but a funny story!</p>
<p>MidwestParent, Thank you for a glimpse into your college journey. I am taking several pieces of suggestions from it, visiting schools more than once is such an obvious one, but until I saw it in black and white, it eluded me. With your daughter’s stats and ec’s I’m surprised she didn’t get one of WashU’s scholarships, which makes me think they are harder to get than I thought. Mine will also probably be NMSF, so some of those full rides to other schools look so tempting (to me anyway, with two more girls coming up just a few years away). But the PNP program really hooked her at WashU.</p>
<p>Funny story about St. Olaf. When we went, we noticed the same URM young man on the panel and brochures for the school. I’m sure they want to change their homogenous image as well.</p>
<p>Lassie3 - I should mention that D really didn’t apply for anything at WashU. The NMF was just a given. D was so busy with a sport, playing an instrument, trying to keep her val spot, visiting schools, doing applications, etc., that I told her to not worry about applying. I looked at the odds, considered the number of scholarships available, and the stats of most the kids who are accepted. Even though WE thought she was amazing, at WashU, she was just one of many who have equal or even much more stellar stats and ECs. In the Arts and Sciences, there are maybe 50 scholarships that are significantly larger than the NMF and the RC Byrd she receives. With @ 1,350 freshmen accepting the offer of admission, I figure that was @ 3-4% who actually received one of the scholarships. We read that TONS apply for the scholarships, a few get invited to campus for final consideration, then just a handful get them. I guess that is one thing I regret - D probably should have applied for them all just to see what happened. The worse that could have happened is that she wouldn’t have received one. But as I said, I am not sure when she would have found the time to do the applications!!</p>