I went to Catholic schools through high school. One day due to snow in January 1967, school was closed.
I think visits can really make kids decisions clear. My older daughter wanted to visit UChicago, she loved that it had an intense academic attitude so much so that fun goes there to die. But she hated it when we visited. She didn’t apply. We had to visit other schools in the area to justify the trip - so we visited Northwestern and Notre Dame. She loved both and they were ultimately her final two choices. I don’t think they were even on her list before the visits.
I think even reach schools are worth the visit, because then your kid can save the time writing essays for schools that he or she wouldn’t want to attend. Just because it is a reach, doesn’t mean it is a match for your kid. I’m a firm believer that reputation and rankings shouldn’t determine a kid’s decisions.
Actually, to get a real feel for both the U of C and Northwestern, I’d recommend waiting to visit until school is back in session. To cover both, you’d want to wait until October! Each school has its own personality that is much more evident with the undergraduate population on campus. Two of my kids went to the U of C and one of them has returned for law school, so we’ve spent 10 student years in HP thus far. My son lived off 53rd on S Harper back in 2004-2007, before 53rd became as commercially developed as it is now. My daughter lived closer to campus but is now in one of those high rise buildings on the lake. Neither had cars and walk/walked everywhere. Their favorite way to Midway was the 55 bus, and going to O’Hare they took the 6 bus downtown and then the blue line out to O’Hare. That trip takes upwards of 90 minutes via public transportation. In our family’s opinion, there are great things about both of those schools, but for 2 of my 3 kids, HP was an amazing place to go to school.
Here’s the thing. Evanston is a town. There are things to do. Hyde Park is a neighborhood, with very little to do. 1/2 bars, 1 small movie theater, and not that much going on on campus. Also, Hyde Park is not that much closer to the loop than Evanston, and there are tons of things to do between Evanston and Hyde Park because the north side is not a wasteland. UChicago campus is pretty small, now that I’m a 4th year I get out of campus/Hyde Park much more and I wish I was in Evanston. Just something to note.
Visit virtually first: ask for advice from locals, students, and alumni. Apply to both, and when you have an offer of admission, visit in person. “Why X” can be answered with a combination of online research and a statement of personal interest.
Chicago temps are nothing like the town in which I grew up in northern Wisconsin. I remember many days of -20F or worse where I grew up. During my senior year in high school, we had a day when it got down to -48F and -90 with the wind chill. We still had school because the buses started. I didn’t go because my car wouldn’t start. The next day it warmed up to a high of -15, but my car still wouldn’t start. lol, the perks of being an upperclassman.
Chicago is comparatively warm. Still colder than Boston, but not nearly as cold as northern Wisc, northern Minnesota or North Dakota.
However, if you are close to Lake Michigan, 20F all of a sudden is bitterly uncomfortable because the wind chill factor is now well below 0. Wet hair freezes nearly instantly, whatever is in your nose freezes, etc. – it can be uncomfortably cold. But it will toughen you up, living in a place that can freeze your ears within 5-10 minutes of exposure. hehe
I have a few questions. Is your son taking the hardest curriculum at his high school? Does he have significant extracurriculars? When you say super duper SAT, are we talking close to 2400? 2200? For you to spend the time, money and energy to go, all these factors matter. Is 3.5 weighted? Is he thinking of applying eD to NU? If yes, then I’d advise going to see the schools if the other puzzle pieces are where they should be. If not, that 3.5 is going to be even more of a problem. How has your high school fared at these schools? One or two kids a year? Other kids applying with legacy?
With respect to University of Chicago’s campus, I thought it was one of the most beautiful campuses that we toured. Magnificent in fact! The surroundings were totally fine, I did not feel insecure AT ALL. Let me tell you, I’m walking around SAn Francisco as a tourist and I’m more freaked out here than I’ve been in NYC or Chicago! Lol
You can always attend a road show even if it is not in your city if it is driving distance. Or a college fair. Or at the high school if they come to visit. If they don’t come to yours, maybe he can be a guest visitor at a neighboring school.
Good luck.
We live in California, and were not able to visit either U Chicago or Northwestern. My daughter applied to both, got into U Chicago, but not NW. She had alumni interviews for both, and met the U Chicago admissions counselor when she visited her school. I think they would understand that travel from Seattle is difficult, so I’d say go ahead and apply and see what happens. Good luck!
I would recommend visiting if you can - especially U Chicago. We toured both NW and Chicago with our D and she loved both. Evanston is easy to like and IMO the perfect college town. U of Chicago has a beautiful campus but neither H nor I could get comfortable with the surrounding neighborhood. We said nothing to D at the time, but decided to wait and see how things played out before discussing our concerns with her.
In the end she was admitted to her EA school which was her first choice so she never submitted the other apps. But I do think a visit to U of Chicago would be prudent if your son is seriously considering the school.
I may have missed something, but
If the guidance counselor is saying “must visit” before applying because she thinks that “showing interest” is required for those schools, then of course this isn’t true. There are other ways to show interest.
Visiting after acceptance, is more important, IMO.
S visited Chicago, Northwestern, and another school the summer before senior year, and again after he was accepted at all three. The first visits were combined with a family vacation and probably did make it easier to answer the “why X” question. However, he was always aware that acceptance was a long shot and didn’t want to get to attached to a place that might not even end up being an option. The #1 choice after the summer visits changed after the second round of visits–knowing that they were real choices and that he was going to have to make a decision added a lot of focus. The second round did cost some money, but this was a drop in the bucket compare to what we paid for the degree, so worth it to us to help make the best choice. If only one round of visits is possible, I think the after-acceptance visit is more important.
FWIW, S decided on Chicago, graduated a little over a year ago, got a job in the loop, and still lives in Hyde Park.
My sister, from Southern California, applied to five of the top ten elites and was admitted to each including U Chicago. It wasn’t financially possible for her to visit schools in the East and Midwest before applying but she did attend all of the schools “in city” and “in school” presentations. Through them, she met regional admissions recruiters and established brief, but useful, email relationships with each of them. They knew who she was and that is always helpful unless, of course, one makes a negative impression.
After admission she did visit each of the Universities and fell in love with U Chicago. Not everyone will find it to be a fit for them. She is highly intelligent, introspective, and a high achiever who enjoys deep philosophical and political conversations over several cups of coffee. She is the kind of young woman who enjoys learning and that is true of most U Chicago students.
I can’t imagine anyone not being impressed by the campus or the physical plant unless they visited some years ago or in winter. But, to each his own.
The campus is beautiful and many new buildings have been, and are being constructed including two state of the art dorms with a third for upper class students ready in about year or so. Many of those who live in older dorms, that will be shut down, are not happy about it as they enjoy the unique life style they afford them. U Chicago has several outstanding libraries and they are well used for research and study.
After all of her life in Southern California she wanted the four season experience; to wear layers and coats rather than shorts all day…every day. Sounds a bit off, right? Well, she is not your average young woman. She did have problems adapting health wise (sinus infections etc.) and the wind knocked her down on the ice a time or two but she is ready for year two with no reservations.
She found it easy to make a lot of friends many who have common interests. She has now moved off campus (Hyde Park) with two other young women. Rent is far less than it is in San Diego and it is less expensive than living on campus. And, U Chicago’s overseas study program opportunities are outstanding.
Safety is always a concern but she wouldn’t be walking around by herself at night in San Diego either so being careful is nothing new. Safety is no more an issue at U Chicago and Hyde Park than it is at UCLA, Berkeley, UCSD, USC or Columbia. But, if one did not grow up in an urban area, I can understand the concern.
It’s not just the urban landscape of Hyde Park or the cold midwestern winters. In my opinion, it’s probably a good idea to at least consider a visit to any school before deciding to invest four years and maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars in that institution. (And that would include before ED applications, as well, since that is, in effect, a commitment as well.)
D thought she would love UCBerkeley, but, for some reason, she was totally turned off by the campus and the surrounding area. (Weird kid, I know.) I remember sitting in the car as she cried because she was so disappointed that she didn’t like this school that she thought she would feel a connection with. I’m just glad that was before she had made a decision rather than after. Instead she fell for a smallish school in snowy upstate New York that I hadn’t really paid much attention to before our visit there later that same year.
I would say that it is very important to visit U of C. Not because of the neighborhood, but because of the intellectual quirkiness of the place. For more social kids, it may not be a place they are comfortable right away. I would definitely want them to visit.
I agree that a student really should visit U of C. I lived in Hyde Park for 8 years and crime in the immediate neighborhood was never a huge daily worry though of course there was a typical amount of urban crime. U of is a very unique school with a big emphasis on a classic core curriculum which a student should be certain they are interested in before applying. Additionally the school is predominantly a graduate school so there is a very different campus atmosphere than you find in most other schools that are predominantly undergraduate. Northwestern of course has it’s own personality and vibe but it’s not nearly as taste specific as U of C is. With a 3.5 GPA unless you really would like to visit Chicago I probably would wait. It takes a certain kid to want to go where fun goes to die!