<p>I haven’t visited UChicago since I graduated a few years ago, so I’m not sure how different the culture is now. I do know that when I was there kids generally did not flaunt their parents’ wealth. On the contrary, they seemed to hide their parents’ wealth, partly as a way of establishing their independence. I was surprised to find that some of my friends came from “super wealthy” families because they lived super frugally, only bought clothing at secondhand stores, and never bragged.</p>
<p>I went to grad school at another private university and the culture was different from Chicago’s and, from what I can deduce from anecdotes, Penn’s. Even if cultures are converging, I think schools will maintain distinct cultures and will always attract certain types of individuals through self-selection.</p>