Arguably, your own outcomes don’t illustrate your point.
Your D has been accepted to 3 of the most selective, prestigious schools in the USA.
Not bad!
@KnightsRidge
In this context, what is UMC? I could not figure it out!
Congratulations to your daughter, and please keep us posted on the final decision.
@Faulkner1897 upper middle class @wisteria100 @help2017 @Twinsdad499 @Dolemite @tk21769 Thanks! Her first overnight is this Thurs/Fri at UChicago. Neither of us have visited the school and this will be her first trip to Chicago so are looking forward to it. With the forecast expected in the upper 30s and w/some snow on Fri my D at least will get a realistic taste of the Chicago climate. She likes the larger size and access to all Chicago offers in concept. Though not a slave to perceived college prestige/rankings, she seems to think most who are given the choice would choose UChicago over Williams and Amherst. A couple of her HS friends pretty much told her as much. I respectfully disagreed but she can’t help thinking I’m a bit biased. However, having come from an intense HS experience, she is concerned w/UChicago’s reputed stress culture exacerbated by it’s “no time to catch a breath” quarter system. And she’s not hot on a core curriculum that takes up almost 1 1/2 years worth of classes even w/some AP credits. And of Williams and Amherst, she seems now to prefer Amherst (visualize the proverbial stake through my heart…) partially b/c she felt she got in on her own merits and b/c she thinks there is just more going on in the Pioneer Valley w/the 5 Colleges. She also likes Amherst’s open curriculum and the academic freedom that comes with it and the impressive science center due to open this fall. After a few days to let things sink in, she does appreciate how fortunate she is to have these choices. It won’t be an easy decision.
@KnightsRidge Tell your D, that at other high schools, (like mine), the prestige factor winner, is hands down Williams/Amherst over Chicago! Maybe due to their small size and focus on diversity and also due to recruiting of athletes, but an acceptance for an UMC is perceived to be like winning the lottery.
well, If she does not look forward to taking the range of required classes at Chicago, then she should decide between Amherst and Williams.
There is no getting around the Core. Its what Chicago is known for.
@menloparkmom 100%. Personally, I think the core is a good thing providing some academic structure and shared experience among the students. D is looking forward to getting her feet on the ground this week and hopefully gain some clarity on the whole UChicago experience.
Urge her not to discount Williams just because it’s mom or dad’s alma mater. For what it’s worth, I was greatly impressed by Williams and would consider it alongside ANY school with single digit admission rates. My kid Is deciding between multiple ivies and peer schools and part of me secretly hopes he picks Williams. Congrats to your daughter for three fantastic options. I hope she can consider the school independently of its association with mom and dad. Good luck–no bad choices here!
She’ll be at the Williams in a few weeks so hopefully she experiences for herself how special of a place it is for HER next 4 year adventure and no longer sees it as the place where Dad went to college. Six months ago she liked it enough that she was considering applying ED. Now because she didn’t (and didn’t get into Princeton EA) she has choices. Life is funny that way.
Has a decision been made yet @KnightsRidge ?
@OHMomof2 Currently at Williams Previews for admitted students. Thankfully weather is nice unlike the truly awful weather at Amherst last week. Williams has never looked better (at least to me). Will know soon enough whether D agrees but my D was impressed by UChicago after her visit there. I’m enjoying the one on one time with my D during these trips (we drove to Williams) and realize how much I will miss her. Heading off to the welcome address…
Fingers crossed she joins Williams. We’re here too and feeling like we did win the lottery.
Too bad about the Amherst weather last week, though I guess being so close together it was probably like that at Williams last week too 
Good luck to her, and you, as you go through this!
Congrats she’s got great choices. My kid was deciding between U of Chicago and the school he actually attended (Tufts) until April 30. No idea if he chose the right one - he graduated a couple of years ago, so moot now!
She’s going to be a Maroon! We submitted the housing deposit last night. She’ll be at the bottom of the queue at UChicago since she committed so late but she is happy and relieved to have made the decision. In the end, Williams was just too small and isolated for her (she had similar feelings towards Amherst even w/their consortium). As a proud parent, I’m excited for her as she embarks on her 4 year adventure at a world class university. But I have to admit feeling conflicted today as we won’t share the common experience of Williams. Last night, she put up the UChicago poster in her room and was going to take down the Williams banner which has been in her room since she was little but told me she decided to leave it up for me (I almost lost it at that point…) Thanks to all for your helpful advice and support throughout this college admissions journey!
Congratulations to your DD @KnightsRidge! University of Chicago will be spectacular! Let the adventure begin!
@KnightsRidge Congratualtions!! My daughter is a freshman at Uchicago, and she loves every single thing there!
It has been a great experience so far. Awesome housing system, incredibly smart teachers and peers, nice dorm, great food, and one of the most amazing cities just a few minutes away from campus.
Congrats ! This is totally the right decision. not even close. No contest with the others. But I kept my mouth shut until the decision. UChicago is among a handful of elite world class universities with great ties to graduate schools. Great energy and momentum. “Maroon is the new Crimson .”
@Chrchill I join you in congratulating OP’s daughter. But your claim about “not even close” is actually not even close to a fair representation. In what fantasyland is Chicago so unquestionably superior to Williams or Amherst? Chicago is a great choice for some people. So is Williams. So is Amherst. The choice here is a matter of personal fit and your claim of superiority rings false—yet entirely consistent with your past patterns of behavior. Your ongoing need to elevate Uo’C above anything not HYPSM frankly suggests you have some unresolved status anxiety. Your desperate campaign to claim peerage for Chicago alongside the so-called single initial schools has become a parody. And now we have you dismissing two of the top LACs as unworthy of consideration alongside Uo’C? Trollworthy.
By all means, feel free to convince yourself that "maroon is the new crimson” if that somehow feels reassuring. But this “no contest” nonsense is just silly. Clearly you pay attention to rankings (at least the ones that suit your agenda) so surely you know that some rankings place little Williams and Amherst ahead of your dear Chicago for undergrad education and grad school placement (for example WSJ http://collegematchus.com/ranking-the-colleges-top-colleges-that-feed-alumni-into-grad-school-programs/). Granted, LACs can’t compete on criteria like research output, grad schools and Nobels, but I’d argue those things are largely irrelevant for an undergrad. Normally I just roll my eyes at Chrhill shilling, but I’m calling BS here because naive kids might mistake propaganda for substance. Your enthusiasm for Chicago is admirable; your snide putdowns of other great schools are not.
OP, congrats to your daughter. Please do not take my squibbing as second-guessing your daughter’s decision. I actually think Chicago is a great choice for many reasons—but not the ones that seem so important to our needy friend.
@Chrchill belated congrats also to your family for picking Chicago, no doubt an excellent fit.
And if rankings are so important to Chicago’s boosters, please note that USNews gives Williams an overall score of 100/100 and Chicago is only 96/100.
@oldschooldad It never fails. The inability the grasp the fundamental difference in global prospects between a major wold class university and an LAC. Williams is the top LAC. But ask anybody outside the US what it is. See what it does for you in global reputation and reach. And no need to be so defensive or personal about this. I would have said the same thing if the choice had been between Williams and Columbia, Penn etc. I think that in this day and age an education is a pivotal strategic investment. Many universities such as Princeton, Columbia and in recent years UChicago have directed major resources and efforts to the undergraduate division. It shows.