<p>The U of C came out with a new homepage today in its beta form. I think it's pretty nice looking. It's certainly not as bland as the former site.</p>
<p>Any comments?</p>
<p>It's nice and streamlined.</p>
<p>I like it, but now I can't find where the statistics are for undergrads gettign into grad schools and getting hired??</p>
<p>I think the idea of shifting to the large picture format has definitely caught on. Cornell, JHU, Dartmouth and Columbia all made the move in the last several years as well from the more limited page model still employed by Stanford and Harvard. However, the aesthetic is highly dependent on the quality of photos employed. JHU and Dartmouth seem to have persistently low quality shots, both in terms of substance and technical detail, whereas Cornell and Columbia occasionally have really standout images that one would consider hanging in an office.</p>
<p>Chicagoboy, that information is most likely to be on the website for CAPS--Career Advising and Placement Services. caps.uchicago.edu</p>
<p>I think this new website sort of subliminally screams "HEY, WE'RE A GOOD SCHOOL TOO!" the old website sort of undersold itself. Too white, too simple, not re-energized for the Web 2.0 generation.</p>
<p>From a Web 2.0 standpoint, it looks great, but I personally think that it's too busy. Though I do love the "crescat scientia, vita excolatur" off to the side.</p>
<p>That shade of maroon they are using looks awfully crimson to me!</p>
<p>Anyway, because y'all are mostly prospies and parents, I'm sure your impressions of the website matter much more than mine, so do consider giving us feedback: Website</a> Comments | The University of Chicago</p>
<p>It's definately a needed improvement. But I think the picture of a house on the tab is a bit silly and should be replaced with just the word home.</p>
<p>Also, that message on the about page of how "The University of Chicago is one of the world's great intellectual communities," to me anyways, communicates a certain sense of pretentiousness and desperation. As unalove put it, it's saying "HEY, WE'RE A GOOD SCHOOL TOO!"</p>
<p>I like it alot.</p>
<p>Get rid of the "Academic Programs" box in the lower right section. People can just click on the top tab labeled "Academics" to get there, and it isn't needed on the homepage. It makes the bottom half feel very clogged. I sent this in as a comment/suggestion.</p>
<p>I disagree. It adds substance. Besides, there's already two other boxes there, so the "clogging" wouldn't be alleviated by removing just the Academic Programs box.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Also, that message on the about page of how "The University of Chicago is one of the world's great intellectual communities," to me anyways, communicates a certain sense of pretentiousness and desperation. As unalove put it, it's saying "HEY, WE'RE A GOOD SCHOOL TOO!"
[/quote]
I disagree. You must not read Chicago paraphenalia often becuase the phrase "one of the world's great intellectual communities" has frequently been used in various publications by the university.</p>
<p>I disagree as well. I don't think the university is trying to overcompensate for anything, cause, well it doesnt have to.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I disagree. You must not read Chicago paraphenalia often becuase the phrase "one of the world's great intellectual communities" has frequently been used in various publications by the university.
[/quote]
[quote]
I disagree as well. I don't think the university is trying to overcompensate for anything, cause, well it doesnt have to.
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I'm not disagreeing with the premise that Chicago is "one of the world's great intellectual communities." I just don't like how the school seems to overstress this kind of language on their mailings and website. I've never seen any other elite school rely so much on these cliches. I think this editorial articulates it pretty well:
Chicago</a> Maroon | Inferiority complex is so U of C</p>
<p>Good school or not, it's all part of marketingese. A sample from one of our peers that I think exhibits similar "holier than thou" sentiment:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Welcome to Dartmouth, a private, four-year liberal arts institution that has been at the forefront of American higher education since 1769. A member of the Ivy League, Dartmouth is a superb undergraduate residential college with the intellectual character of a university, featuring thriving research and first-rate graduate and professional programs. This unique combination creates a highly personal learning environment for our exceptional students and faculty.
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</p>
<p>Dartmouth</a> - About Dartmouth</p>
<p>(I actually searched out other "about this college" homepages-- schools like Carleton, Duke, Brown, Harvard, Lehigh, Yale, and I guess I could only find a hint of "Look how great we are" at Dartmouth and Chicago. At the same time, I think it's important to distinguish between marketing mumbo-jumbo and actual student attitudes. Barnum's point is well-taken, but I think that every school has a little bit of a "We're not Harvard" complex, and that's not something particularly unusual to the U of C, nor do I think it's particularly widespread here. College students who are still crying themselves to bed at night over other college rejections need to get over themselves-- ridiculous as it sounds, some of my most teary-eyed friends are at schools like Yale, Pomona, and Brown).</p>
<p>I love the house icon!</p>
<p>I think the U of C’s boosterism is on the lower end of the spectrum. For instance, school’s get to choose what appears in their search byline on Google. UChicago has, “a private, nondenominational, coeducational institution of higher learning and research located in Hyde Park, a culturally rich and ethnically diverse…” </p>
<p>Meanwhile (the finalists in the category of bluntness are):</p>
<p>Brown University, founded in 1764, is member of the Ivy League and is renowned for the quality of its teaching, research, and unique curriculum</p>
<p>Welcome to Dartmouth, a private, four-year liberal arts institution that has been at the forefront of American higher education since 1769.</p>
<p>Stanford University is one of the world's leading research and teaching institutions. It is located in Palo Alto, California.</p>
<p>The University of Oxford is one of the leading universities in the world.</p>
<p>The University of Cambridge is one of the oldest universities in the world and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. Its reputation for outstanding.</p>
<p>One of the nation's most respected universities. Located in Princeton NJ.</p>
<p>MUCH better! looks great!</p>
<p>although, in my opinion, the best website is still Duke's</p>
<p>I can't believe you guys are criticizing the "intellectual communities" phrase. It's so common in college advertising/propoganda that it isn't even remotely out of the ordinary. Besides, for chicago -- get this-- it's actually true.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I think the U of C’s boosterism is on the lower end of the spectrum. For instance, school’s get to choose what appears in their search byline on Google. UChicago has, “a private, nondenominational, coeducational institution of higher learning and research located in Hyde Park, a culturally rich and ethnically diverse…”
[/quote]
I can stand "one of the nation's most respected universities" or "one of the world's leading research and teaching institutions." There's a difference between those and Chicago's oft repeated phrases like "life of the mind" or "one of the world's great intellectual communities" and those are much worse.</p>
<p>I don't see anything wrong with "life of the mind"; actually its one of the slogans that probably attracts most U of C applicants. It definitely got my attention. Don't base your assessment of the U of C's intellectual community on one guy's article. I haven't lived there yet either, but 99 percent of the people that go there seem to be extremely happy they made that decision.</p>
<p>Chicago doesn't own the "life of the mind." Countless others unaffiliated with U of C use the phrase to describe a lifestyle of intellectual pursuit.</p>