<p>Which is better? I am an international student who intends to major in Philosophy.
I would like to know which is better in with respect to academics, fun, prestige, campus and the overall student life</p>
<p>PS: i'm not applying for fin. aid</p>
<p>Ummm...most people are probably going to say Northwestern since you said "fun, campus, and overall student life."</p>
<p>I would disagree with them, but that's probably what you're going to hear. As far as academics, they're comparable but I'd give Chicago the edge. </p>
<p>Prestige is a different story. NU is probably a bit more prestigious due to its sports, but Chicago has moved into the "top 10" recently so I'm sure people will give it the attention it deserves.</p>
<p>if you like one school, you probably aren't going to like the other; figure out what kind of person you are.</p>
<p>Chicago's enthusiasts are a very esoteric group, and northwestern gets alot of transfers each year from chicago of people who guaged themselves wrong.</p>
<p>If you are the type of person who likes a place like chicago, however, you will receive an excellent education there.</p>
<p>It is very true that the two schools are COMPLETELY different. The only thing they share is that they are in pretty much the same area (although I like Evanston better than Hyde Park). But, as was already said, if you like one, you’ll probably not like the other. I would suggest you do a little more research; the deeper you dig into the two schools, the more you shall see how different they are. </p>
<p>Look at the different curricula. Chicago has a core program, but NU only has distribution requirements. For social sciences and humanities, I’d say Chicago has more renowned programs, but for pretty much everything else, Northwestern wins out- but I want to stress that the level of education that one will receive is on the same level at both schools, and NEITHER is more prestigious nor shall give a "better" education- just one that’s different.</p>
<p>“Prestige is a different story. NU is probably a bit more prestigious due to its sports”</p>
<p>Prestigious to whom? The average sports watcher? The average college professor? The average person on the street? Prestige is highly subjective. If you are looking for prestige in the eyes of the academic elite, I’d say the two schools are seen on the same level (although many may argue that Chicago has some kind of inborn advantage). Again, the schools are prestigious for different reasons- research and you will learn. </p>
<p>And as for:</p>
<p>“but Chicago has moved into the "top 10" recently so I'm sure people will give it the attention it deserves.”</p>
<p>This statement is HIGHLY misguided, so I would suggest you ignore this. I would also suggest that you take US News (and most other) rankings with a grain of salt, as they change pretty much every year- at a rate that is seriously flawed for institutions like colleges.</p>
<p>NU's philosophy dept. is good; however, I imagine that UChicago's is good as well.
Unless your idea of fun is somewhat masochistic, and your ideal student life is somewhat tortured, I'd suggest Northwestern. :)
They both have very nice campuses--I prefer Chicago's architecture, but Northwestern's location.
Prestige? This answer isn't at all clear cut.</p>
<p>"Prestigious to whom?"</p>
<p>The OP asked about the school's prestige and did not specify whether he was referring to the opinion of the academic community, sports fan, etc. If you ask the common person on the street, chances are they won't have heard of either of the schools, but more people are probably familiar with NU because of its sports. </p>
<p>"This statement is HIGHLY misguided, so I would suggest you ignore this."</p>
<p>How is stating a fact misguided? Chicago has moved up in the rankings and more students begin to notice it. How would this not fare well for the school's image?</p>
<p>That is misguided because it assumes that the rankings this year will hold for future years, but looking at past years, we can see that this is NOT the case. A few years ago, NU was number 9, now It’s 14. Chicago was 15, now it’s 9. Does this mean that the school is some how better now? Now it does not. What’s more, if what you say about students taking interest in the school is true, then northwestern should still be benefiting from its number 9 ranking in 2002 or 2003 shouldn’t it?</p>
<p>"Does this mean that the school is some how better now?"</p>
<p>Who said anything about Chicago being better than Northwestern because it is ranked higher? </p>
<p>"Chicago has moved up in the rankings and more students begin to notice it."</p>
<p>This seems to already be the case here on CC. It makes me sad, but it is true: more students look at Chicago now as it moves up in the ranking yet still has such a high acceptance rate, so it becomes the <em>safety</em> school for HYPS applicants.</p>
<p>"then northwestern should still be benefiting from its number 9 ranking in 2002 or 2003 shouldn’t it?"</p>
<p>No, it shouldn't. I would look at things on a "year by year" basis. It only seems practical that as a school rises in the rankings, it will catch more attention from potential applicants for that year.</p>
<p>We all know NU is more selective than Chicago. This is not supposed to be a discussion about selectivity or popularity. You have missed my point, which was to say that Chicago's status as a top 10 school this year will undoubtedly increase its popularity, at least to students that are just looking through the list. Whether that means it will be more popular than NU (and I doubt it will) has not been addressed. I am not comparing the schools in this aspect.</p>
<p>I'd MUCH rather go to Northwestern. The perfect school IMHO. Sports, academics, prestige, location, fun, etc.</p>
<p>"Chicago has moved up in the rankings and more students begin to notice it."</p>
<p>“This seems to already be the case here on CC.”</p>
<p>I don’t want to start going on rants about scientific sampling and such, but if what you say is true about Chicago and CC, then all we are told is that among people who long onto the internet and visit CC, Chicago is increasing in popularity. This says absolutely nothing about all eligible high school applicants and how they view the school.</p>
<p>“You have missed my point, which was to say that Chicago's status as a top 10 school this year will undoubtedly increase its popularity, at least to students that are just looking through the list.” </p>
<p>No, I think it is you who have missed MY point. Last year, Northwestern received the most applications in its history, even more than a few years ago when it was ranked in the so-called top 10. How can this be? If as you say a higher ranking = more applicants, shouldn’t Northwestern have seen a peak in that application cycle and a decline in subsequent cycles? I’m sorry but what you’re asserting about applications and US News rank is misguided at best.</p>
<p>Well, again I'm not comparing Chicago to Northwestern or even considering Northwestern's case. That is interesting data that suggests either a spillover or no correlation at all between applicants and ranking. Still, I disagree that the rankings will have absolutely no effect on the # of applicants Chicago receives this year. I guess we will find out once that data is released.</p>
<p>Take it easy there killer.</p>
<p>northwestern is not more selective than uchicago. its acceptance rate is slightly lower (28 percent versus 38 percent), but the relative strength of uchicago's applicant pool compared to northwestern's makes it at least as difficult, if not more so, to get into than northwestern. its applicant pool is stronger because of its reputation for hard-core academics and its uncommon application, which stops a lot of throwaway applicants and ensures that most of the people applying are already fairly intelligent to begin with. i know northwestern has its own application too, but its not nearly as difficult or intellectual as the prompts offered by uchicago. as someone who has gained admission to both schools, i had a much more difficult time writing my uchicago essay, and in fact i didnt get in when i applied early. i was deferred, and only got in regular decision after i had sent in a third recommendation and another essay explaining how much i wanted to go there. i used my common application essay for northwestern and got in regular decision. this is not to say that northwestern is an easy school to get into, but only that you cant judge selectivity on acceptance rate alone. i will also point out that uchicago has higher average SAT scores than northwestern, even though chicago supposedly doesnt care about test scores.</p>
<p>nice post, odyssy5red. A refreshing change on CC to see someone back up claims with evidence and examples.</p>
<p>“i know northwestern has its own application too, but its not nearly as difficult or intellectual as the prompts offered by uchicago.”</p>
<p>See you were doing well there until you added this bit ofsubjective nonsense…. Maybe for you Chicago’s application was indeed more difficult and “intellectual”, but will this hold true for everyone? I highly doubt that. There is also no way to prove your claim. Like most everything else, the difficulty of an application depends on the applicant and his strengths, not on the way in which the application was created.</p>
<p>"uchicago has higher average SAT scores than northwestern, even though chicago supposedly doesnt care about test scores."</p>
<p>Do you suppose that since applicants don't have to report SAT scores to Chicago, that only those with exceptionally high ones report them? (A la Middlebury?) Regardless, it's true--UChicago has a lot of very bright students.</p>
<p>the fact that i was able to use my common application essay for northwestern and still get in shows that its prompts are similar to the ones suggested by the common app, and thus will not likely scare away applicants like some of the questions on the uchicago app do. chicago's app is very specific, and asks some strange questions that require a lot of work to form a coherent college essay. For example, one of the prompts a few years back was "How do you feel about Wednesdays?" Although this may appear to be painfully obvious, it would in fact require a lot of thought and hard work to make an intelligent, well-thought-out response. You obviously cant say something like "I like Wednesdays because that means Friday is only two days away!" That particular prompt requires some intellectual work to create something that isn't unbearably trite. Again, im not criticizing northwestern; it was my second choice, after all. Im just saying that the applicant pool for uchicago is stronger because of its hard-core academic reputation and its difficult application.</p>
<p>"Chicago was 15, now its 9. Does this mean that the school is some how better now? Now it does not"</p>
<p>No, but chicago was ranked 15th because they didn't have a proper system of counting faculty. If they did, they probably would have been ranked top-10 all along.</p>
<p>You DO have to report test scores to Chicago- either ACT or SAT-but test scores aren't as important as at some other schools.</p>
<p>In terms of prestige, Chicago wins hands down in my opinion. It is a unique, very intellectual university. Northwestern is excellent but not in the same league</p>
<p>No, but chicago was ranked 15th because they didn't have a proper system of counting faculty. If they did, they probably would have been ranked top-10 all along.</p>
<p>-Say what you will, but to my knowledge Chicago had the same chance of reporting data as other schools. If those who were responsible for doing so did not report things in a correct manner, that is the fault of the school and nobody else. It is pretty silly to speak in terms of ifs and probablys .</p>
<p>“In terms of prestige, Chicago wins hands down in my opinion. It is a unique, very intellectual university. Northwestern is excellent but not in the same league “</p>
<p>-Not in the same league? These kinds of ridiculous comments make me laugh….</p>