<p>"Penn... has a better business and medical school, a top notch dental, med, and vet school...."</p>
<p>this I think is why the comparison is so stupid. these are all good reasons to go to Penn, but no one at all goes to U of C to get a good background in dentistry or being a vet, and overall the campus is much less preprofessional. the schools are so diametrically opposed that it's bogus to say that one school is a good back-up for the other, because people who would be happy at one probably wouldn't at another.</p>
<p>also, I question the validity of the statement (guess just on anecdotal evidence) becuase I know a few people who got into Penn but not U of C. again, probably becuase the two schools are looking for different types of students, since they're different types of schools.</p>
<p>I think the U of Chicago numbers are anomalous because of there application, which they are in the process of changing so that they will accept the commn app.</p>
<p>"hmm...Penn is just so much more selective though and has a better business and medical school, a top notch dental, med, and vet school...."</p>
<p>It sounds as if you're talking grad programs. Chicago's Business school ranks # 5. Wharton is # 3. Chicago's Economics program is often ranked # 1. Chicago's med school is # 15, with Penn's at # 3. Chicago and Penn share the #6 ranking for Law.</p>
<p>You're a lucky b<em>st</em>rd if you get into either school.</p>
<p>I saw that article, and I was wondering if it would show up here. I thought that the basic advice they gave was right (ie. schools like Tufts are no longer safeties, look for a safety that fits what you want from a school, etc.) but like everyone else is saying, the usefulness of that article was completely negated by calling Georgetown a safety for Columbia, and UChicago one for UPenn. It's like the last section of the article was written by someone different, who hadn't read the first part!</p>
<p>This article made me laugh. Hard. And then cry for the legions of kids who are now going to use Chicago and Emory as safety schools because the New York Times said they were.</p>
<p>i cannot believe the NY Times has this article...if the writer even perused this website for one day, just one day, she would slap herself. UofC or Georgetown a safety...***? one of my good friends at my hs, ranked 3rd out of 535, editor in chief of recognized school newspaper, state champ in sports writing, captain of state champion debate team, 35 ACT, etc. was WL at Georgetown. He's going to UofC though. Must of been his safety ;)</p>
<p>I would by all means say that chicago is more rigorous than Pennsylvania. It just isnt an Ivy, and kids there arent cut out to be good at every thing, but they sure as h311 are as smart as they get.</p>
<p>U Chicago as a safety for Penn? Give me a break. Penn may be more selective, but U Chicago is deff not a safety. I also agree that in terms of academics, U Chicago is above Penn in my book. Only the NY Times would call a top ten school and possibly one of the top intellectual think-tanks a safety.</p>
<p>If it makes you feel any better, kids who are dumb enough to consider Chicago a safety under whatever circumstance are probably not the kids who will pass Chicago's "uncommon admissions."</p>
<p>Haha Lejeune I want to think that you're right. The U of C gets confused quite often with UIC (University of Illinois-Chicago) and UIUC (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign). Every year there are kids who come to U of C for move-in day, thinking it's UIC.</p>
<p>I also agree that Penn and Chicago are so different from each other as to not be comparable. One of my friends was offered to be a Franklin Scholar at Penn, but was turned off by the school and instead is attending the U of C. Though she's quite smart and a good student, I wouldn't necessarily think of her as pick of the litter at Chicago.</p>
<p>Sounds like an urban legend University of Chicago style:) </p>
<p>When asked, the admissions officers felt they too perhaps were part of this unfortunate mistake.</p>
<p>"His essay on why Chicago was a brilliant send up on Why essays everywhere. It really had all the nuances one might expect from an absurdist skewering. The passage regarding the low tuition and wanting to study engineering we felt worthy of Woody Allen himself."</p>
<p>
[quote]
Haha Lejeune I want to think that you're right. The U of C gets confused quite often with UIC (University of Illinois-Chicago) and UIUC (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign). Every year there are kids who come to U of C for move-in day, thinking it's UIC.
[/quote]
Please, you're kidding right? I mean... seriously.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Penn is just so much more selective though and has a better business and medical school, a top notch dental, med, and vet school....
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Notwithstanding USNWRs rankings - UoCs B-school is closer to Wharton than Penns law school is that to UoC law. As for med school, Penn is ahead of Pritzker, but too much of med school rankings, imo, is based on research dollars.</p>