<p>Yeahh, my app mentioned Computer Science a loooot. :3 In my Why UChicago I mentioned their CS department, and how their CS theory research particularly interests me :3</p>
<p>@CJohnH hmm, interesting. I guess it’s also that it’s a lot smaller than a typical state school. Wouldn’t know though; I only applied to large publics.</p>
<p>lol dog food. How was the taste like?</p>
<p>There are advantages and disadvantages to each. For instance, UChicago offers a huge range of academic pursuits (I could study Econ while double majoring in CompSci and English Literature with a minor in Germanic studies) but there is no actual engineering department at UChicago</p>
<p>@HateSMUS Terrible. To quote the essay "At that point, I made a landmark decision which became a precedent for nearly all my choices since; I decided that I would figure it out for myself. That was one of the most exciting moments of my life, when I realized that knowledge was not just something that existed in the minds of my parents, or in books, or on television shows- knowledge could be discovered. The entire universe opened before me at that point. No longer did I have to take “I don’t know” for an answer. No longer did I have to search for an adult who knew the answers to my questions. I could find those answers myself. With this revolutionary new outlook on life, I had unlimited potential for discovery. So I did what any young new discoverer would do; I ate some dog food. In doing so, I finally found the answer to my question; the reason Schatzi would refuse to eat was that her food tasted terrible. "</p>
<p>That would definitely be nice… I’m pretty undecided on my future to be honest, and the idea that I wouldn’t be able to switch into something in the engineering department if I wanted to is pretty irksome, as it limits my options… I was going to apply to Chicago, but didn’t; not sure if I’d be able to survive the social environment. Obviously an education of high quality is more important in the long run, but I wanted to be in a place where I’d enjoy it as well. Not that there’s anything wrong with Chicago, I would just prefer the environment that a big state school offers more.</p>
<p>@penguin Yep. That’s the one downside for any UChicago major; they focus a ton on the ideas and theory, but there’s not a lot of practical, career-oriented skills that are learned in the classroom.</p>
<p>@afro I’m definitely intimidated by the social environment. No one in my school has gotten, or even knows anyone from other schools who has gotten an ACT score as good as mine (35). I’m ranked number 1 in my class, I’m class president, editor-in-chief of the (online) newspaper, captain of the scholastic bowl team, lead guitarist in the pep band, and the only national merit semifinalist in my school’s history. I’m not used to being surrounded by people who are way smarter, more talented, well-read, and intellectual than I am. It’ll be quite an adjustment if I get in to UChicago. On the plus side, I’ll be the one person in my high school class to move out of my hometown if I get in. So I think it’s worth it.</p>
<p>It’ll probably be a good change for you though, with the entirely new environment and surroundings and such. On top of that, being amongst peers of similar or higher intellectuality and academic achievement would (I expect, anyway) help you stay motivated and focused in school. Where are you from, out of curiosity? Small town, big city? Suburb?</p>
<p>I honestly have fallen in love with Chicago’s social environment. Maybe it’s just because I fit well with all the current students and alum that I’ve met, but it seems like the perfect place for me in terms of the social/friend scenes. I like dorky midnight conversations and debates about morality over tea and all of the lovely stuff I’ve heard of at UChicago. </p>
<p>It’s odd that the place where fun goes to die sounds like my idea of a good time, but so be it.</p>
<p>Tiny town in a very rural area. My school district consists of three towns, each of which has a population of 500, and even with all three towns put together, there has never been a graduating class of more than 50 people (last year’s was 33, mine is 38). There are literally more trees in my town (I guess technically it’s called a village) than there are people. I’m looking forward to the change of pace. I’ve been to Chicago on many occasions, and I absolutely love the city. That being said, Hyde Park (the neighborhood where UChicago campus is located) doesn’t feel like a huge city, so it’s not too huge of an adjustment. Kind of related: has anyone on this thread visited UChicago and eaten at Giordano’s? That place is amazing.</p>
<p>@Schmallia I agree that it’ll be nice. Just a huge change of pace for me. Plus I’m sort of a coffee nut, and coffee is a huge part of the campus culture, from what I’ve heard/read.</p>
<p>@CJohnH, I think your academic level would be higher than average students’ in Chicago still. For me, it’s the opposite. I was often surrounded my peer students who are completely different from me. They couldn’t understand why I retake an exam on which I got 89 (Canadian standard for A is 86 and 90+ is A+) They couldn’t understand why I dedicated my time on certain ECs and SAT. More I prepared for competitive american universities, more I was seen as ‘weird’. In UChicago, the vast majority of students would be high achievers or overachievers, so I’m so excited to study with them.</p>
<p>I think I’ve always been too much of a likes-to-be-out-all-night owl or partier to be at Chicago… Not that I don’t enjoy the occasional late night coffee chat-- who doesn’t? I’m looking at places like Michigan and UNC, where maybe I can find a little bit of both?</p>
<p>@HateSMUS I feel for you. If nothing else, I’ll be spending a ton of time studying stuff that is actually really challenging and interesting, instead of almost no time studying stuff that I already know and have no interest in.</p>
<p>@Afro I hear that Arizona State has a great honors program. Maybe that’s the place for you.</p>
<p>CJohnH- I am SUCH a coffee addict. My city is famous for our coffee and I’m a touch worried my coffee snobbery won’t work well in UChicago. I’ve heard about the coffee culture there, but I’ve also heard that the beans are nowhere near the quality that we see in the PNW</p>
<p>schmallia- I can promise you that the beans here (midwest) are not as good as what you get in PNW. That said, most if not all of the coffee shops at UChicago are completely student-run. Maybe you could move up to management at one of them and then look into getting some better beans, lol. When I visited campus, I got some coffee at one of the shops, and it was stellar, though Starbucks is honestly the only coffee shop of any kind in my area (depressing, I know; we don’t even have Caribou Coffee within driving distance), so I don’t have a ton to compare to.</p>
<p>All of this only means anything, of course, if I get in. If not, I can find another place far from home with sucky coffee and smart cookies (though nowhere else will ever have Ben my dream school in the way UChi has been!)</p>
<p>Seriously, I hope those guys earlier in the thread were right about it being the 17th. Even if I don’t get in, I can’t stand not knowing. Do you have your backups narrowed down?</p>