<p>I'm curious, can anyone comment on the student body of these schools? What kind of vibes do you get when you go there, how do the general college experiences compare, what kind of impressions do the students give off, opinions etc...</p>
<p>Can’t speak about Columbia, but I know UPenn and U of C pretty well. Chicago has a pretty scholarly feel - there’s a premium placed on academia and scholarship. The school prides itself on nobel prizes, and the students tend to be a bit more bookish. </p>
<p>Penn is substantially larger than Chicago, and a bit more varied in terms of a feel. There’s a much stronger pre-professional bent generally, and frat life plays more of a role at the school. You’ll get your bookish types, but there are plenty of Wharton pre-professional types walking around too. Chicago probably has more of a distinct culture (read: academic culture) and Penn, just by being one of the biggest top schools out there, doesn’t have as much of an identifiable feel. </p>
<p>If you haven’t yet, check out the cities too - that could make a difference. While Philly shares some similarities with, say, Boston, Philly and Chicago are just night and day - completely different as far as cities go.</p>
<p>Penn is definitely the most traditional, “woo, college!” one of the bunch–a mix of academics, party scene, athletics, on-campus community (a rarity amongst schools in large cities).</p>
<p>Yah i agree with ilovebagels on that front. Keep in mind tho, these are all top top schools, so even the woo college feel is gonna be pretty understated. Upenn is never going to be confused with Michigan or Arizona State. At the end of the day kids from chicago or penn or columbia are there to get serious - be it to get into the best musicology phd program in the country (chicago) or land the internship at Goldman Sachs (penn).</p>
<p>so basically chicago has a more intellectual spirit and penn is more pre-prof oriented? i mean obviously these are gross generalizations but still. </p>
<p>can any of you comment on the social life or the student body? what would a typical weekday be like? how do people spend their weekends and free time? etc.</p>
<p>As long as you acknowledge they are gross generalizations, yeah. There are plenty of Chicago kids lusting after Goldman Sachs, and there are plenty of Penn kids lusting after their PhD.</p>
<p>Oddly enough this cartoon was recently in Columbia’s school paper…a Columbia studen’ts impression of a visit to Penn ;)</p>
<p>[Columbia</a> & Its Discontents](<a href=“http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2009/10/12/columbia-its-discontents-0]Columbia”>http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2009/10/12/columbia-its-discontents-0)</p>
<p>I have two kids at Chicago and have to say that Chicago truly can be anything you want it to be. One is leading the ‘typical’ Chicago life of the mind. He works hard but manages to find time to have fun with his friends(mostly housemates)…I have to say I find this group to be sharply witty and always intense.(Son has said that a lab mate told him his house is scary…and I understand this) These guys are hardcore.</p>
<p>The other son is a third year and a born partier.(He went to Russia this past summer and complained that the Dartmouth kids didn’t know how to let loose. He tells stories of crashing boat parties, champagne in hand and dancing till 6am. I try hard to forget the stories that involve transvestite Santas, stripping Rasputins and women that well, entertained heartily:)) In Chicago, he goes to clubs, museums, opera and often goes with friends to diners at 3am after finishing their course work.</p>
<p>The strange thing is that the third year has made very good friends with profs and grad students. He’s not sure what he wants anymore…as he says the scholar in him is on life support…and yet, he’s definitely a successful part of the Chicago community.</p>
<p>They’re both doing well, but are seriously having way different experiences. I would bet that you would find that all three universities were much the same.</p>
<p>Hekau, what you say is certainly true but, for chicago, i think only to a certain extent. Yes, you can find hardcore partiers at U of C who are out until 6am at clubs, but this group would certainly be in the minority at Chicago. The general vibe for Chicago is still of a pretty scholarly, serious place. Yes, there are crazy partiers at U of C, but its not really what the school is justifiably known for overall.</p>
<p>Cue my son is still fairly scholarly(hence being friended by so many profs and grad students). However, I believe that my ‘friendly’ son is less rare than you assert. Remember, it’s my “traditional” Chicago son who can feel out of the mainstream, the partier seems to be a glittering thing sought out by most people on campus. That tells me that something is happening on campus…when the most Chicago house on campus is considered scary and too intense…I think the vibe is changing.</p>
<p>I’m not arguing that UofC is becoming a party school. Not at all. But it is definitely becoming less Snitchcock and more Barbie’s dream house.</p>
<p>Hekau, I have no doubt that Chicago is becoming less quirky and nerdy (like the residents of snell-hitchcock), but Chicago still is not the place where kids can party wed-sunday, and it is still probably the most serious of the top ten schools. I know at Penn for example, the undergrads have a tradition known as feb club, where kids try and go out EVERY night for the entire month. Chicago may be getting a bit more laid back - and i think thats good - but lets not confuse it with a Upenn or Dartmouth. Chicago doesnt have 45% of the student body in greek life and the school does not sponsor kegs on the quad.</p>
<p>I can agree with that Cue. I doubt anyone parties at Chicago from wed to sun and stays at Chicago. But I bet more than a few Chicago students would find themselves comfortable at a Penn or Dartmouth party.</p>