<p>For the original topic, Kalamazoo would be a great backup for UChicago. They have many similarities and both share a more intellectual atmosphere.</p>
<p>Kalamazoo along with UMich, Fordham, Loyola, and Honors at Michigan State are making up my safeties. It doesn’t seem like there are any even near matches for Chicago though, I feel like anywhere else I go (even if I don’t get in to Chicago) will be selling myself short.
:-/</p>
<p>I’m not sure if this applies to the OP, but I picked my safeties based on financial aid opportunities. I didn’t pick any schools that were going to be expensive. Frugal safeties are going to be different for everyone, depending especially on location. Mine included my state flagship public school and two decent LACs, all of which would have been good options if UChicago’s aid did not work out for me.</p>
<p>However, I do agree with the feeling that I’d be selling myself short if I didn’t go to UChicago. None of the other schools on my list really compared to it. In a way, it’s really a good thing that no one other school can replace what UChicago offers.</p>
<p>@JHS</p>
<p>I think of Gallatin the way I think of Hampshire: it’s a school that’s not right for everybody, but worth considering for somebody who likes the idea of education first. I know one person who has thrived at Gallatin in ways that he would not have thrived at another school or in another program. I know more people at Hampshire and I see more of a range of experiences at Hampshire. My friends seem to agree that Hampshire is extremely easy AND extremely difficult; some have spent more time at one extreme than the other.</p>
<p>My experience with these schools is completely anecdotal, so take what I say with a generous grain of salt.</p>
<p>In reflecting on this post, I was thinking about where my high school friends, particularly the ones who are creative, smart, and self-directed ended up, and to be perfectly honest I couldn’t draw any similarities among the schools they attend.</p>
<p>for a girl, i thought Mt.Holyoke had a similar feel to UofC. driven individuals, a little off the beaten path, science and research feel, similar campus feel with the architecture…but this notion is totally subjective. i dont know much about MtHolyoke’s class requirements or presence of a core.</p>