What are some schools similar to UChicago , in terms of the vibe of the school and the personality of the people it attracts, but with higher acceptance rates?
Reed attracts similarly hyper-intellectual students. very high level academics. Nerdy quirky hyperintellectual kids, but withOUT the competitive feel that UChic can have.
Swarthmore–nerdy, quirky hyperintellectual kids, but WITH the competitive feel that UChic can have.
Also look at Grinnell–it definitely has a nerdy quirky hyperintellectual feel to it.
One tier down from there is maybe Beloit–it has a whole dorm focused on scifi and fantasy, for example. Nerdy quirky and fun for the much less competitive set
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And I hope that you understand that I mean “nerdy quirky hyperintellectual” in the most tender way possible. Many of my favorite people fit that category, which is why I have researched this category of schools . . . . and several of these people currently attend or graduated from UChicago.
@student1560 - Also, consider Haverford, Hamilton, Wesleyan, Carleton, William and Mary, Bates, Skidmore, Bowdoin, Macalester and Rice. Good Luck!
Swarthmore and Reed probably have the most similar “intellectual intensity” as U Chicago. Reed is a little easier to get into than the other two. Bard might be a good choice as well— easier to get into, but similarly intense interest in the life of the mind.
Bard is definitely intellectual. Agreed. Intellectualism for the sake of intellectualism. It’s also very arty. Nice school.
Agree with all of the above. Skidmore maybe somewhat less so but still worth a look? Maybe add Vassar?
Swarthmore, but acceptance rate is only marginally higher. Haverford could be another good choice, as could Carleton.
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UChicago has specifically stated it will not offer “safe spaces” and that controversial views and speakers will not be shut down - a stance that itself has been controversial. It has positioned itself as a campus where challenging views are an integral part of the learning process. A recent letter from John Ellison, dean of students states “You will find that we expect members of our community to be engaged in rigorous debate, discussion and even disagreement. At times this may challenge you and even cause discomfort.”
Reed, on the other hand, appears to be struggling with how to handle people with views that differ from the mainstream (for Reed) orthodoxy. Students and professors who disagree with some of the more radical elements have been harassed and bullied out of the school, similar to what happened with the Yale professor who suggested it might not be a capital offense to wear Halloween costumes. This thread has discussion and references to relevant articles about Reed:
Both UChicago and Reed attract very intelligent, passionate students, but they do not have the same campus vibe. Especially if you are one of the unfortunate few who have a thought or opinion that differs from the campus norm.
In some respects the university most similar to UChicago is Columbia. Columbia College isn’t less selective than UChicago … but Columbia’s School of General Studies is.
https://gs.columbia.edu/admissions-faqs
I’m not sure about the columbia vibe thing and UChicago. I don’t really see them as similar.
While Columbia is very smart, and attracts smart kids, they are less intellectual for the sake of being intellectual. The UChic, Swarthmore, Reed group delights in cleverness. Sometimes the cleverness is competitive and sometimes it’s just fun and quirky. Yale might be a closer match in the Ivies, than Columbia. Yale has that quirky clever feel.
Columbia students, while smart, don’t seem to delight in cleverness as much.
UChicago has a much higher love of granular data and information. Knowing things by itself is a delight.
Arguing about details and facts.
Columbia is more practical, applied if you will. Eye is on how their knowledge can gain them something and get them somewhere, like Wall Street. UChic it’s all about: oh I didn’t know that fact. And it doesn’t matter if it’s applied.
Agree with @milee30 . Intellectualism does not equal Liberalism. Most of the schools suggested are radical liberal schools, such as Reed, Bard, Columbia, etc. We went on a Columbia campus tour and the student tour guide said explicitly, “if you are a conservative, please don’t come to Columbia. You are not welcome!” Chicago, on the other hand, is famous for the “Principles of Free Expression.” Its not LIKE the other liberal colleges at all.
Yeah, my brother is also applying to UChicago next year and we are looking for universities without safe spaces, where conservatives and libertarians, as well as liberals, can thrive. We thought about Hillsdale college, but we learned that they treat students like children, having a lot of unnecessary rules on campus. So LAC’s are of the list basically. Also, protest at Reed college is ridiculous. If they are going to ban Plato, they might as well ban Mark Twain and Hemingway…
The OP, @student1560, hasn’t returned to this thread, and unless other folks posting here know this student’s GPA, testing stats, potential areas of academic, social, geographic interest, it is really hard to give advice that will be helpful to the poster asking the question. SInce U. Chicago now has so many ways to get an edge in early admissions and accepts the majority of its incoming class through its early admissions rounds, the poster should just apply and see what happens.
My assumption is that the poster wants a list of schools that have a student and academic culture similar to U. Chicago’s, but are easier to get admitted to. That doesn’t include Columbia which does have the core, but has many TAs teaching those courses rather than professors, and is not warm and welcoming place, say, like Reed. Yale is also very similar to U. Chicago but difficult to gain admission to, which is why I suggested Rice, Macalester, Bates, William and Mary, U.T Austin, and a few others above as alternatives. All of these schools have smart, intellectual, students. I also think the honors colleges in many state flagships such as the University of Maryland, Rutgers, etc., can meet the OP’s criteria, and at a much lower cost than the private schools listed.
@bogeyorpar - I find your comment about what the Columbia tour guide said hard to believe. If that is actually what was said, in those words, then you should report it to the admissions office immediately. I am sure they would not want a tour guide to make a comment like that.
I think all the colleges (with the possible exception of some explicitly religiously affiliated ones) aspire to welcome multiple points of view and challenge students to consider and reconsider their ideas via research and spirited debate. Whether they always live up to that aspiration is another matter…
In my experience, Columbia is not a radically left place, not in the slightest. I cannot account for what the tour guide seems to have said.
In fact a young woman I know, who is at Bard, took classes one summer at Columbia and was complaining about how conservative it was. Before that experience she had entertained thoughts of transferring into Columbia, but then changed her mind and went back to Bard, which she described as further left on the spectrum.
St Johns Annapolis might work–intensely intellectual and easier to get in.
To me, Bates and Hamilton are not like Chicago at all. Not urban like UC, no core, much smaller, much more focus on athletics and extracurriculars. Yale and Columbia would fit better, but neither are easier to get in. Rice is a thought, but doubt it is much easier either. Maybe Emory?
Probably best bet would be to really research honors colleges at big schools if getting admitted is a major hurdle. I’m thinking of places like Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Kansas etc
I think Bowdoin would be the closest of the NESCAC’s in intellectual vibe. I would also put Carnegie Mellon in the mix for an intellectual school for STEM.
In addition to the small liberal arts colleges already mentioned, I recommend Case Western, Carnegie Mellon, Emory, and U of Rochester to students interested in UChicago. For most liberal arts students, they’re a little more accessible than U of C.
Once upon a time, I would have included Wash U, Tufts, and Johns Hopkins, but they’ve gotten super hard to get into, too.