<p>I’m familiar with Chicago and Georgetown (though it’s been quite a while since I was last on either campus.) They have very different atmospheres, strengths and weaknesses.</p>
<p>One post (#15) remarked that Georgetown is “probably the closest to an Ivy in terms of lots of old money and prestige. Big focus on politics and international relations. Sort of pre-professional.” Those remarks would be apt for the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. At least, that’s how many SFS students and faculty seem to regard themselves. Outside the SFS, Georgetown is probably the least “Ivy like” of schools the poster was comparing. It lacks the breadth and depth of research strengths you’d find at Chicago, Hopkins, or Northwestern. However, the location is very attractive (not only for shopping and nightlife but also for internship opportunities related to government, IT, biomedical, or telecommunications.) Georgetown does not have fraternities or sororities but does have a big D1 sports scene (for basketball anyway).</p>
<p>Chicago has first-rate graduate/undergraduate programs in many fields. Average class sizes are among the smallest of any comparable university; it has a smaller percentage of “big” classes (>= 50) than some LACs. Facilities are outstanding, with one of the best research library systems in the world. The faculty is superb. Some of the best not only teach undergrads but have won awards for teaching quality. The prevailing undergraduate teaching style (when I was there anyway) was discussion-focused and Socratic, with an emphasis on close reading of primary source materials. Professors were not averse to putting students on the spot with hard questions or even responding sarcastically to less-than-thoughtful answers (dunno if this has changed). The atmosphere throughout the College (dorms as well as classrooms) is famously, self-consciously intellectual - to a fault. There is a small understated frat scene. For most of the school’s history, sororities were banned, but in recent years have had a small presence. For a couple decades football was banned, then returned on a small scale to the fanfare of a kazoo marching band. </p>
<p>Really, almost the only reason to go to Chicago is for the academics (not for the barely existent sports scene, Greek scene, party scene, or social networking.) The place does have an interesting, quirky social/cultural life but even that has a strong - and arguably pretentious - intellectual slant.
[The</a> University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt](<a href=“http://scavhunt.uchicago.edu/]The”>http://scavhunt.uchicago.edu/)</p>