<p>Perhaps this is a new concept to you, but many of us like to make informed decisions. You are the impulsive type who likes to say 'the hell with it, looks good to me' and just sign up without taking a closer look. Its people like you who became Nazi's in the second world war. Now, choosing a college really doesn't compare to becoming a national socialist, but I for one beleive that issues should be explored, diplomatically if possible, and that is what I try to acheive in every one of my questions. You will notice at the end of every question a call for an informed responce, a plea for a contrediction. Everything I have read about UC makes me excited about it, it seems like a place that a person who asks questions would thrive. Some of you, on the other hand, prefer to make dogmatic, obdurate statements like 'God you are a moron.' and 'Yea, if you walk into the University of Chicago, everybody will look exactly like that.' But hey, if thats what you prefer, then you can stay in the cave, aligorically speaking. Brinestorm, your new thread is just damn funny. For the rest of you, don't look at extremes, try to be objective.</p>
<p>So....whats the answer? Obviously a mix. Heres what I want to know from UC students and parents. Are you (your kids) killing themselves over academics, or are you having a great college experience? What do you do on the weekends? On a 1-10 scale rate UC both in SOCIAL EXPERIENCE and ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE. Now, no stupid responses from people who havn't attended and just like arguements, only reasoned opinions from people who actually know.</p>
<p>killing oneself over academics? Yes, but by choice.</p>
<p>great college experience? Yes.</p>
<p>Parties? Yes</p>
<p>D's complaint? Hyde Park isolation. You need to take a bus or train to get to the heart of the city. Then again, she was spoiled in HS as the heart of Boston was only a short subway ride away.</p>
<p>Chicago has the worst social life of ANY top school. Sure they have "parties." Something like 25% of Chicago alums come back for their fifth year reunion, at some Ivies it comes clost to 85%. If that isnt telling I dont know what is.</p>
<p>newmassdad has it write. My daughter is a freshman at UChicago also. And it sounds as if her experience mirrors that of newmassdad's daughter. She hasn't complained about the difficulty of getting downtown, and goes downtown weekly. She seems to keep herself busy socializing into the wee hours of the morning as many nights as she is studying, in fact, probably more.</p>
<p>Slipper did not go to Chicago and just seems to enjoy taking cracks at Chicago. He must see Chicago gaining on those schools ranked ahead of Chicago in US News.</p>
<p>And what schools would that be? Chicago has never been ranked higher than Duke/ Dartmouth in the history of USNEWS, and is rarely even ranked higher than Northwestern.</p>
<p>From what I have seen looking at ANY school's graduate programs, Chicago isn't more represented than ANY Ivy. WSJ confirms this, yet Chicago fans like to think they are better than the Ivies?</p>
<p>And Chicago has a horrible social life. I have probably met about 20 Chicago alumni, of which I haven't heard even one person happy with the school. </p>
<p>Chicago tries to pitch itself as an intellectual power, but it really is just on par with its peers. And the social life is the pits.</p>
<p>USNEWS rankings underrate Chicago (and a few other schools) because of the weight they place on selectivity and 6-year graduation rates. Chicago is damaged in selectivity due to a high acceptance rate and the fact that numbers don't play such a large role. But look at the middle 50% of SATs, and they're on par with any ivy. 6-year grad rates are unfair too--lots of people live Chicago, unable to cope with the work.</p>
<p>Social life, as people said, is what you make it. With 4,000 undergrads, you're trying to tell me that nobody there has fun? Ridiculous. Although maybe the type of person who has 1,400 posts isn't exactly in with the cool kids...?</p>
<p>Nobody ever said Chicago was more represented than any Ivy--but they are definitely more represented than schools like Northwestern, JHU and WUSTL. Chicago still places many students in top jobs and grad schools with the same frequency as the ivies.</p>
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