I’m starting to prep my college apps. For a long time I planned to apply early restricted to Stanford but after visiting the University of Chicago a few weeks ago, I’m not sure which I like better. I really like the both of them a lot and now am trying to figure out which one I want to apply early restricted too. I want to study International Relations and Political Science, and possibly minor in like theater or some sort of art. Any comments or suggestions on the schools?
I have friends at both universities and have generally heard more positive things about Stanford, although I think the people I know at both universities are happy with their choices. From what I’ve heard, Stanford students are more friendly and the party scene is less intimidating, and I’ve also heard that the California weather is preferable to Chicago’s, although that may be a matter of preference. In general I’ve heard wonderful things about them both, so unless there are particular factors you care about that you haven’t mentioned, it seems like your choice comes down to personal feelings about the environment/culture at each school.
They are very different schools in terms of campus vibe, social life and academic philosophy. Obviously Stanford is quite more prestigious overall and stronger in your areas of interest, but it is so different from UChicago that if you think you fit in better at UChicago you should seriously reconsider applying to Stanford SCEA. Same goes vice versa. If you fit in well at Stanford chances are u won’t fit in that well at UChicago.
This really isn’t a matter of opinion. I can’t imagine any sane person preferring Chicago weather.
UChicago is quite strong in political science. Stanford may be even stronger, but not by obvious leaps and bounds for undergraduates. For social science overall, UChicago is one of the strongest research universities in the world. Undergraduate instruction in UChicago’s social science and humanities Core classes, which take up about 1/3 of the college program, is about as good as you’re likely to find anywhere (in terms of course content, class size, and instructor quality.)
To say Stanford is better or more prestigious then Chicago is splitting hairs. They are all top schools and they all have strong programs. It’s matter of personal preference, do not listen to those anecdotes. Go with your guts.
Chicago weather will drive you nuts. Go to Stanford. This is coming from a U of C grad.
I am from the Bay Area in California so the Stanford weather is definitely more my speed. Both have highly rated international relations programs and are also just as prestigious as the Ivy League schools. Can I hear more about how that atmosphere is and how the students are at each school?
They’re both powerhouse schools with amazing faculties and students, really the top of the top. That said, they’re also extremely different in terms of school culture. Stanford is filled with entrepreneurial, driven, type-A personalities, tempered a bit by the mild weather. Chicago is filled with introverted scholars who don’t work hard/party hard. They just work hard. The stereotype of Chicago as “where fun goes to die” is overstated but not without some truth. No one should go to Chicago unless they’re prepared for the intensity. The academics are intense, the weather is intense, the students are intense. It requires a certain mindset in order to thrive there. You really have to be happy with your nose in a book all the time. Stanford, on the other hand, is a little less classically egghead. The students are all extremely talented but the overall vibe of the place is mellower and the pace is a bit slower. You’re more likely to find big house parties, sports mania, rah rah stuff at Stanford. Either one will put you in good stead for grad/prof school or employment. This is a choice about lifestyle, not academics.
Go with your heart. That’s the idea of ED1 and SCEA.
If you can visit then it would help a lot IMO. Research the departments on their respective websites.
As people above have said, go with your heart. Both are amazing schools. Visiting will help you see for yourself what you wouldn’t be able to see on paper or with stats.
The difference in atmosphere between Uchicago and Stanford is definitely overstated in this thread. Especially over the past five years, Uchicago has become an increasingly social place with more students who are career driven than ever before. I was admitted to both this past March, and I ended up choosing Uchicago because of its excellent job placement in finance as well as its incredible econ program. Choose to apply early to whichever one you feel the most comfortable at, since you cannot go wrong with either one.
Chicago is a world class city with some of the worlds greatest music, theatre, museums and restaurants. Palo Alto is one giant strip mall. The area surrounding Palto Alto , however, is scenic and beautiful. Much better outdoor activities. Chicago winters are not for the faint of heart. But fall and spring are glorious. Palo Alto weather is mild year round with no real seasons.
I don’t think you could have picked two more radically different universities - one of the few characteristics they share is their excellence.
This shouldn’t be a choice between “which is better” but more “which suits my academic style better.”
At U Chicago, ED will certainly give a bigger bump than Stanford REA. For that reason alone, I’d strongly encourage using your ED bullet on Chicago.
“Palo Alto is one giant strip mall.”
I’m assuming this is sarcasm, Palo Alto is a gorgeous college town, right up there with Cambridge, Ann Arbor and Madison. Hyde Park doesn’t really compare, now if you want to talk Evanston ok.
Here’s what you should do - go to Chicago and Stanford in February, during mid winter break. I visited Chicago then and the tour guide kept saying, don’t worry, we’ll go inside in a minute, we’ll go inside I promise. Needless to say Stanford’s tour guides rarely say that.
Anyway back to the OP, despite the weather, Chicago is a top notch school for your intended majors so if you’re comfortable there, apply EA if you can, if it’s ED, I’d recommend you not apply ED as that will really cut down on your flexibility. Apply SCEA Stanford as your original plan and RD Chicago and see what happens.
The only drawback to Chicago wrt Stanford is that students change majors a lot, and if you decide that you’d like to pursue computer science, then you’re better off at Stanford. Like really better off.
With all due respect, the CS department is very small and seems insignificant at UofC in comparison to the giants like Stanford, CMU and UCB, but the graduates from CS department at UofC are heavily recruited by the majors in the industry. Of the 20+ graduates in 2013, they all got into companies like Google, Amazon and Apple or the equivalent. I happened to know many of them and they are very bright kids with a lot of CS background on their back before entering UofC. Since then, the class has grown 3 fold until today. Don’t worry about academic excellence at UofC, except Chicago does not have an Engineering Department.
I have to admit that UoC was not on my son’s list to apply to (this time last year). He put the list together, so it might have been an oversight of his. The top 4 on his list (specifically crafted for CS) were: Stanford, CMU SCS, MIT, Berkeley. He toured all these schools and Stanford remained #1 in his final analysis. When it comes to a coin-flip type of decision weather wins! 
@theloniusmonk I live near Stanford and it is a great place, super pleasant, but Palo Alto is not a “great college town.” It isn’t a college town at all - it is an extremely wealthy suburb full of tech money - all those restaurants and shops are too expensive for students and don’t cater to them. The Stanford campus is huge, and removed from town. Students don’t live off campus or hang out off campus. In fact, students rarely leave campus at all except to go on outings to San Francisco or maybe to the movies.
tl/dr Palo Alto has almost nothing in common with Ann Arbor, Madison, Cambridge or Hyde Park (but the weather is far nicer).
Palo Alto is expensive no doubt. But there are many off campus places my son visits. He has also made school sponsored trips to San Francisco, a weekend ski trip to Tahoe, etc. But I must say that during the school year he spends much more time studying than having a “college town” experience. He understands why Palo Alto is expensive but his plan is to one day be a customer of that McLaren dealership just off campus, so…
Of course you do have to get admitted to one of these two excellent schools.