I was accepted to Wash U and U Chicago this week (am still in shock to be honest as I didn’t really expect to get into either one). Anyway I’m just hoping to find advice from other people who considered both these schools. Especially from the perspective of someone who is undecided (considering Computer Science/Comparative Racial and Ethnic Studies/Economics but there are so many different things I could decide to do), I just want to know which school offers more in terms of career guidance, as well as just any of the random perks and drawbacks of each. Any advice would be appreciated!
Seems like being undecided the Chicago core would benefit you greatly. UChicago is absolutely world class in Social Sciences and Humanities, especially Economics. Chicago is also a great city with a tremendous amount of internships and research positions available. There are a few posts about CS on here.
Good luck. Great choice to have.
Most noticeably, UChicago has the core. I think the core is much easier to appreciate if you’re undecided. People that come in pretty dead set on what they want to do sometimes get annoyed at having to take a bunch of (supposedly) irrelevant classes, but I’m really grateful for the core for introducing me to fields I definitely would never have learned about otherwise. Plus it really does teach you how to think.
Career guidance here is pretty good. It used to be bad, but now they’re trying really hard to make it less bad. In particular, I think the [UChicago Careers In](Careers in... | CareerAdv) programs are great. They run one on one advising specific to your area of interest, run events and job fairs, have list-hosts that are really frequently updated and send out jobs weekly every week of the school year etc. The [Metcalf Internship](Jeff Metcalf Internship Program | CareerAdv) program is wonderful, too. Basically, the university will pay you to work over the summer. Companies love it because they don’t have to pay you (so there are a lot of really great opportunities you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere), but you still get paid. It’s especially good for non-profits. Many can’t afford to pay for interns, but the experience is still invaluable, not to mention that your work has a positive externality for society, lol.
As you probably know the Economics dept is somewhat well regarded. Anything sociological is really good, too - in general, anything in social science is fantastic, as well as pure math, physics, and CS. A side effect of this is that CS is very theoretical, so expect to do a lot of math. That’s definitely a downside - I think some people are unable to major in CS here while they could at other schools because the classes tend to be difficult and lean math-y. They are trying to make it more approachable, though, and there are lots of resources you can use to get help, so don’t let that be the dealbreaker for you. Majoring in Econ while taking a bunch of CS classes on the side is definitely easier (you can avoid the most brutal parts of the major) and I don’t think it will kill your employability.
Other stuff…hmm…idk. Do you have any more specific questions? I love life here and in Chicago in general. The campus leans nerdy, but there’s definitely a range from “you wouldn’t know she devotes her life to astrophysics if you didn’t ask” to “won’t shut up about D&D”.
You should definitely come visit during admitted students weekend and see for yourself!
@HydeSnark Thanks so much for your help! I do have a few more questions though.
Price is kind of a big deal for me and since I’m from STL, I might be able to save a lot of money as an upperclassmen by living with my parents. And I know that living in Chicago can be quite expensive. What are the best ways to get the price tag on the school down for me? I just now have gotten access to a lot of the university sponsored scholarships through the admitted students page, which is a cool resource. I’m also considering ROTC. Basically I just want to try to get the cost down by almost any means. My financial aid was generous but will still leave me with more debt than I’d prefer, given how much my parents are willing to contribute. What advice do you have for managing finances?
@elmejor21 You have a huge tool at your disposal - you aren’t committed yet and you are considering going somewhere else. In the past, UChicago has been known to use merit scholarships as a bludgeon to get people to commit.
So I think you should try two things. First, appeal your financial aid. But also write to the admissions office saying you did not get as large as a financial aid package as you would like and as much as you’d love to come to UChicago, you are considering other peer schools because of the lower cost. If you’re lucky, they may swing an extra 5k-15k in merit scholarships to get you to come.
Then there is, like you said, ROTC and external scholarships. But people also move off campus to keep costs down (you can find some places for as low as $500 a month which is much less than paying for housing), or you can apply to be an RA your third and fourth year, which may decrease how much you have to pay. There are relatively high paying jobs you can get on campus part time - I’m getting paid about $1300 a quarter as a Math TA right now. That can defray living expenses. And, of course, you can save up with summer jobs.
Good luck! I would not recommend getting into a boatload of debt, but you may be able to negotiate it down.
What @HydeSnark is saying ^^. Your parents might be thinking that since you can live with them and attend a top uni, there is no need to contribute more for you to leave the state. That’s totally understandable. One drawback is that it prevents you from having a true campus experience in another - and major! - city. UChicago is very proud of its location and all the intellectual, career, cultural, and myriad other opportunities available to its school community as a result, not to mention its residential communities! So it wouldn’t hurt to mention that you were looking forward to experiencing all that as well, and could more easily do so if the financial obstacle were reduced or eliminated.
Definitely sign up for the April overnight as this event is a great opportunity for you to experience Uchicago as an accepted student. You can attend classes, dorm overnight, etc. As a practical matter, it also demonstrates genuine interest and/or desire to matriculate at Uchicago. And you might have the opportunity to speak to Admissions and Financial Aid in person, assuming they didn’t get back to your communication by that time.
As mentioned already, you have the particular advantage of BOTH offices working on this issue for you. Getting in at the non-binding RD round with another elite school in your back pocket is a nice situation to be in. Well done!
Good luck and keep us posted!
Congratulations on the acceptances. If the costs are similar, UChicago is a better choice. WashU is a great school, but other than their Med school, I can’t think of a single academic area that WashU is superior to UC.
@elmejor21, my D was accepted to both last year as well. If you can, go to an overnight. This informed her choice. Both are top notch. From what I understood, her take on the vibe was that WUSTL was more of a preppy crowd and UChicago more of a nerdier crowd. Kind of like smart v intellectual. First year is difficult at any college and finding your tribe is really important.
If you can swing it financially, UChicago will stretch you because it will offer so many new things.