I’m a high school senior who was recently admitted into both the University of Chicago and Brown University. I really love UChicago, however right now I’m definitely burnt out from high school (being one of Those Kids with 5 leadership positions, 10 extracurriculars, plus an IB program) so I’m concerned about Chicago’s infamous Stress Culture and grade deflation. When I visited Brown, it paled in comparison to Chicago in all areas except for stress. I want to be able to value my mental health while still challenging myself intellectually and being involved in the community. Basically, I don’t want a repeat of high school. For my major, it could be anything ranging from computer science to linguistics to creative writing to East Asian studies, or any combination in between. Here’s what I’m thinking right now: I like Chicago more, but I’ll likely choose Brown for mental health reasons, if nothing else. Any thoughts/tips/advice?
So many students I know are really happy at Chicago … not that kids are unhappy at Brown … But I think that you can make Chicago into what you want it, despite the reputation —
Either college will be much different then HS. All those ECs will either go away and you can concentrate on your major, or you can pick other ones that you may like more. DD attends UChicago, has two jobs, and takes 4 classes per qtr, and she doesn’t feel overwhelmed. Still has time to enjoy the city with her friends.
@lindrl Just out of curiosity, did you just get off the waitlist for UChicago?
Unless you used the open curriculum to take a very rigorous path at Brown (no P/F classes, for instance), you would very likely be challenged to a greater extent at UChicago. Does that mean more stress?
Well that probably depends on you: do you love learning and working? Do you enjoy debating points that most others deem inane, boring, superfluous? If so, UChicago may well be just the place for you.
I don’t think there is a place that takes its academic rigor more seriously than UChicago – Swat and Reed and a handful of others are similarly rigorous by reputation, but i’m not sure you can say any school is more committed to educating the heck out of you – and those who excel there thrive in such a “life of the mind” environment.
Brown is, based on reputation and what i’ve read here, much more relaxed academically. You can be served a hard education at Brown, but you don’t have to order one.
Brown also has a laid-back social vibe, and I hear UChicago is loosening up a bit in this regard. Certainly you can have fun at both schools. This is, to me, allllllllllll about academic vibe.
@Waitlist_help No, I was accepted RD, I just finished visiting both. I had expected to like Brown more (due to the open curriculum), but surprised myself by being enticed more by UChicago
In college, you won’t be spending 8 hours per day inside of a building like you did in high school, so you’ll have a lot more free time.
The OP might, though, if library time is included! 
You’ll certainly get a rigorous education at Chicago, but Brown is no walk in the park. The reading loads and course requirements are very similar between the two in the departments I know best. Try acquiring copies of syllabi, if you’d like to see for yourself.
Where Chicago and Brown differ is in their academic schedule (quarter vs. semester system), grading schemes (A/B/C at Brown vs. +/- at Chicago), and graduation requirements (distribution requirements vs. open curriculum). How much these differences will affect you is something you’ll have to decide.
To get more quantitative, the median GPA of law school applicants at Chicago last year was 3.60. For comparison, that’s comparable to Cornell (3.62) and Wesleyan (3.60), lower than Dartmouth (3.67) and Penn (3.68), and higher than Princeton (3.55) and Vanderbilt (3.49). Chicago’s reputation for being considerably more stressful than other top universities has not been accurate in at least a decade, I think.
^^lol true but at least she’d have spent the 8 hours doing school/homework, unlike high school, where after spending 8 hours in the building, she’ll still have to do homework in evening.
Generations of UChicago people have cultivated a reputation that their college is the place “where fun goes to die”. It’s just sooo much harder and more intellectual than anywhere else. In contrast, students at some of the Ivies may imagine that future Masters of the Universe should appear to coast through class on their natural brilliance.
I wonder if the NSSE (or somebody) has systematically compared reading loads or writing assignments at these schools. I suspect most students at all of them need to study quite a bit. Apparently, though, hardly anyone flunks out (look at the 4y graduation rates). I bet C is a rather uncommon grade. None of them are likely to admit you if they don’t think you are a serious student who can (and will) do the work.
The Core v. Open curriculum is a real difference. The average load at UChicago may indeed be a little harder than the average load at Brown. Nevertheless, you’ll be free at either school to create your own schedule. Word should get around about the hardest professors and courses; pay attention if you want to avoid them. The UChicago culture may make it a badge of honor to choose those courses (after camping out overnight in a registration line to get into them.) You really don’t have to do that, though.
Your mental health is most important. If you think you’ll be inclined to join the rat race at Chicago then go to Brown where the student body will likely be more chill. You can hop on the train to Boston or bus to NYC for get aways
I would choose Brown for its excellent computer science program and less stressful environment.
I would say go with where you are most comfortable with the other students. Your level of stress is in a great measure up to you–it’s a perfect time to learn to say “no” to all the extras and to concentrate on what’s really meaningful for you; then you will feel so much better. This is of course easier to say than to do.
The people I know who went to U. of Chicago have loved it and felt energized and not that stressed. Just be careful picking out your courses and go by what excites you rather than what you think you “should” take. No more “duty” with all those extracurriculars! Make every step as joyful as you can to keep the stress away–no matter which place you choose. I only know one person who went to Brown and she was pretty hardcore–more so than the ones at U. of Chicago, but I can’t make any kind of generalization based on that.