<p>or maybe there are a lot of people who really, really, really want to go to penn?
it’s good for school spirit.</p>
<p>sure, a “more deserving lower income student” could have had my spot, but would they love the school more than i do? umm. probably unlikely.</p>
<p>CrystalPineapple - just look at the Chicago threads to see how the whole “where fun comes to die” rep has been debunked. In short, the “party culture” isnt as pronounced at Chicago, but you do have a really big hangout culture. Going back to what I was saying before, Chicago has more of a reading/bookish culture, and kids tend to hang out and relax more on weekends rather than party. Of course, parties are available at Chicago, but if you want a big party culture, def go to Penn. </p>
<p>Having said this, its a bit of a misnomer now to think Chicago is just this really stoic sort of place. By applying to Chicago and at least having done some research at the school, you should know that by now.</p>
<p>CrystalPineapple - really quick too, what made Penn your “dream” school? Was it the fact that its one of the more traditionally social, party-based top schools? Is there a specific subject you wanted to study at Penn? What was it?</p>
<p>Also, actually, if you didn’t like 1.) the Core Curriculum, 2.) the Quarter System, and 3.) a compact academic schedule with midterms and finals, why did you even apply to Chicago??</p>
<p>Cue7 – ironically, i applied to chicago because of its intellectual feel (and for another reason i shall not discuss. you can pm me if you’re REALLY curious). chicago also has an excellent biology department (james watson, anyone?), which is what i’m probably going to study. i’m actually not into the whole party/drinking scene that is so dear to penn. i wanted to be around people who would be able to have long, meaningful discussions with me. but the thing is, i don’t want to debate or have deep, intellectual discussions ALL the time because i do tend to be shallow and dumb, and i love to have fun – meaning meaningless gossip, chick flicks, etc. penn can give me a better mix of that than chicago. </p>
<p>the quarter system / core curriculum / cold weather was something i was willing to put up with if i could be in a great city school with people who really care about learning. i just would not voluntarily give myself to that kind of academic pressure.</p>
<p>as for penn being my dream school…well. my “why penn” doesn’t even do it justice. let’s just say it’s like home.</p>
<p>crystal pineapple - thanks for the response, and those are all definitely good reasons. I do think gossip/watching chick flicks etc. happens at Chicago more than you might think, but you’re definitely right, this sort of social life remains is available at Penn much more readily. Penn has a great bio dept as well, so you’ll be well-served on that front.</p>
<p>By the way, James Watson is a very active U of C alum (even w his age), and at least when I was an undergrad at Chicago, he gave speeches on campus once every couple years. Chicago is a GREAT city, so maybe sometime in the future you should visit the school, hear him speak, and enjoy the city as well! You might be surprised by what you find at U of C - there are quite a few people who watch Legally Blonde as a break from reading Plato or Locke ;-). </p>
<p>Either way, you had great options, and Good luck at Penn!</p>
<p>
Cue7, do you think it would be fair to say that Columbia College is like grad school for undergrads in that regard?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Because OP asked which one should OP go to, not ‘which one has admissions processes deemed more ethically appealing by nyccard?’</p>
<p>ilovebagels - I guess, I dunno. I did my grad work at Penn, and even in grad school, there was a good sense of camaraderie amongst the grad students. It’s not like we hung out 4 nights a week and basically lived together (like what happens in undergrad), but everyone was friendly and approachable. I dunno… Columbia just has this much more aloof feel throughout, from what I’ve seen.</p>