<p>Yale and Chicago are really remarkably similar places. Their intellectual cultures are very close to one another (although Chicago brags a little more about it). They have theoretically similar housing systems (except Yale’s works much, much better). Chicago actually has a significant arts culture, now – I think there are more students involved with theater there than with any other extracurricular activity – although it is nowhere near as extensive or as professional as at Yale. They are both urban universities. They even have similar architecture.</p>
<p>Lots of people will tell you that it’s crazy to think of picking Chicago over Yale. But it’s not. Chicago has two enormous things going for it that Yale can’t provide. </p>
<p>First, what Mimes said: There is a wide and deep math culture at Chicago. Math is one of the most popular majors, and people in other majors pursue advanced math, too. The Yale math department isn’t so much lower in quality than Chicago’s that your undergraduate education would suffer there. But math is mainstream at Chicago and not at Yale. You will have lots more peers at Chicago. </p>
<p>Second, while the University of Chicago’s formal arts programs are not as impressive as Yale’s – although they are trying to catch up – when you step outside the university you are in one of the great arts cities of the world, one that has major institutions (the Art Institute of Chicago, Steppenwolf, Chicago Symphony) and thousands of working artists at street level. New Haven is an OK small city, Yale has wonderful museums for a university, but there’s nothing like the vibrancy and pizzazz of Chicago without going to New York, and you aren’t going to do that more than a couple times per semester.</p>
<p>Then there’s Chicago’s Core Curriculum, which you may see as an advantage or disadvantage. If you like it, you can pretty nearly duplicate it at Yale with Directed Studies, but you can’t duplicate the fact that everyone at Chicago has it in common. If you don’t like it, it’s a major argument in favor of Yale.</p>
<p>Yale has lots of other things in its favor, too. It’s way cushier and more privileged than Chicago, and more plugged-in, whether in Washington, Wall St., or SoHo. The quality of student music, visual art, drama there is stunning, and almost everyone gets involved in some way. In many ways, Yale is the template for what Chicago is trying to become (and largely succeeding). If you were interested in any major that wasn’t one of Chicago’s very strongest, you probably wouldn’t be asking this question.</p>