@Chrchill the supportive academic environment at UChicago is where I would disagree with you. DD has not had that experience. Especially her first two years she got lousy academic advising experience - one quarter she didn’t even meet with her adviser because the adviser was also in charge of transfer students and didn’t have time for her undergrad load. I’m sure if she pushed harder she would have gotten in, but DD isn’t the pushy type. Once she declared a major, the academic advising from her department was much better. The way courses are selected is also bizarre (ask any current UChicago student). Again, you can petition and get into almost anything, which DD has done, but I feel strongly that a student at UChicago has to be pretty independent and proactive to get the right classes for the core (and the major).
But that’s just one parent’s experience.
This has to be one of the most inane comments. U of C has an “air or rarity” and more “exotic”. Get a life. U of C a just another large college that spews out automaton grads who work in Manhattan and many other large cities. It’s an uninspiring and monocular institution that is mind numbingly boring.
I would naturally be biased because I committed to Brown, but here are my two cents:
Take a second look at Brown (if the financial aid is good for you). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxXuMKYI6Ok
That’s the former dean of admissions at Brown who describes the Brown experience.
There were a lot of positive comments about Columbia, but here’s some negative ones (swap for reddit): https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/63mj5v/columbia_university_a_student_perspective/
I think the kind of environment described by the redditor is similar at Chicago.
@Plato23 This.
I would just like to take a moment to thank you.
Your words are the greatest thing to ever scroll across my laptop screen.
Forgot to write on this thread, but I am Uchicago committed, even as I LOVED Columbia also. It all came down to intangibles and personal preference, but thank you all sm for your help!