My son was admitted early action to UChicago and he is over the moon. His first choice, until a visit to UChicago last summer, had been Princeton. He submitted his Princeton application regular decision and will find out whether he is accepted March 31st.
He thinks he’d probably be happier at Chicago (and I think so as well) but Princeton had long been his dream. He says if he’s admitted it would be a very tough decision. Meanwhile people say “why would you go anywhere but Princeton if you got in?” or “what decision?” He’s visiting Chicago for the early admit overnight in February. ! If after his visit in February he wants to commit to Chicago I’m all for it–I would love to hear advice, viewpoints, considerations. My kid likes academic traditions, the feel of a liberal arts curriculum in a research university, and ivy covered buildings. And of course the decision might well be made for him in that Princeton might very easily say no. Last, this might sound funny–Princeton is $8K less a year than Chicago! This isn’t the primary consideration but it’s a fairly significant difference. Thanks, CC community.
I’d wait. It’s a very interesting situation because probably the only place my son, who is a 2nd year now, would have taken over UChicago is Princeton. But he didn’t get in to Princeton RD. Not saying he would have gone to Princeton, but it would have been very hard to turn down.
The only downside I see to not deciding early for UChicago is not getting the dorm you want maybe. But then the Campus North dorm will be open Fall 2016 (his second year) and there’s a good chance he would move there. One question: how do you know Princeton is $8 K less if your son is not yet admitted to Princeton? Are you assuming the EFC calculation will be your actual financial award package?
zzzmmm: I’ve re-read your post and thought about it. I’d like to add that if you’ve both visited both places (preferably more than once and preferably overnight), you’ve met with students, truly studied the curricula, and you feel you really know both places, and you still are confident (70-80%) that you prefer UChicago, then go for it. After that, forget about the decision and enjoy the balance of his senior year. All the best and good luck.
I got into Yale and Chicago. Not exactly the same, but pretty similar imo. It was a hard choice, but I chose the good ole’ U of C, and if your son needs someone to talk to, feel free to PM me.
thank you everyone. In answer to Kaukauna, tuition is $40K at Princeton and $48K at UChicago. KMizzle, yes, he may not have a decision to make. He isn’t setting his heart on Princeton–it used to be the case, but the siren call of Chicago is powerful.
@zzzmmm, Congratulations to your son and family on his Chicago acceptance, while I agree with some of the posters saying that you need not worry about something that is not concrete yet, i.e. the acceptance letter from Princeton, I totally understand why you posted the question with your son having a legit shot in getting accepted to both schools and you would like to explore some input ahead of time.
Ask your son the hypothetical question if he gets admitted to both already, which one would he choose now. If the answer is a firm Yes to Chicago, done deal; submit the SIR with deposit to reserve a spot with higher probability to get into a desired dorm. If the answer is “not 100% sure”, then wait for the decision from Princeton by the end of March and discuss.
It impresses me that your son is making this choice on the basis of his own impressions and experience and not just giving in to the undoubted snob appeal of the Princeton brand. That sort of independence will stand him in good stead in later life. I might add that it is very much in the Chicago spirit.
We have always trusted S1 to make good decisions and he was fortunate to be able to choose between two great schools. He chose UChicago over Princeton and we are happy to say that it has turned out to be a very good decision.
Wait and see where he gets in, and have him go to accepted student visits at his top 2 or 3 choices (sounds like he already has the U of C visit scheduled, so wait and see what his other options area). There is no rush to decide (don’t let housing pressure guide him, either). If Chicago is the right place, he will know for sure after visits to his top choices. I would tell him to keep an open mind until after acceptances are in and visiting a couple of schools. One of my kids changed her mind after accepted student visits a few years ago (which included a visit to Chicago). There is no good reason for him to rush his decision.
Quite honestly, I see very little difference between the U of C and Princeton, on the whole. It depends very much on what your son wants to study. Maybe Princeton is an Ivy and the U of C isn’t, but that hasn’t stopped people applying to Stanford in droves. Until I read some of the posts here, I wasn’t even aware that the U of C was somehow thought to have less snob value.
Any school that has been a home to professors such as Milton Friedman, Cass Sunstein, Barack Obama, and many others is world-class. Perhaps I’m not as clear on the broader picture (future economics/political science major speaking), but it seems to me that the U of C should be every bit as prestigious as Princeton.
Your son should decide based on where he thinks he’ll be happier. This is a choice about where he intends to spend about 1/20th of his life, so it isn’t to be made lightly. If he likes the bright lights of the city, Chicago will probably hold greater appeal than Princeton. If it’s an idyllic campus he’s looking for, Princeton could be that place. If one school is particularly strong in his chosen fields of study, that could be a difference-maker.
Ultimately, there are 10-15 schools in the US that are truly exceptional, and the difference between those schools isn’t the quality of the education you can get, but rather the degree of self-congratulation that parents who care too much about such things will indulge in when their son/daughter is admitted. You haven’t told your son that Princeton is the only option worth considering, so you don’t appear to be one of those parents whose chief motivation in this process is the wish to say “My son got into (Ivy X).” The University of Chicago and Princeton are both among the 10-15 schools mentioned above. Almost everyone ends up loving the college they attend, and with any luck your son will be no exception. As you make this decision, know that there’s really no wrong choice.
"Almost everyone ends up loving the college they attend, and with any luck your son will be no exception. As you make this decision, know that there's really no wrong choice."
Great point! D is a 1st year at Chicago and after her first few weeks, I asked her if she was awestruck to be there. Her response, “At first, but after a few weeks you realize it’s just school.”
Meanwhile, back to OP, Chicago and Princeton seem like two different worlds to me, at least in terms of setting. We visited P pre-app, but D was leaning toward some place more urban. So after receiving her EA acceptance to C, she didn’t even bother to apply to P, which, though impressive, she said “felt like being in a museum.” We visited C in Jan '14, experienced her first snowfall (we’re from Cali), sat in on a class, loved the place, and immediately decided to commit, even though she had some Ivy apps outstanding. She got her first choice of dorm, which was important to her, a single at BJ. She’s enjoying her college experience, except for the food, which she criticizes harshly… but then, we had spoiled her pretty good with our home cooking. Seems to me that it would hard for C and P to be a toss-up… that a kid would lean one way or the other towards urban or rural… but I could be wrong.
So nice to hear that your daughter is enjoying Chicago! We just returned from a visit to Chicago for early admits last week. They did a fantastic job; my kid loved the classes, the house culture, the people. In response to your comment, he leans towards the Princeton setting; Chicago as a city just isn’t a huge draw for him. But the people, the intellectual vibe, the core at UChicago are very appealing. He sent in his Princeton application before he heard from Chicago. My kid wasn’t impressed by the food either–and like your daughter he’s been spoiled as well!
Not really a hard choice in that both are GREAT schools. Personally I think I’d go for Chicago, but that’s just me. Honestly, like I said, either one is great.
Agreed. And he doesn’t have a choice at this moment in time; he’s not been admitted to Princeton and may well not be. The admissions process for top schools is a mysterious process.
Agree with Marlowe1. I am very familiar with U of PC and am proud to ssy I supported it before it started climbing the ranks. Very níce people go there - not snobby.
Did you call and withdraw his apps from the other schools? If he was slated to be admitted, even at this late date, it might pull a kid marked for the waitlist into the admit pile.
When I posted this it seemed plausible that he might be admitted–but as I ponder the 4% acceptance rate it seems truly impossible! Anaesabc, what made your son commit to UChicago? We’re scheduled to attend a reception on Sunday which should be interesting.
He thinks he will be happier at UChicago. He highly values the core curriculum and the research opportunities provided. The chance of getting into Princeton is extremely small. He believes(not verified) the fathers and grandfathers of many Princeton students are alumni and that put some pressure on him.