<p>I am trying to choose between Ride the Tide and DestinationChicago, because both are on the same days :/
I really like both schools. Swarthmore was my top choice for a long time, but my family and I are very excited about UChicago...so...
HELP?!</p>
<p>See my post in the Swat thread…</p>
<p>DestinationChicago! I think it’ll be more exciting (I’m biased). Also, do they pay for all your expenses?</p>
<p>both pay for all expenses lol :]</p>
<p>If you have decided to do the weekend at Swarthmore, why don’t you call Chicago and see if they will pay for you to come home by way of Chicago and visit there?</p>
<p>How either institution looks is not the most important thing about it, or even the tenth most important thing about it. There is lots about a visit like this that doesn’t involve seeing what things look like, and those things are more important. But Chicago and Swarthmore are both so strong in many respects that it’s not unreasonable for someone to decide between the two based on which setting they would rather live in for a few years. And while “lovely, suburban, classy” is completely adequate to describe Swarthmore’s setting, it’s a lot harder to stuff Chicago into a few adjectives. Honestly – and without regard to which I like better – I would think it was more important to see Chicago than Swarthmore. </p>
<p>Swarthmore is lovely, you can rely on that. It has a pretty big campus for a small liberal arts college, lots of grass and trees, and a beautiful small gorge and creek with hiking trails. On one side of campus, there’s a teeny, traditional suburban “downtown” consisting of a couple blocks of little shops, and on the other side, about half a mile away, there’s a decent suburban shopping mall. You could see everything there is to see in a couple of hours, but it’s really not hard to imagine it, either.</p>
<p>Chicago is much bigger and weirder. People make comments like Dad2’s in the other thread – that its setting is “urban and gritty” – which are highly misleading. I had heard about its urban, gritty setting all my life, and I was stunned, the first time I saw it, at how completely un-gritty it is, and how semi-suburban. Nonetheless, it’s not like there aren’t reasons for the “urban, gritty” meme, and I think each person kind of has to gauge his or her own reaction to the mix of qualities there to decide whether it’s comfortable or not. Swarthmore architecture, while attractive, is pretty restrained, in keeping with its Quaker character. Chicago has a jumble of faux gothic, modern brutalist, post-modern, ugly, beautiful, a Frank Lloyd Wright building . . . there’s a whole lot to see. Plus, the way in which the University of Chicago and Hyde Park interpenetrate one another is reasonably unique.</p>
<p>@luladatis: What is “Destination Chicago”? Is it by special invite only? How did you get them to pay?</p>
<p>Destination Chicago is just the name of the admitted students visit…I have no idea, they sent it with the admission letter, and they are offering to pay. I am guessing that they are offering to pay for some of the students who applied for financial aid, but I’m not sure.</p>
<p>I have visited Chicago, the city and I loved it, I just have never been to the actual UChicago campus, so I’m thinking I will visit Swarthmore to see the vibe from that place…thanks for your advice!</p>
<p>lol they wont pay for international flights into the US will they?</p>