I found some threads with these schools, but they are a few years old. Can anyone give some thoughts to help choose between the two, or basic pros and cons? The departments I’d be focusing on are English, History, etc. Then just basic college life, academic rigor (challenging=fun/doable or challenging=put a cot in the library), professors, size (how small is too small?), and quarter vs. semester system. Thanks.
First thing to do is to examine the general requirements for each and that will tell you quite a bit. Then you can examine the requirements for the major.
Some prestige-conscious CC posters will tell you Chicago is flat-out the obvious choice.That might be true for some majors (linguistics, anthro, physics) or for tip top students in others (like math). For history, it might be true if you’re the kind of person who is eager to camp out at registration to get sections taught by the very best professors. For most bread-and-butter liberal arts majors, you can get a great education at either school.
Chicago is quite a bit bigger. It can give you exposure to some of the country’s truly outstanding scholars and teachers in certain fields. However, for other than occasional lectures, that’s assuming you seek them out.
Pay overnight visits to both campuses. Chicago’s campus is beautiful. Its facilities are really outstanding (esp. the library system, which is one of the best of its kind in America). However, you might find Macalester’s surrounding neighborhoods a lot more congenial than UChicago’s. Class-size is pretty much a non-issue (Chicago is fairly LAC-like in that respect, although it does have a few 100-200 student lecture classes). Quarter v. semester isn’t too big a deal (the quarter system exposes you to more courses but also to more exams). As for “rigor”, Chicago Core courses can have pretty heavy reading loads. You may be able to find syllabuses online for comparable courses at the two schools. Talk to students when you visit (or ask in the Mac and Chicago forums).
Here’s a comprehensive guide to Chicago’s curriculum:
http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/thecurriculum/
Macalester may have something similar online.
Is there some reason why you can’t apply to both? You may not have a choice to make.
N’s Mom, that’s the plan. And, you’re right, it might not come down to having a choice. But, I’d like to be prepared with as much insight as people can offer ahead of time, just in case.
You should try to reserve your decision-making capabilities until you receive offers from both, though. So much will change in a year that what you think now may become irrelevant. Until a few months ago I was convinced that I would study abroad in college. That is no longer the case.
I think this is a perfectly good time to start the decision making process.
Macalester offers ED with it’s associated admissions boost. UChicago doesn’t. If it turns out that Macalester is your first choice, and you want to apply ED, if you have done your due diligence early and you can differentiate the two and determine which is your first choice, you can make the decision of whether to apply to Macalester ED.
UChicago admissions has changed over the past 5 years to be more difficult admissions and more prestigious as opposed to the quirky mecca of academia that it has historically been. However, it’s not clear the professors have gotten the message, and it’s still a very hard school. That may or may not appeal to you. It will likely provide far more courses to choose from than Macalester, and the quarter system allows you practically take between 42 and 48 courses during your undergraduate years if you so desire.
I keep wondering why these two schools are being compared. They are so very different. I happen to love both but don’t see how you cannot have a favorite between them - esp as the people are very different. If I could know why you are comparing these I could help. I know both schools very well and have championed them for sometime.
Thanks for the replies. I’ll need to form some more opinions before I would be brave enough to do ED. I wish Mac had early action like UChicago.
I plan to visit both schools again for a longer, more in-depth look. Evidently one of the things I need to focus on are the people. Myyalieboy, I guess I was rather surprised when you mentioned the people are very different. Again, I didn’t have a lot of interaction with students at my initial visits, but I came away with the though that both schools had intellectual, hard-working students. I love that both are in metro areas, that’s a big thing I’m looking for in a school. I’ve read a lot of posters talk about the ‘vibe’ of one school over another. Like I said, I need to go back to spend more time, but the initial ‘vibe’ I got at both schools was great. I felt comfortable, and could see myself at either one.
I’m reading through their curriculums and course offerings. In the meantime, keep the insight coming!
A visit to Macalester may be warranted?
My D2 was accepted to both. U of C was on her final shortlist (and in addition to a couple of visits ahead of applying, she attended accepted student days before picking a different school). We live in the Twin Cities, and know a lot of Mac students. While Mac has many fine qualities and a fairly diverse, intelligent student body, U of C is in a class almost all its own in terms of intellectualism and intensity. They are both good schools, but they are very different. When my D sat in on a class at Mac, she enjoyed it – but honestly, she also felt like she knew quite a bit of the material. She sat in on a couple different classes at U of C, and found them generally to be faster paced and with deeper discussion from the students and the profs. The core at U of C is also going to be different – it is unlikely that you will get through without reading Plato and Marx, for example. While you can do those things at Mac, everyone isn’t. The “Life of the Mind” is still alive and well at U of C, in spite of recent changes in their admissions processes and possibly some tweaks to the type of student who attends.
Also… look at the difference in average test scores. While a top student can find plenty to challenge and interest them at Mac, the immersion in an environment full of top students is a different experience.
All that being said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having either of them be your top choice. But be sure you know what you are choosing. Personally, I think if you have any shot at U of C, you will get into Mac RD if you put together a solid application and they think you are genuinely interested. So if you have the stats to be competitive at U of C, go EA there and RD at Mac.
‘she also felt like she knew quite a bit of the material’
Well that wouldn’t be surprising if she sat in on an intro to environmental chemistry class as opposed to a seminar on 17th century French drama…
Definitely apply to both and do your research about what makes each school unique. The best way to do that is to read /listen to what other current students have to say about the places. Chicago and Macalester are both high quality schools that offer a solid education. I recommend you visit them, talk to faculty/students and get an idea yourself of the campus feel and vibe. They are different so your decision will be based off of personal preference.
Also, another thing to take into consideration is finances. If one offers you a better financial aid package than the other, naturally it makes the former more desirable.
@International95, at Mac she sat in on a biology class. They were discussing the Henrietta Lacks book, which she had read. She wasn’t certain the other students had all done the reading, to be honest. At U of C, she sat in on a molecular bio class – she had studied for the Biology Olympiad, so was fairly well versed in the basics, but found it to be a more rigorous class. Another time at U of C she sat in on a Shakespeare class where she had read the play previously, and found the discussion lively and thoughtful. She also tried a U if C physics class, and thought the lecturer was a bore (and she is now a physics major at another school). And going to be honest – the students from her class who went to Mac are great kids, but I think U of C would have eaten their lunch.
@TheDidactic, yes, merit aid will certainly be a consideration. Though, I’m afraid that with the high sticker prices at both schools, any scholarships would just be replacing grants they would offer. But we shall see.