UChicago vs. Stanford

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>I posted this in the Stanford board but I wanted to get opinions from both side so I'm posting this here too.</p>

<p>I've been admitted to the class of 2013 to Stanford and University of Chicago. I'm having an extremely difficult time choosing between the two. While I'm posting this as a way to clear my head, I welcome any insight the rest of you have.</p>

<p>A little background... I'm from Ohio. I'm a good student, but not a genius and I have no particularly special achievements. I'm not athletic, though I snowboard and bike. I visited Stanford for the first time over Admit Weekend last weekend. I didn't have a great experience, but there were some good parts to it... I only visited University of Chicago for one day, on a Saturday, so I didn't really get to meet students or go to class or anything.</p>

<p>I don't know exactly what I want in college. I don't know what I'll major in, but I want to do something ultimately with environmentalism and sustainability. I need my life to mean something and the thing I'm most concerned about, and the thing I think we all need to be concerned about the most, is the future of the planet. For a while I considered engineering, but I'm not sure if that's the right job for me. I'm considering double majoring in Economics and either Environmental Studies/Sciences or Earth Sciences and ultimately attending Law School to practice Environmental Law. I may even pursue politics eventually. However, none of this is really solid; I may find that it isn't for me. I'm not a particularly math/science guy, although I'm good in both and I love both.</p>

<p>Stanford</p>

<p>Pros
-Huge endowment; one of the largest per student
-Better financial aid than University of Chicago (it would cost half as much for me to attend Stanford than University of Chicago)
-Excellent sciences; best environmental engineering program in the country, lots of undergraduate research opportunities
-One of the more environmentally conscious campuses
-I think a generally more liberal campus?
-More diverse campus...? Ethnically, anyway
-The foothills; lots of nature to explore
-Gardening!
-More housing options; ethnic theme houses and co-ops.
-Safer campus
-Good study abroad programs</p>

<p>Cons
-Although I've heard the weather is great, I like the seasons, so I don't see "Californian weather" as a definite selling point
-40% of the people are from California; I felt out of place there
-There seems to be an air of Californian snobbery about it? But this isn't necessarily fair, I met plenty of nice and humble enough people. Plus, at any top tier college this is unavoidable (I was originally aiming for Ivies) and in life in general.
-There seems to be a huge emphasis on sports. I'm not sporty, and I've always been bothered by condescending jocks.
-I felt out of place on campus. Perhaps it was homesickness, but everything seemed unfamiliar.
-I'm weary of the "Stanford bubble"--though San Francisco is less than an hour away via train, I hate feeling trapped. On the other hand, it could be a good thing.</p>

<p>University of Chicago</p>

<p>Pros
-Based on gut instinct, I felt good at University of Chicago. (It was a beautiful day and the architecture was awesome and I enjoyed relaxing by the lake.)
-Stanford's campus was beautiful, but unlike anything I'd ever seen. The palm trees were awesome and the Greco-Roman style architecture was great, but I have to admit I love collegiate Gothic Architecture.
-I know someone already attending (I actually know someone attending Stanford too, but not very well, and he's rather closed off.) Plus, a very good friend of mine since middle school is going there next year. We're talking about rooming together. I'm not a particularly shy person, but I felt a little uncomfortable at Stanford. I'd like to have a support system and something familiar to hold onto--I worry about my happiness and mental health. Some say it's a horrible idea to room with a friend because it can destroy the friendship, and it's possible we won't even be friends in four years, but I have to admit college sounds pretty scary (which is funny because I've moved several times in my life so I should be used to it...)
-Great economics program; one of the best in the world.
-I'm from the midwest, so it feels familiar. I'm comfortable there
-Big city means I can get away from campus and explore something new. Not far away at all.</p>

<p>Cons
-Big city and Hyde Park means crime. If I'm smart I should be fine, I know this, and the campus has a good system in place, but I have to admit I don't want to feel afraid when I'm on campus. I should feel comfortable where I go to school, not worried about being mugged.
-Not as high endowment as Stanford. I'm worried about my financial aid. I know that it will go down (I confirmed this) but it's possible that if the Odyssey Scholarship Challenge isn't met I'll have to take loans, which I don't want to do. As it stands right now, it will already cost twice as much as Stanford.
-Rooming with a friend may be a bad idea; I should probably go somewhere on my own and learn how to stand on my feet and meet people, explore etc.
-No engineering. I don't know if engineering is right for me, but at Chicago it's not even an option.
-Not as liberal of a campus? Though to be truthful I think it's better to have both sides.
-Doesn't appear to be doing much in the way of the environment. There are some small initiatives, but it's not mentioned anywhere for doing anything significant.</p>

<p>So what to do? Do I go to University of Chicago, which felt more comfortable? Or is this unwise? Shouldn't I be branching out and experiencing something totally new? Did I have a misconception of Stanford? Some say UChicago has more intellectual discourse, which is appealing. Some say Stanford is more cutthroat and preprofessional, but then people say the exact opposite--that it's really supportive. All of the people at Admit Weekend and the Stanford people seemed super excited about Stanford, but I really wasn't. It seemed surreal. It seemed fake. It also seemed a tad too high energy and happy for me. (Some described it as the Disney Land of college.) They have the metaphor of the calm duck struggling under water. University of Chicago is where fun goes to die... </p>

<p>I really don't know how to make my decision. I'm worried about my opportunities to study abroad and research and money in general at University of Chicago. I feel more or less confident that I'd be happy there though (though this is based on absolutely nothing). However, I fear that I would still regret not going to Stanford (it's ranked higher in a lot of areas and it'd be a totally new experience with lots of resources on hand and no money issues). I fear going to Stanford and feeling completely lost (the campus is ridiculously large and the student body is a little larger than UChicago's). I felt really out of place and ignored at Admit Weekend. I met some cool people, to be sure, but then some seemed self-absorbed, closed off, arrogant, etc. (I had a bad experience with some people). Plus the whole thing was cheesy as **** and I felt like I was in 6th grade camp (I hate camp--I've had bad experiences with it).</p>

<p>If you've read this far, thanks. Thoughts, comments anyone?</p>

2

<p>I made a choice between Chicago and a school with a similar culture to Stanford, Duke. I had a lot of the same concerns as you. I went for an overnight visit to Chicago, and fell in love immediately. It was very comfortable and laid-back (at least in comparison to the East coast) yet people were still serious about their studies. Intellectualism (also nerdiness, but they tend to go hand in hand) was rampant, but people talked about normal stuff as well. Sports culture was toned down. </p>

<p>One thing that was a pleasant surprise was that I actually had way more fun at Chicago than Duke, which is supposedly a party school. I think the place you’re going to have the most fun at is the place with the people you like the best. During admit weekend I didn’t meet any self-absorbed people (although there were a lot of socially awkward people there). I know this sounds really cheesy but look at the facebook pages for each class of 2013. I just checked out Stanford’s, and I was shocked at the number of exclamation marks. Chicago’s, on the other hand, is pretty unabashedly nerdy, with such topics as “How sexy is the course guide?” and people discussing how much they love Russian literature.</p>

<p>As far as opportunities go, I had this same debate in my head about Duke, which is far better for my career plans and interests (pre-med, biology, primatology!, neuroscience) and has this program, funded by Melinda Gates, which gives you money to do anything you want for a summer. I already regret missing out on those resources, but I’ve been told that you do the best at the place you feel the happiest at, and I firmly believe this. </p>

<p>I don’t think you have to worry about the school not being liberal. Even the econ department is not what is once was (case in point: Austan Goolsbee, economic adviser to our current President). </p>

<p>You can check out this page, which has links on the side to other pages about environmental studies, environmental initiatives, etc.:
[University</a> of Chicago College Admissions | Environmental Studies](<a href=“http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/academics/majorsminors/enviro.shtml]University”>http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/academics/majorsminors/enviro.shtml)</p>

3

<p>Whoa, I did NOT realize that Chicago cost twice as much as Stanford. D= Nevermind my essay above, go to Stanford.</p>

4

<p>I’ll have to check out the facebooks… I don’t know how I feel about nerdy/socially awkward. I’m not nerdy or socially awkward, in my opinion. I’m friends with what I consider “normal” kids: stoners, kids with average grades going to state colleges, etc.</p>

<p>I am hesitant about missing out on opportunities that Stanford offers, and I’m sure (like you do) that I will when I’m at Chicago.</p>

<p>As far as costing twice as much, it isn’t a significant difference in the big scheme of things. If my financial aid holds up at Chicago (if their endowment doesn’t plummet) then it will probably cost about $10,000 more than Stanford. But even that is a lot for a family like mine. I feel kind of selfish accepting Chicago for that reason. To reject the money Stanford is offering feels… ungrateful.</p>

5

<p>follow the money
I had a 3 way tie between Chicago, NU and a Merit Tuition Scholarship at Emory. I chose Chicago in the end because for some reason it gave a comparable amount of money as the merit scholarship (Like only 500$ more per year to go there). worried about what happens if oddysey doesnt fall through though. But yeah 10k per year is alot of money so I think stanford is the way to go</p>

6

<p>Cali is beautiful I was at stanford 3 weeks ago and while i really liked the feel of Palo Alto the School is SOOOOO Big</p>

<p>I’ve never been to U Chicago however</p>

<p>Also what is your anticipated major?</p>

<p>I would go with the money if that is what it comes down to!</p>

7

<p>The University of Chicago costs the same as Stanford University. I know an individual who chooses the University of Chicago over Stanford University. However, he is an economics major. If I were you, I would base my decision on my prospective major rather than the reputation of each school.</p>

8

<p>go to Stanford. </p>

<p>First of, the name is better known as an great school. </p>

<p>college is basically all the same at the level. Now, just pick based on name.</p>

9

<p>It seems asinine to put in your $.02 as to what school “cantdecide2013” should attend this late in the game.</p>

10

<p>dude, go to Chicago</p>

<p>I would highly recommend it. The kids are funny and witty (and normal!) the academics are rigorous but not cutthroat, and the architecture and lake are beautiful. Go where you feel comfortable and all will be well!</p>