<p>Have you attended an April Overnight at UChicago yet? I went to one on April 12-13.</p>
<p>The students said that yes, there is a lot of work; and yes, the quarter system is a little stressful, but they come to the school first and foremost to learn so it’s not the end of the world (makes sense, doesn’t it?). </p>
<p>I definitely think that attending UChicago would allow for less social time than UT Austin, but students there were not locked in their dorms 24/7. They just needed to learn strong time management skills. </p>
<p>Also, if you were accepted as an unhooked applicant, you should feel confident in your ability to do the work. Top schools are not in the practice of admitting slouches. </p>
<p>The students liked that the quarter system lets them take more classes over their 4 years, that reviewing for the final is much easier when they only have to review the past 10 weeks, that the quarter system allows them to go on break without worrying about exams, and that the classes pass by relatively quickly.</p>
<p>IMO UChicago for 50k/year is a far better deal than UT Austin for 40k/year, although neither of these two options are a steal by any means.</p>
<p>Also, maybe you should look at the heads of advertising at major corporations that interest you and see what they studied and where they graduated from, to get a better idea of how powerful an advertising degree at UT Austin is. I personally have no idea.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision.</p>