UChicago VS Vanderbilt??

<p>My D was accepted off of Vanderbilt waitlist and needs to make a decision ASAP. She paid the deposit at UChicago and was thrilled with the prospect of heading to UChicago this fall. Then Vanderbilt came through. Econ and Math focus for her. Thoughts on which school might be the better choice on the academics front, the future jobs front, and the school life/social front - between each school. Thanks.</p>

<p>Your daughter’s dilemma highlights the perils of the waitlist: student puts in a deposit somewhere and begins to look forward to the school he/she has chosen, and then, out of the blue, the waitlist acceptance comes in and the student has to reconsider things all over again.</p>

<p>My personal opinion is to stick with her first choice and don’t look back. </p>

<p>Son’s final choice last year was between these two schools. The money was about the same except it’s further to UChicago. Ultimately, he chose UChicago for “fit”. I can only comment on the things I know a little about at UChicago which are the academics and social / life. I suppose I can comment on jobs to the extent that son is pursuing internship / summer jobs.</p>

<p>Academics (at UChicago): Intense and immersive as advertised. Quarter system really moves things along. Quality of the students is just incredibly high. Good grades are attainable but certainly it requires work. Son is proud of his association with the University.</p>

<p>Social Life (at UChicago): Revolves around the “house” and EC’s. Different from Vandy I would think in that major sporting events are not a social rallying point. Fraternities / Sororities exist at UChicago, but are much less of a presence than at Vandy.</p>

<p>Jobs (at UChicago): Only know that career advising has been made available to my son in a significant fashion. He is working through a grant process right now with the help of his advisor which will allow for a paid internship in his home city. </p>

<p>Other: Nashville and Chicago are both great cities. Chicago is much bigger of course. Probably one of the world’s great cities. The lakefront is very accessible at UChicago and students take advantage of it and the city itself via rapid transit. Hyde Park of course borders on some rough parts of Chicago but so far safety had not been an issue. Vandy, as you know, is located in a decent part of Nashville and I think safety is not a major issue there either. If your daughter has a big problem with cold weather, Nashville is definitely preferable! The winter quarter will definitely test your daughter’s ability to deal with harsh weather. Both Universities are well led. I am a big admirer of both President Zimmer and Chancellor Zeppos. President Zimmer has announced that he is staying through this decade, which is a plus for UChicago.</p>

<p>Intangible: I was quietly in favor of son going off to UChicago because I liked the idea of him swimming in the deep water in the big city and what it would do for his personal growth. It’s too early to say for sure whether this will work out, but so far so good.</p>

<p>These are a few thoughts. Best of luck with the (tough) decision.</p>

<p>Do you think there is a chance she will drop out of Econ/Math or is she indeed very very strong? ie…my Vandy son missed zero math probs on the ACT but he is not “gifted” in quantitative courses and would likely have found his limit quickly in quantitative subjects.<br>
If she is a true math/econ major, and if she is not yearning for Vanderbilt’s scene and charm…I would stick with Chicago because of their well known reputation in econ/math. That is if she is not shaky on that pathway as many say freshman “premeds” melt away. congrats on her open doors</p>

<p>Thank you for the comments. I believe she is good to go with UChicago - she is staying with her commitment.</p>