<p>I just finished going to colleges' revisit days, and I've narrowed my list to just Yale and the University of Chicago. I'm having a very hard time deciding between the two. I'm going to major in math with a minor/double major in either computer science or physics. For me, the main draws to UChicago are: Fermilab, the legendary math program, and the city of Chicago; at Yale, they are: the unlimited opportunities afforded by buckets of money, the residential college system, and the attention given to undergraduates. I liked the students at both schools. Chicago students seemed to be a little more academically focused (which I like), but I met more people there who were studying physics, comp sci, and math, so it might have been just coincidence. The atmosphere at Yale seemed a little better, more fun.
Has anyone had to make this same choice, or have stories of people who have? What would persuade me to choose one school over the other? As I visited both schools and still can't choose one, I'm not sure how to proceed. Any advice? While I'll be getting my bachelor's in pure math, I'll go for a graduate degree in applied math, and I hear Chicago is focused intently upon pure math. Can anyone corroborate this? I know Chicago has one of the best graduate math programs in the world, but is their undergraduate program any better than Yale's, and, if so, in what way?</p>
<p>Wow! You are in a very lucky position and many people are jealous of your situation. I was deciding between EA to Chicago or to Yale, and went with Chicago because I felt I fit in less with the Ivy League kids than I did with the Chicago people. But it sounds like you really can’t decide.</p>
<p>I sat down with my parents to talk about colleges and they asked me the only question you will need to get out of this dilemma: “Why?” The schools are clearly comparable academically, but Yale is certainly more well-known to the average person. You want to do math, so focus on that part. I would argue for Chicago’s physics and math programs over Yale’s, but that’s just me. I guess more than all this, because of all these similarities, ask yourself why you chose to apply to these schools in particular. What was the draw then? Is it still a draw? Keep in mind the social scene is rather different in the two areas and that you’ll be in a great school regardless, and I think you’ll make the decision that’s right for you. Good luck!</p>
<p>As a parent I would ask about financial aid. More than likely, Yale would be more generous. If you plan on going onto a graduate degree in math and if you feel that UChicago has one of the best math departments in the world, then I suggest you enjoy your time at Yale and aim for graduate school at uChicago. I would also research which university has the better summer internship or research network.</p>
<p>I would look into UChicago’s Vigre summer math program. My math major friend adored it, and it was a factor in his decision to come here: [VIGRE</a> at the University of Chicago](<a href=“http://www.math.uchicago.edu/~may/VIGRE/]VIGRE”>VIGRE at the University of Chicago)</p>
<p>And the Paris math program might be worth a look as well. It is taught by UChicago faculty, but it takes place in Paris the spring: [Department</a> of Mathematics: Undergraduate Program Contact](<a href=“http://www.math.uchicago.edu/undergraduate/paris_program.shtml]Department”>http://www.math.uchicago.edu/undergraduate/paris_program.shtml)</p>
<p>The pure math track is fairly popular at UC. All of the people I have talked to are extremely happy with the courses and overall experience–it seems to be a pretty close-knit department, at least from my observations.</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, Chicago is a traditional math/physics powerhouse (along with other top-notch institutions like Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Stanford, and Caltech), speaking of which its math program is just fabulous. I was pretty determined to major in humanities before I came to Chicago, but its calculus/chem sequences have now totally persuaded me to become a science major. Math department does a fantastic job in placing the entering freshmen to the appropriate introductory sequences (easy math, regular calculus, honor’s calc, or honor’s analysis for the brightest). And of course the famed Honor’s Analysis sequence taught by Paul Sally should be hard to pass up if you are really serious in math. Math department has excellent resources for undergraduate, including an awesome departmental advisor and many programs specifically for undergrads (like summer REU or the Paris program as mentioned in the posting above).</p>
<p>In brief, Chicago’s a great place to do math.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure Chicago has an obvious edge over Yale when it comes to grad school (correct me if I’m wrong), but I don’t know if that edge still exists on the undergrad level. Hope you end up being happy at whichever school you finally decide to attend.</p>
<p>you should get more info on how they feel but from what i know great college+great city of chicago (my awesome dads hometown lol) id go for chicago</p>
<p>as248t57y–would you care to elucidate your opinion regarding Chicago? I couldn’t help but notice that your answer to every X University vs. UChicago post is a uniform and unexplained “If I were you, I would go to X”. Are you a current (unhappy) student? What’s your beef? (Of course, you are entitled to whatever opinion you may have. I am just curious).</p>