<p>The original post is so odd and out of sync with reality it really cannot be credited. Chicago's acceptance rate may be higher, but that is because it takes a special type of person to go there (not being judgmental or critical). It is academically rigorous (perhaps among the tops in the nation), but its location (better than it used to be but still surrounded by an awful neighborhood) and atypical social scene (it attracts different, bright, introspective, but often somewhat quirky people) makes for a unique and self selected applicant pool. I attended one of the best high schools in the Chicago area, and while we sent plenty to Harvard, Princeton, Duke, Northwestern, Penn, etc. I can remember no one even applying to UC - which is not surprising because it just wasn't the type of place that would attract students from our multiple state champion in athletics type of high school. (Actually, the high school, while high achieving, could have used less rah rah stuff and more emphasis on intellectual development, but that was the reality). Chicago is an extraordinary place - how anyone can criticize going there and taking advantage of its opportunities is beyond me - but like every other school choice, it is not for everyone.</p>