University of Chicago or Oberlin College?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I was accepted to both... and now I can't decide which one I like better. I know these are basically on opposite ends of the education spectrum, but each end has its own appeal. </p>

<p>Chicago
~Amazing academically (which is one of the most important things to me--but is there still time to do other things?)
~The campus is absolutely gorgeous with all the Gothic style architecture
~I like the size (around 5,000 undergrads)
~The weather is unfortunate
~I'm sort of concerned about the safety on campus; I don't want to be looking furtively around all the time worrying about getting mugged
~I'm also concerned that the undergraduate student body may not get attention from professors who have graduate students to work with</p>

<p>Oberlin
~Good academically, but not as challenging as Chicago
~Only undergraduate, guaranteeing the full attention of professors
~Very safe campus
~I like the more liberal atmosphere on campus
~Only 3,000 students, which is a little small
~The nearest big city is Cleveland, which I'm sure is a wonderful city, but not as much fun as Chicago.</p>

<p>Thoughts?</p>

2

<p>For pure academics, Chicago. If, however, Oberlin fits your personality and needs better, then i would go with it because it is also good.</p>

3

<p>About the city issue, it depends what you want from it. If you are interested in culture, Cleveland’s art, theater and music are world class (and Oberlin’s music school in phenomenal). On the other hand, you probably need a car to get there and if you want good nightlife, Cleveland doesn’t have it… The weather at Oberlin is only marginally better (you’re far enough from the lake to avoid the insane wind and snow that plagues other areas around Cleveland). </p>

<p>It really depends what you want from a college. I promise that Cleveland is a really wonderful place if you give it a chance and you like culture. But even so, you’ll spend much more time in the college than the city. They both have very distinctive atmospheres, so you should figure out what you’re looking for there.</p>

4

<p>I think Celesul’s advice is sound. The most important thing here is fit and personal preference.
Just one other comment. The OP expressed concern about safety at UChicago. I had never before lived in a major U.S. city, and felt comfortable there. I think Hyde Park is as safe as most any urban campus.</p>

5

<p>I feel like if you have the humongous opportunity that U.Chicago offers, you ought to take it…do know it is known as the place “where fun goes to die”, however.</p>

6

<p>Oberlin is closer to cleveland that I had thought. 40 min drive.</p>

<p><a href=“Google Maps”>Google Maps;

7

<p>Anyone else have anything to say?</p>

8

<p>what did you want to study? I know oberlin is also known for its music conservatory. Is that a factor for you at all?</p>

9

<p>The OP’s comment about Chicago weather is nicely understated. Actually, the winter is brutal. Though I’m not sure Oberlin is all that much better.</p>

<p>As for attention from professors at Chicago, this should not be a major concern unless you really need a lot of hand-holding. Chicago has one of the best student:faculty ratios anywhere and a very high percentage of classes <20 students. I’m not saying Oberlin does not have the advantage in this respect, but on the other hand there are advantages to having major graduate programs on the same campus.</p>

10

<p>I’m undecided about my major right now, but it will probably not be in any math/science field, nor in music. At first I was leaning towards Oberlin because LACs are good for undecided majors, but at the same time, UChicago has a core curriculum that suggests it is also extremely open to students with undecided majors.</p>

11

<p>Historically, Chicago has tended to be a little undecided about whether they even like the idea of majors at all. You know, strictly speaking, there are no undergraduate “departments”. Unless things have changed, undergraduate instructors are appointed to “The College”, not to English or Political Science. The original Gothic buildings are connected to emphasize ties among disciplines. Interdisciplinary studies have been popular and encouraged at Chicago for a long, long time.</p>

12

<p>Watching students I know at schools without core curriculums (which is almost every school!), I have become more interested in the notion of a core curriculum. I see that you can end up with a smattering of knowledge without a core because some courses are so specialized (i.e. the films of Bergman, American literature in the 1960’s). So if you are at all an intellectual type, don’t pass up Chicago. It would be harder if you were talking about Swarthmore or Amherst vs. Chicago, I think.</p>

13

<p>^But worth noting is that Amherst has a completely open curriculum and Swarthmore’s distribution requirements are laxer than Oberlin’s.</p>

14

<p>So is the general consensus that UChicago > Oberlin?</p>

15

<p>I’ll chime in as another Chicago alum. </p>

<p>I’m assuming finances aren’t part of the decision?</p>

<p>As for commitment to undergraduate teaching: Chicago historically has had no grad TAs, except for some science labs. All UG courses are taught by professors. When I was an UG there, I never would have known there were grad students. It was a College. They feel that the undergraduate foundation is critical to any further pursuits in life.</p>

<p>Having a child at an excellent but different private university, I would say that I am disappointed that she will not have the core experience I had in college. I do value the foundation of “great books” that I had, as well as the intensity of requirements within my major (English), plus the opportunity to cap the entire experience with a bachelor’s paper. I don’t see kids who come away from “four years of taking classes” having quite the same feeling I did. I know at many other less structured schools people do wonderful things, and are proud of their work, but it is easier to slip through the cracks.</p>

<p>This D visited Chicago and decided not to apply for 2 reasons: 1) she thought she might want to include a music performance major or minor, and that is not available, and 2) more importantly, she found she could not tolerate the urban environment - too noisy, crowded and dirty. She was shocked it had never bothered me. I loved it, but I realized that was because it really appealed to me. If I had wanted birds chirping and walks in the woods once in a while, I would have been sorely unhappy.</p>

<p>This D also visited Brown, and although their “no requirements” program appeals to many, she though it was way too loose, that even as a directed person she might flounder. But she really doesn’t enjoy taking years of courses she’s not “interested in.” Now she’s happily a junior at a school in between the two extremes.</p>

<p>I don’t know Oberlin enough to compare, but that’s my take on deciding about Chicago. I guess you’ll have to feel which one you might regret not attending if you choose the other. I do know 2 people who had to leave Oberlin because they found it stiflingly isolated. But I’ve heard of many who were thrilled with it. And I certainly saw people at Chicago who were not suited to the pace (3 quarters instead of 2 semesters means NO time to slack at the beginning of a course), nor the breadth of the requirements, nor the expectations of the faculty. But most people who complete a degree there carry that pride and satisfaction in their hearts forever, and feel their experience was valuable and unique.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

16

<p>For what it’s worth:
MY D1 was the type that I thought would have fit in with my stereotype of U chicago.
She wound up not wanting to apply there, and actually attended Oberlin.
The reasons she declined to apply to Chicago were she did not want to take its mandated “general ed” course sequence (even though there are choices associated with it), and she believed that the academic work/play balance there was less to her liking.</p>

17

<p>Thanks for the input everyone, it’s really helpful.</p>