<li>U of Chicago</li>
<li>Northwestern WCAS</li>
<li>U of Michigan ROSS</li>
<li>Cornell CAS</li>
</ol>
<p>I want to work in Finance/Business
I want to party a lot in college
I want to have close proximity to a vibrant city
I want to study econ/poli sci</p>
<p>Basically, I’m leaning Uchicago because it’s great for all of those except point #2. Is Uchicago’s social scene really that bad?? I fit chicago’s academic mold, but will I be able to find kids will want to party with me on the weekends or go see shows in the city? How often do Chicago students go into the city? Basically, Uchicago’s notorious social scene is the only thing preventing me from attending.</p>
<p>i recommend Northwestern. NU is only minutes away from Chicago and is in a much better neighborhood/surrounding compared to UChicago. Both schools are equal academically, but they're vastly different socially. NU is considered to be one of the most social schools that are ranked within top 20, while Uchicago is complete opposite. if u seek to have a vibrant social interactions/ parties/ and other fun activities, uchicago isn't the place to go.</p>
<p>patlees, out of curiosity have you ever attended uchicago? im guessing no. in that case please stop bashing uchicago's social scene on every thread that concerns it.</p>
<p>beefs, i apologize if i came out to sound like offending uchicago. i don't think any of my posts regarding uchicago was insulting or based off wrong assumptions. i was trying to give a fair desciption of the school as i knew of it, not intending to bash the school in any way. uchicago is a wonderful school, but unfortunately, i have friends there who are bitter about their choices and wish they can transfer out. sure, it is top notch academically, but like few schools like MIT or Caltech, Uchicago isn't a school for everyone. it is a very unique school that is cradled for a very specific crowd and i hope that no one goes there w/o knowing anything about the school's unique academic/social life. NU is just a more of a traditional college and let's be honest, its social life is at least considered to be more of 'traditional' college experience.</p>
<p>which school is teh best for financial/banking job recruitement on wallstreet? Does it baiscally depend on the individual student's gpa by that point?</p>
<p>I would go with Cornell, then Northwestern, then U Chicago, then U Michigan given the info you provided and taking into account the "best" or most prestigious school w/ the most opportunities. Cornell obviously isn't very close to a big city but it is otherwise your best option. U Chicago IS NOT a party school. The student body is far more socially awkward and nerdy (obviously you will find exceptions to this anywhere) and it produces more academics than business leaders.</p>
<p>beefs, besides, I am not a NU or Uchicago student. I go to Cornell. however, I recommended NU to OP bc I believed that NU was the best match for him/her, given his/her desired college characterisitcs. As a cornell student, i should have recommended cornell, but it's not close to the city, like NU. NU sounds like the best deal for the OP, given its proximity to a major city, a vibrant social scene with good parties, top notch econ department at undergrad level, and excellent job prospects after graduation. I lived in Chicago area several years and know both schools fairly well.</p>
<p>am i overrating having a city close by? How far is boston from Cornell. What types of social activities besides partying are there to do at Cornell. I assume shopping and seeing shows and stuff are out of hte question?</p>
<p>cory, Boston is quite far away from cornell. it's like 7-8 hr drive. the closest city is Syracuse, which isn't that exciting, imo. but, there are tons of activities going on at Cornell and i never felt bored. After school work and ecs, i usually gather around with friends and do all sorts of things, ranging from poker, ps3/wii, playing/watching basketball, to goin out to frat parties. People here are just pretty outgoing and fun. </p>
<p>For shopping, there are a couple of shopping malls nearby, which you would be able to go to with a cab in just like 10 to 15 mins. There also are stores like Target and others nearby, so you wouldn't have trouble buying anything.</p>
<p>Ross' placement into major Wall Street IBanks is hard to match. NU, Chicago and Cornell do a good job too, but Ross is special in this regard. </p>
<p>Chicago is particularly strong in Econ and Michigan is particularly strong in Political Science. But all four universities have top ranked Econ and Poli-Sci departments, so you cannot go wrong here. </p>
<p>None of the four schools you mentioned is known for their party scene, but I would say Michigan, Cornell and NU (in that order) all have excellent social offerings. Chicago is more alternative but appeals to some. I must correct the myth that Chicago does not have a social scene. It does. But Chicago's social scene is different from the typical college.</p>
<p>Bottom line, you can accomplish anything you want at any of those universities. I recommend you visit all four campuses before deciding. That's the only way to know for sure.</p>
<p>lol i feel like i'm getting nowhere with this. Thank you for the thorough response Alexandre. It's nice to knowt hat all four are about the same academically. However I feel like the only thing still keeping me from choosing chicago is the social scene. I feel people calling it a "different social scene" is simply a euphamism for boring parties.</p>
<p>Dude, understand that these people have never been to a Chicago party. They're making assumptions off anecdotal evidence and a worn out (joke) slogan. Go to the April programs and see for yourself.</p>
<p>I agree with Beefs. Definitely visit all four universities. </p>
<p>On a separate note...and this may not mean anything to you. Ross is about to complete its new, state-of-the-arts, $150 million Business school. The facilities in that building are reportedly outrageous! It should really improve Ross' profile in the next 3-4 years.</p>