Most popular responses in South Florida:
“Ohh Chicago is really cold”
“Be safe I heard Chicago is dangerous”
My personal favorite
" I heard it’s a great school but… why would you go there?"
You say “Bless your heart!”.
South Florida isn’t that southern. In the esteemed words of a popular comedian " Florida is the only state where the farther south you go the more north you get"
When it has come up (i.e. someone asks), people either know what it is and congratulate DD (often with a comment about brains or bravery) and/or they say something about what a great city Chicago is (and add something about bringing warm clothes).
Throughout HS, she appreciated the fact that UChicago was a conversation-stopper when random older people asked her where she wanted to go to college. Answer with an HYPS and you invite long conversations about legacies and safeties, as well as the occasional tirade about affirmative action or suggestion that you’re kind of full of yourself.
“Oh, yeah, I heard a lot of people got into UIUC this year.”