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<p>I am NOT AT ALL concerned about this 
In fact, I am concerned if Chicago kids will totally make me look like a fool, since I am a try-hard instead of a congenital genius. I would never doubt about anything academic when I’m talking about UChicago. Yes, Wharton is also one of my top choices. I still have some time, I will do more research and try to make the best decision for myself! thank you very much!</p>
<p>Murphy 600 - </p>
<p>I am afraid maybe you are being a little bit unreasonable here.</p>
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<p>Yes, it will be pretty presumptuous if I actually assumed that I would get in. But did I?</p>
<p>In fact, the whole reason why I’m considering other ED schools is because "if I don’t get into Chicago, then I would rather try my second choice school, than blow my chances by relying on RD.</p>
<p>You either have a huge interpretation problem or are a very captious person to start with. :)</p>
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<p>I think it is very presumptuous of you to judge me according to one thread. Also, where in your argument can I find any logic? I would like to say it is pretentious of you to tell me to “join your buddy at BC and drink with your brothers.” </p>
<p>I am sorry that I like the brotherly love that friends share. I am also sorry that I am social and do care about other aspects other than just studying.</p>
<p>Finally, sorry for trying to be frankly, honestly reveal what’s in my mind, and trying to get some real advices.</p>
<p>I still like UChicago, because I won’t assume that UChicago is filled with people like you. Hopefully you are just a small portion of what UChicago is. I will be very unfortunate to ultimately enroll at a school that is filled with people like you. (luckily, I do not think that is the case, according to three visits I have made) !!</p>
<p>I hate to rock your world and tell you this–but there is a great diversity of opinion about what the best schools are. Not everyone is bowled over by the Ivy League or HYPS.</p>
<p>According to the Gallup poll, the #1 university in America–with a reputation twice that of any Ivy League school is–“Don’t know / no opinion.” </p>
<p>It depends on whom you are trying to impress–a bunch of shallow 17-year-olds or, say, the Nobel Prize committee. If the latter, choose UChicago. </p>
<p>Are you trying out for the cheerleading team or applying to college?</p>
<p>I have known plenty of people in my life who went to every top school. While they were all nice enough, I must say that, looking back, there were plenty of people in my high school who went to state schools that were as smart or smarter than the majority of people I know who went to HYPS. Indeed, a lot of the Ivy League students often come across as very shallow and mindless and focused on some imagined prestige over substance.</p>
<p>Don’t be one of them.</p>
<p>What happens when you spend your life focused on trying to impress people:</p>
<p>[Rajat</a> Gupta Convicted of Insider Trading - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/06/15/rajat-gupta-convicted-of-insider-trading/]Rajat”>Rajat Gupta Convicted of Insider Trading - The New York Times)</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The OP makes a common assumption that always makes me laugh a little. “I am really smart. I am academically successful. I am attracted to the University of Chicago because of its academics and (frankly) prestige. But I am also social. There can’t be anyone else like me at Chicago.” OP: You may be the only person like that at your school, but there are probably others in your town, your county, etc. There are thousands of them in the Chicago applicant pool. Some get in, some don’t; some go there; some don’t. But you are hardly unique. There are lots and lots of people in your position, and some of them go to college at Chicago.</p></li>
<li><p>As Cue7 says, Chicago is a great university, even a unique one, but there are a number of other great universities with their own takes on uniqueness. If, for example, you really don’t want to be in a big city, that’s a perfectly good reason to choose someplace else over the University of Chicago, or even not to apply there in the first place. Chicago the city is one of the greatest things about the University of Chicago. If you don’t want to be in Chicago, then you are going to miss some of what’s best about the University. Why not go someplace where you will get the benefit of ALL the good stuff?</p></li>
<li><p>Everyone has to go through life defending his or her college, to some extent. Harvardians have to explain that it’s not that snobby, they actually got to talk to professors sometimes, and they are not failures because they haven’t made a billion dollars yet. Yalies have to explain why they didn’t go to Harvard. Princetonians that it isn’t as preppy and wealthy as it seems. Penn and Stanford alums that their schools aren’t as anti-intellectual as they seem. </p></li>
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<p>People at Williams and Dartmouth don’t spend all their time drinking and looking for cows to tip (or worse). Duke doesn’t suffer from quite the excess of bro-ness portrayed by Tom Wolfe. Brown students aren’t all hippies just because no one makes them take anything specific. Cornell isn’t a state school. Etc., etc. As long as a school has any reputation, part of it is going to be negative. And a school with no reputation at all isn’t going to impress anyone.</p>
<p>So pick your poison and stop worrying about it.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It’s OK if there are some schools you like more than others. You don’t have to like every school equally in order to apply. If you are accepted to, say, Duke and Chicago, you can weigh the balance between economics academic reputation and bro-ness then. If you get into Stanford or Princeton, you should probably go to one of them over Chicago, because their Economics Departments are just as good, but neither is in a large city or in the Midwest, and both have social cultures with plenty of bro-ness, notwithstanding that everyone has a three-digit IQ. </p></li>
<li><p>Otherwise, wherever you go, for each quality that you value you will have to do a little or a little more work to make certain you are getting what you want out of your experience. That’s your responsibility, not the institution’s. If you apply to Chicago, and it’s the only place you are accepted, or you choose to go there, you will find plenty of what you want there if you dig a little. If you don’t dig a little, you may be unhappy. Boo-hoo.</p></li>
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<p>How would you describe your interest in UChicago as it stands right now? A lot of people on this thread seem to be jumping to the defense of the social aspect, as if that were the only thing standing (or not, as the case may be) between you and your dream school. However, you don’t immediately come across as a perfect academic fit for the U of C; we aren’t at all like Wharton. Do you value academics beyond their potential to land you a successful business career? Would you find yourself frustrated by the requirements of the Core? Would you mind going to a school where the predominant academic atmosphere is one that values learning regardless of professional application?</p>
<p>
A college without grade inflation probably would give you straight Bs. The general consensus is that most top schools—Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Penn, etc.—exhibit rampant grade inflation, with other top schools such as Chicago and Princeton still practicing inflation too, just less. </p>
<p>As far as social life goes, you’ll be fine as long as you don’t care about everyone being just as social as you. There’s a significant potion of the student body here that shares your idea of fun on a Friday night, and they’re helping to expand the presence of frats on campus. We’ve had several new frats open in the past few years. I would check out Sig Ep or Sigma Chi next time you’re on campus. They are two of the more popular frats here, and from what I know a lot their members do econ, CCIB, and Booth classes. </p>
<p>
Can’t really help you with this one. It really doesn’t matter what other people think, but that’s something you’ll have to resolve on your own. As a current student, though, I can confirm that most people at the U of C are not insecure about the perceived level of prestige. Take the other thread you saw with a few grains of salt. </p>
<p>You seem to realize that name recognition shouldn’t be an issue, which is a start, but please understand how presumptuous it sounds to be asking if you will “have to defend” UChicago’s reputation when you already recognize that there isn’t actually anything to defend. You haven’t even gotten in yet. 
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<p>A few things on Chicago itself: there isn’t a significant difference between the weather here and the weather at schools in the Northeast. If you really care about warmth then you might prefer Stanford. Then again, maybe it’s not that big of a deal after all. Hyde Park is in Chicago, not close to it, but it’s also easy to get downtown/around. You will not feel as though you’re in the “Midwest.”</p>
<p>I caaaaaaaanot believe that you, with your high grades and sat scores, you would use worlds like “reaaaaaaaaally”. But “really”, going to a college to impress your friends does not seem not a very good reason to do so. I am a rising freshman at Uchicago and one thing I observed from my application process is that one’s enjoyment of Uchicago would seem to be greatly improved by a genuine interest in learning, rather than a tendency to use education as a means for obtaining prestige or wealth. Perhaps that is something to be considered when applying.</p>
<p>I personally do not think there is anything wrong with colloquialism? I’m not writing my final exam paper or anything right now.</p>
<p>Also, I was trying to get some real advice.</p>
<p>While some people here are really trying to help me make a good decision, small portion of people here are just attacking me just because “I dared to doubt their great academia’s reputation.”</p>
<p>I like Chicago; but I am also part of “highschool applicants,” who could be concerned about every little aspect of any college.</p>
<p>I really expected more from this forum; yet some people are simply being pretentious (how dare you speak badly of my alma master) and obnoxious at the same time.</p>
<p>I really appreciate the majority of posts here. Thank you very much.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone was disrespecting you for your doubt about U Chicago’s reputation.</p>
<p>I think some people responded the way they did because they felt it was a hopeless case of a high school kid who could not get over the fact that a gas station attendant in middle of nowhere in Montana might not be wowed by the amazing school you are going to that befits the grades and scores you worked so hard for. </p>
<p>I agree with the majority opinion here. If it is so important for you to impress a gas station attendant and a grocery store cashier, you should pick a different school. U Chicago is an amazing academic institution, but so are 10 other peer schools. You will have no problem getting an amazing overall education, a great name value, fun time, the kind of social scene you look for, and a great econ department. Trust me: at an undergraduate level, the fame of a department does NOT matter that much. The reputation of a department in most prestigious universities rest on the graduate level activities. All in all, it will be a much safer choice with very little room for regrets if you attend another school. </p>
<p>I am saying this as someone who is very favorably impressed with U Chicago, and will support my close relative’s decision to apply enthusiastically. But, that relative is a very good fit for the school. I am not sure whether you and U Chicago are a good fit.</p>
<p>PS:
I have a friend whose kids are currently attending HYPSM schools. They told me that they don’t say which school they are going to when they meet other young people of their age, because they don’t want to create social distance, and they don’t want to color the perception of the people before they have a chance to get to know them as people.</p>
<p>Guys, I think we’ve strayed from the path and should avoid putting down the OP or nitpicking small things. Let’s stick to just offering advice on his decision as opposed to creating a negative image of UChicago students. If you think the OP should make a certain decision, please let him know in a respectful manner instead of making him feel like crap.</p>
<p>Sorry, I apologize for offending you when I commented about the way you used the word “reaaaaaaaally”. It was more of an failed attempt at a humorous poke than a serious criticism. I have a tendency to do such things sometimes in real life, but mostly to friends who know not to take me seriously. However, my advice about genuine enjoyment in learning still stands.</p>
<p>I only read your original post, but that was enough for me to agree with Blueash:</p>
<p>Please don’t apply, and if you do somehow manage to get in, please don’t come.</p>
<p>Not a very mature perspective …
OP do some internal soul searching</p>
<p>Hi everyone. I’ve been steadily communicating with the OP through PM’s. He is very excited to apply to the University of Chicago and has dealt with many of his worries. Based on what we’ve talked about, many of the worries you had about the OP can be erased. I think he will be an excellent applicant.</p>
<p>If number 3 is a legitimate concern, you don’t deserve to go to Chicago. </p>
<p>Sent from my HTC Glacier using CC</p>
<p>Yes people have different thoughts. Just because someone has different thoughts from yours, you cannot be hostile and acrimonious towards that person. If this is how you live your lives, I am deeply concerned that you befit many negative stereotypes of top institutions: academically phenomenal, but significantly lacking social skills.</p>
<p>I think it is very presumptuous of Murphy600 and tseliottt to judge my opinion, for there is actually a huge amount of people that share this concern.</p>
<p>I truly appreciate sa0209 and other people who actually gave me useful advices.</p>
<p>Yes my initial worries are mostly erased after communicating with some “real advisors” here.</p>
<p>The reason why I revealed my possibly amateur concerns here was because I believed UChicago students could help me get over them, not because I believed these students will attack me for doubting their great institution’s superiority.</p>
<p>Again, I believe people like Murphy600 or tseliottt are simply a minority at this school, because the impression I got from this college when I visited there threee times gave me something better to expect than presumptuous students telling others “you don’t deserve to go to UChicago.”</p>
<p>Well, I’ll tell you again: you don’t deserve to go to UChicago.</p>
<p>I was not stating you should not attend, but, rather was a bit astonished at your lack of appreciation for the gift of an incredible and diverse student body. The wide world will give you ample chance to hunker down with a homogeneous group. This is it! Appreciate, embrace and befriend a diverse group and you can become an amazing adult, open to different views, able to think, analyze…in essence what ALL diverse institutions re about. You cannot add as much if you immediately clique off nor can you gain.</p>
<p>Yes, I admitted that this entire name value thing is meaningless and superficial. But in some parts of the world, employers are stupid enough not to care about an applicant’s actual abilities, but to care about where he went. This is cold reality, and I had some initial concerns about my job placement after college. </p>
<p>I concluded that firms that wouldnt hire me just because I went to a lesser known college is not a great workplace to start with, and I should be thankful that I am not wasting 2-3 years of my life working at a company like that.</p>
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<p>Yes, this is an ability that I would really love to have. I am working very hard on my internal developments as well as academic developments.</p>
<p>thanks.</p>
<p>But it is definitely true that some people like HonorsCentaur has been too harsh with their words, not knowing what ramifications they can arouse.</p>
<p>do you really think I deserve</p>
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<p>for worrying about some superficial aspect of this college?</p>
<p>I was disappointed at their rather insolent responses.</p>
<p>OP:</p>
<p>You keep saying that you are disappointed by the responses of some posters here because you felt slighted by their dismissive tone. You take a position of a victim who was maligned. </p>
<p>You need to learn a little lesson on diplomacy. You started this thread with eye popping provocation: read the thread title. It’s actually quite provocative and offensive. You presented yourself as a provocateur. So, people responded in kind.</p>
<p>If your intention was genuinely to learn more about the school, get people’s help in overcoming your insecurity, and get current students/parents assurance, you need to modify your approach. Your initial post was that of people who come to a forum of a school where most posters are current students, alums, and parents who mostly love the school and feel proud of their school only to denigrate and insult the institution.</p>
<p>Imagine this. Suppose a young man tells her girlfriend “Honey, I like you, but no way I will introduce you to my folks. I am too ashamed of you. Now tell me why I shouldn’t feel this way. Prove me wrong”. how do you think most young women will react to this? Any self respecting woman with a two penny’s worth of self respect will tell the offensive dude to take a hike. </p>
<p>In essence, this is what happened on this thread. Before you accuse the posters for being closed minded and offensive who victimized you by treating you rudely, think about how disrespectful your initial post was: starting with the title of the thread itself.</p>
<p>Learn how to communicate. Same sentiments can be expressed in such a way to elicit helpful advice or derision. In your case, the kind of replies you see are byproducts of the way you expressed yourself.</p>