<p>CNI, i was wondering why you choosing duke over uchicago. I am in the same position. I know that it is a personal decision and whatnot, I'm really torn right now. I didn't think I would tho, considering the very different atmospheres and experiences that the two provide...
and what does 10 chars mean?</p>
<p>10 chars is used to extend your post long enough to be allowed on CC...which is 10 characters-alphanumeric.</p>
<p>anyway, what are your pro's and con's for each school, it could help make recommendations.</p>
<p>Well, first off, Duke gave me more money, which was the main reason for my decision. In addition, my family income is increasing a substantial amount next year (and our assets are also increasing), because my dad took the year off, and I've received much better estimates from Duke than I have from Chicago. </p>
<p>Second, however, I just didn't feel like I was a fit at Chicago. I really really really loved the school, and after having been deferred and later admitted, I was ecstatic. However, it really boiled down to the other people at chicago. I really liked the social scene at Duke, and it was a lot closer to my house. In addition, I would advise you to pay close attention to each school's respective facebook group, as I could tell a lot about the students going to those schools by just reading some of the things they talked about.</p>
<p>What about Chicago's facebook group drove you away?</p>
<p>Everyone was like, idolizing this one kid.. It was really weird, but you get the idea..</p>
<p>Oh , and I also noticed a lot of arrogant intellectuals</p>
<p>Oh lol, I know who you're talking about. But you walked in at a bad time; it wasn't idolatry as much as it was a joke. As for arrogant intellectuals, I'm not sure who you're talking about.</p>
<p>For me I'm deciding between UChicago and Harvey-Mudd College.
UChicago will cost about 21k per year, and HMC will cost about 16k per year.</p>
<p>Im leaning towards UChicago, but I haven't decided quite yet.</p>
<p>Unalove, what makes Yale the third on your list? I'm surprised to see it that high.</p>
<p>I enjoyed my visit to uchicago and thought I was able to see myself there. When I visited duke, I liked it but I didn't feel like I clicked the same way I did at chicago. I also didn't like how big greek life is at duke. I thought when I visited duke, that I would either love it or hate it considering my other option but it was neither. Another thing that I've been thinking about is how long I was at duke. I was there for three days(bsai) versus 1 and 1/2 at chicago in october. I've tried to visit chicago again so I have a better idea of what its like but I can't. I'm just worried that my image of the school is distorted because it was a while ago and I wasn't there as long. I think my image of duke is distorted because I feel like my visit didn't give an accurate representation of how it is to be at duke. Duke is also cheaper for my family but my parents say that I can go to either oneif I know I want to go to chicago, other relatives slightly pressuring me to choose duke b/c they don't understand why I would pass it up to go somewhere more expensive they never heard of....
My family also expects an income hike next year, but it would only be for one year so I'm trying to not let that be a huge deciding factor...
chicago>durham
duke weather>chicago weather
* I know that I probably have several typing mistakes in this so please bear with me...</p>
<p>@genius, all I'll recommend is that you try not to pick a college because your relatives havent "heard of it". Choose the best fit, and it it's Duke, then have a great 4 years in Durham.</p>
<p>how long do you think it will take for max p to be full?</p>
<p>probably very soon if not already. send in the deposit now and refund it before may 1st? if you end up choosing duke.</p>
<p>^^ I doubt max fills up that fast. But then again, how am I supposed to know.</p>
<p>Referring back to blindkite's q:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Unalove, what makes Yale the third on your list? I'm surprised to see it that high.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I think Yale's a really nice place to be, and my party-oriented friends seem to like it as much as my study-oriented friends. I wouldn't choose it over Chicago, though, because I think I click with the Chicago personality much better, and Chicago had more of what I wanted in a school. That's a very vague answer, I know, but I think it's because Chicago and Yale are comparable on some levels, at least in my mind.</p>
<p>The kicker for me was when somebody close to me, a Yale graduate, told me she thought I was making the right decision for myself when I explained that I thought I would be happier at a school like Chicago.</p>
<p>I actually applied to Yale (with some parental pressure). And I got admitted, but I haven't told anyone, and I've already said no. I don't like the school, and I forgot to apply for financial aid. Whoops.</p>
<p>Right now it's really between Chicago and Amherst for me, I think. (Maybe Berkeley for linguistics.)</p>
<p>Except I expect a lot more financial aid from Amherst, and that may be a deciding factor. Neither packages have come yet, though Rice has offered a lot, which still keeps it a contender.</p>
<p>Also, someone told me to stay away from Max P--they said it was exactly like high school there, which is funny.</p>
<p>Also, I registered for the 10-11 overnight stay program, but I never received any confirmation. Should I have? I really hope the request was processed, since plane tickets have been bought and everything.</p>
<p>No I didn't receive a confirmation. But for sake of assurance, go on the site and register again. I'm pretty sure you still can.</p>
<p>Wow! I checked yesterday, and I swear it said the registration deadline had passed. But I'm very glad it has not. Thanks!</p>
<p>Oh wait, maybe it has lol</p>
<p>More for the OP:</p>
<p>I can give you information on people I know at Chicago and other schools they considered seriously.</p>
<p>While it's not the most obvious overlap, a lot of my friends were stuck between Chicago and Michigan. Michigan's in-state costs and its strong academic programs make it difficult to turn down.</p>
<p>Some of my friends turned down HYPSM for Chicago. The vast majority are math/physics/econ/comp sci people... my impression is that they end up coming here because they either have good friends here already, or they want to take classes with Paul Sally. Some of them just shrug off the other schools. I don't know the exact method to their madness.</p>
<p>One of my best friends turned down Brown for Chicago. Why? It had something to do with our library and the magazine and periodical reading room :-)</p>
<p>Some friends turned down liberal arts colleges for Chicago (Amherst, Williams, Swat, Carleton, etc.) the primary reason they usually give for turning down these schools is that they preferred the university format to the LAC one, or that they preferred urban to rural.</p>
<p>Other friends had tough choices between schools like Georgetown, WashU, Northwestern, Penn, Cornell, and the other "usual suspects." I think most of them ended up feeling that they wanted a kind of experience they felt Chicago could offer, and that they wanted to be challenged academically and that the beering and boozing aspects of college, while important, weren't good enough elsewhere to compensate.</p>
<p>
[quote]
or they want to take classes with Paul Sally
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Hahahahaha. Yeah. I have Paul Sally this quarter. Oh god, please give Ryzhik back .</p>