University of Chicago and Washington U. in St. Louis

[Anonymous]

Looking for input on University of Chicago and Washington U. in St. Louis...

[Anonymous]

Are you jewish? then Wash U

[Anonymous]

My opinions on this are 20 years out of date, but I think U of C is a much better school academically. Wash U might be more fun.

I've never been to St. Louis, but I think it would be hard to beat Chicago as a city, even though Hyde Park is not the liveliest part of town.

[Anonymous]

Like intense people and cold weather? Then U of Chicago.

[Anonymous]

When I went to Hopkins a million years ago, Chicago, JHU, and the Naval Academy kept vying for the title of "least fun school."

[Anonymous]

What information are you looking for? (asks a non-jewish alumn of Wash U)

[Anonymous]

Chicago all the way if your kid is a complete nerd, hopes to have dorky friends and doesn't want a social life at college.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, if a kid is very academically focused, University of Chicago can be great. It just doesn't provide a typical undergraduate experience, compared even to other urban schools like Columbia, Boston University, Georgetown or GW. The graduate schools are very much the focus there, and the school attracts undergraduates who are eccentric and march to their own beat.

Washington U's academic reputation has improved enormously over the past two decades, and St. Louis is an underrated mid-sized city. Are there as many brilliant people walking around as in Hyde Park? No. But, for most undergraduates, it's a far more inviting place to spend four years.

[Anonymous]

Apparently the University of Chicago has a club that brings puppies and kittens to students for them to cuddle during exam time. I like that whimsy!

[Anonymous]

Is it a club for strange, entitled, coddled adults? Sadly, I don't think they are alone in this "idea". Maybe in a few years, someone will bring puppies and kittens to cuddle at work before a big project is due. Never say never though. You can rent actors to pretend to be family members and spend time with you because your family don't care to. For real. Too much money here. Give some of it to needy countries and people.

[Anonymous]

What the others have said. From Chicago originally and went to Northwestern. U of C is great for grad and academically great at the undergrad level but is a very odd place. Wash U, while not on the same academic level as U of C, is a much better environment for college kids.

[Anonymous]

What other schools are you considering?

[Anonymous]

My oldest son, now a rising college junior, chose Penn over UofC 2 years ago and it was a very tough decision. He is totally not a nerdy kid (kinda preppry, a varsity athelete and a frat bro), but is very intellectually curious and loved that Chicago emphasizes big ideas across the spectrum of liberal arts education. Three of my son's high school classmates went on to UofC and I wouldn't characterize any of them as nerdy, but they are engaged learners. We will definitely be looking at the school for our middle son who's a rising h.s. senior.

Possibly the PPs who characterized Chicago as nerdy haven't had recent experience with the school. If so, they might not be aware that it has made a significant shift in focus in its admissions strategy, adopting the common app in a successful effort to broaden its applicant pool and confronting the "where fun goes to die" image head on -- while also embracing it in an ironic and whimsical way. They might not have big-time football and tailgating, but the kids do have fun. One example that my son's classmate told us about is an annual scavenger hunt, which includes a challenge to bring a Delorean to campus -- because several UofC alums own DeLoreans.

[Anonymous]

Of course your son's friends like Chicago because they go there and obviously must somehow fit there. Their efforts to expand admissions is like how Berkeley tries to pretend they are liberal, open and accepting when really they are conservative, elitist and judgmental at core.

[Anonymous]

U of C opens doors to serious grad school options. That's why folks choose it. Pretty good grad school options enough for you, then consider Wash U. Professor's views of schools set at the time they graduated, so trail 20-25 years behind whatever is actually happening on the ground today. Big pond or not as big a pond. Good luck to the fish whichever they choose.