Is Chicago as hard to get into as Northwestern?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if you'll get the head on comparison; they attract very different types if you know the schools and are truly thinking about fit. Who would be applying to both? Northwestern reads more normal and preprofessional. Chicago is intense and intellectual, with many on path to PhDs. So the admissions rate of Chicago is lower, but the pools are different.

Northwestern = Slytherin

Chicago = Ravenclaw

LOL, what? I went to NU* years ago, and it feels like Hufflepuff coming from the East Coast. Nowhere in the Midwest is Slytherin.

*It's NU, not NW. The fact that a PP claiming to be from Chicagoland calls it "NW" makes me think they're not actually from that area. FWIW, I applied to both NU and UChicago back in the day. UChicago recruited me hard (postcards, had a random student call to ask if I had questions), NU didn't. Loved NU.

I am not from the area or either school (although dc applied to NW) and I refer to it as NW bc too confusing with NUE=Northeastern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if you'll get the head on comparison; they attract very different types if you know the schools and are truly thinking about fit. Who would be applying to both? Northwestern reads more normal and preprofessional. Chicago is intense and intellectual, with many on path to PhDs. So the admissions rate of Chicago is lower, but the pools are different.

Northwestern = Slytherin

Chicago = Ravenclaw

LOL, what? I went to NU* years ago, and it feels like Hufflepuff coming from the East Coast. Nowhere in the Midwest is Slytherin.

*It's NU, not NW. The fact that a PP claiming to be from Chicagoland calls it "NW" makes me think they're not actually from that area. FWIW, I applied to both NU and UChicago back in the day. UChicago recruited me hard (postcards, had a random student call to ask if I had questions), NU didn't. Loved NU.

I am not from the area or either school (although dc applied to NW) and I refer to it as NW bc too confusing with NUE=Northeastern.

Okay? Just know that no one will understand what you're referring to when you say NW.

[Anonymous]

I'm from greater Chicagoland and had no idea if it's NW or NU. I didn't go there and really haven't ever interacted with the university.

[Anonymous]

Regardless of whether it is easier or harder to get in, U of Chicago is a far better school in almost all aspects and has a better reputation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if you'll get the head on comparison; they attract very different types if you know the schools and are truly thinking about fit. Who would be applying to both? Northwestern reads more normal and preprofessional. Chicago is intense and intellectual, with many on path to PhDs. So the admissions rate of Chicago is lower, but the pools are different.

Northwestern = Slytherin

Chicago = Ravenclaw

LOL, what? I went to NU* years ago, and it feels like Hufflepuff coming from the East Coast. Nowhere in the Midwest is Slytherin.

*It's NU, not NW. The fact that a PP claiming to be from Chicagoland calls it "NW" makes me think they're not actually from that area. FWIW, I applied to both NU and UChicago back in the day. UChicago recruited me hard (postcards, had a random student call to ask if I had questions), NU didn't. Loved NU.

I’m that PP and yes, I did hesitate for like two seconds before typing NW but whatever. I didn’t go there nor did I know anyone who went there at the time, so idk what the proper nickname is. Chicago is called all sorts of things including UIC (in error), UChicago, U of C, etc. Should I tell you my favorite restaurant on Devon to prove I was born and raised in Chicago? It was Arya Bhavan, but I digress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regardless of whether it is easier or harder to get in, U of Chicago is a far better school in almost all aspects and has a better reputation.

I went to grad school at Northwestern and hated the place.

But I think the real answer here is that they’re both fine schools, they’re both absurdly selective, and they have different markets. Northwestern is for a bright kid who wants a Big 10 school experience and may not be all that excited about Plato. UChicago has traditionally been for the kind of kid who really looks forward to reading and discussing great works of literature.

Northwestern may have a lower marketing-intensity-adjusted admission rate, just because it appeals to a more common kind of kid. That kid might be just as bright as the UChicago kid, or even brighter, but, on average, will come off as less wonky.

But, just because the city of Chicago is so gung-ho about toughness, the wonkiest UChicago people might be more likely to drink beer and change their own oil than they wonkiest people at Yale or Columbia.

[Anonymous]

https://www.highereddatastories.com/2022/01/yes-your-yield-rate-is-still-falling-v.html

For most of the 2000s Chicago had a higher acceptance rate than Northwestern, then it started dropping in the 2010s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regardless of whether it is easier or harder to get in, U of Chicago is a far better school in almost all aspects and has a better reputation.

There’s the UChicago kool-aid/marketing doing it’s work! Both are world-class schools.

[Anonymous]

It's silly to suggest that any school in this tier is "far better" than another school. Better? Maybe, maybe not, and probably in the eye of the beholder. But we are talking about small distinctions here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's silly to suggest that any school in this tier is "far better" than another school. Better? Maybe, maybe not, and probably in the eye of the beholder. But we are talking about small distinctions here.

Well, that’s another thing about UChicago for you. You will undoubtedly adopt the biggest chip on your shoulder, almost as a rite of passage. There is an intense, perverse brand of pretentiousness that permeates that campus and the student body, both undergrad and graduate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know but my kid got 10000 cards from Chicago to go

Yes, very irritating. My kid got a letter inviting her to apply. She did EA and was rejected.

I think it's UC's way of increasing their applicant pool so they look more selective.

DD has high stats, but not tippy top (the term one annoying DCUM poster likes to use).

Why do they do this? it's so mean to the kids who get these letters. Makes me glad she didn't get in because I wouldn't want her to go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know but my kid got 10000 cards from Chicago to go

Yes, very irritating. My kid got a letter inviting her to apply. She did EA and was rejected.

I think it's UC's way of increasing their applicant pool so they look more selective.

DD has high stats, but not tippy top (the term one annoying DCUM poster likes to use).

Why do they do this? it's so mean to the kids who get these letters. Makes me glad she didn't get in because I wouldn't want her to go there.

Agree. My kid knew what was up and laughed every time she got something from them. The one $25 catalog from Yale was much more flattering. She didn’t apply to either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's silly to suggest that any school in this tier is "far better" than another school. Better? Maybe, maybe not, and probably in the eye of the beholder. But we are talking about small distinctions here.

Well, that’s another thing about UChicago for you. You will undoubtedly adopt the biggest chip on your shoulder, almost as a rite of passage. There is an intense, perverse brand of pretentiousness that permeates that campus and the student body, both undergrad and graduate.

Nailed it. I have a nephew there. Great kid and also obnoxiously pretentious even in high school. It was a perfect fit.

[Anonymous]

Sure you did. And you told all your many friends about him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How so?

Speaking in stereotypes of course, and there are plenty of exceptions to the rule, but Chicago tends to attract kids who are intensely nerdy, and take pride in it almost to a fault. It's a very dark, intense, intellectual, borderline sadomasochistic experience, but that also comes with its own brand of specialness. Northwestern tends to attract kids who are a bit more "normal", seeking a bit more of a normal college experience, who excel in the classroom but are also equally invested in their extracurriculars and try to have a social life. Both kids will end up very successful, but perhaps in different ways.

Lol.. Chicago is nothing like this. Not anymore. The big difference is the core vs no core. Evanston vs Hyde Park and nonwoke vs woke Administration. There are tons of finance, consulting and tech types in Chicago, followed by large number of pre-meds. Very pre-professional now. Almost to a fault. They have very strong Div 3 athletics, specially in women's soccer, tennis etc.

Oh BS — my kid is a recent grad and Chicago is exactly like this. (And I’m not the PP).

No her is not. That you don't know this basic thing about the school, tells me your kid s not or he/she rarely talks to you. And thus you have no idea