UChicago vs. Northwestern

[Anonymous]

U of C alum here. It is not a Big 10 school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Big Ten Midwestern schools. Chicago is more purely intellectual.

Chicago is not a Big Ten school.

And NU is Big Ten, but really quite an oddity among the Big Ten in that it is private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UChicago left the Big 10 in 1946. It has < 6k undergrads and a 5:1 student:faculty ratio. It's more like a top Ivy than a Big Ten school in terms of demographics and reputation.

That said, Northwestern isn't a typical Big Ten either (smaller, private). More like UPenn than Penn State.

At least for undergraduates, UChicago is definitely not like a top Ivy in terms of demographics or reputation. It's more like a cross between Oberlin and Brown (lesser Ivy).

Chicago most definitely is similar to a top Ivy in terms of reputation, if you're talking about a highly ranked, challenging educational experience. It's one of the top 20 schools worldwide in numerous rankings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) would be "almost" equivalent to the University of Chicago (Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago) ONLY IF your child either:

(1) knows with certainty that they want to major in journalism or theater (as Northwestern has very strong programs in those areas);

or (2) your child knows with certainty that they plan to remain in the Chicago area for the rest of their lives, and have their careers there (as Chicagoans view and regard both those "hometown" Universities favorably).

Otherwise, the University of Chicago is a much better university than Northwestern University, much more highly regarded by academics and employers alike.

Re #2. I took DC to tour Northwestern last fall and every local we encountered who asked why we were in Chicago (e.g. cab driver/prof/kid her own age/waiter) responded by saying "You've got to visit U of C. Northwestern is a good school, but U of C is a great school. It's world-renowned!"

I am a third generation native Chicagoan who lived there for 30 years and I have a hard time believing this. Both are exceptionally well-regarded in Chicago, but differently regarded.

I'm a lifelong Chicagoan/Chicagolander and I have to chime in as well. I find this story very hard to believe. Northwestern and Uchicago are both highly regarded in the region. Uchicago has done a phenomenal job in the last decade or so of really ramping up the reputation, mostly by playing the rankings game -- nothing wrong with that per se. It might sound completely unfeasible to outsiders, but it was not at all uncommon for Chicagoans to not even know the existence of Uchicago (or frequently confuse it for UIC, the Chicago campus of University of Illinois). Knowing that makes this anecdote even more dubious.

[Anonymous]

It happened. You don’t have it believe it. Nor do you have to think it’s relevant (cab driver, waiter, kid DC’s own age are highly unlikely to be making decisions about your kid’s future (much less based primarily on which Chicago school s/he attended) and prof is old enough he won’t be either, unless your DC ended up where he teaches which is neither of the above). Plus your kid shouldn’t be making decisions about where to apply based on the views of random strangers.

But, while, yes, Chicagoans think highly of both schools — the ones we encountered did not think of the schools as equals and volunteered that fact without us asking (or saying anything at all about UofC). YMMV, but I really hate the DCUM knee jerk reaction of claiming that any experience that differs from their own must be a fabrication.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It happened. You don’t have it believe it. Nor do you have to think it’s relevant (cab driver, waiter, kid DC’s own age are highly unlikely to be making decisions about your kid’s future (much less based primarily on which Chicago school s/he attended) and prof is old enough he won’t be either, unless your DC ended up where he teaches which is neither of the above). Plus your kid shouldn’t be making decisions about where to apply based on the views of random strangers.

But, while, yes, Chicagoans think highly of both schools — the ones we encountered did not think of the schools as equals and volunteered that fact without us asking (or saying anything at all about UofC). YMMV, but I really hate the DCUM knee jerk reaction of claiming that any experience that differs from their own must be a fabrication.

Np here. Weird anecdote that is not particularly relevant. They are both highly regarded schools but very different in culture

[Anonymous]

Northwestern is sort of like Penn. More like a regular undergrad experience than U of C, but still has a high percentage of super smart, motivated high achieving kids. They are just more typical/socially normative than the U of C undergrads. They really aren't comparable - IDK anyone who was like, hmm, toss up, NU or Chicago. So - definitely visit and spend a lot of time researching. One will become the clear frontrunner pretty quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern is sort of like Penn. More like a regular undergrad experience than U of C, but still has a high percentage of super smart, motivated high achieving kids. They are just more typical/socially normative than the U of C undergrads. They really aren't comparable - IDK anyone who was like, hmm, toss up, NU or Chicago. So - definitely visit and spend a lot of time researching. One will become the clear frontrunner pretty quickly.

NP and Northwestern grad who had friends at U of C as well. This post is correct. The cultures and experiences are quite different and any student considering both should visit if at all possible (I know, covid....) and do plenty of research into the majors in which the student is interested. DCUM college threads are way too invested in prestige and not nearly invested enough in encouraging students to look at colleges' academic offerings and majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UChicago left the Big 10 in 1946. It has < 6k undergrads and a 5:1 student:faculty ratio. It's more like a top Ivy than a Big Ten school in terms of demographics and reputation.

That said, Northwestern isn't a typical Big Ten either (smaller, private). More like UPenn than Penn State.

At least for undergraduates, UChicago is definitely not like a top Ivy in terms of demographics or reputation. It's more like a cross between Oberlin and Brown (lesser Ivy).

Strongly disagree

They are both wonderful schools. I'd say your DC should apply to NU if they want the typical college experience, and Chicago if they are interested in the urban/more independent/quirky thing.

Don't even know if this is accurate but I always think of NU as more liberal arts types and Chicago more as STEM/econ types.
Meghan Markle vs. Milton Friedman, if you will. LOL.

[Anonymous]

U of C has a south side feel to it. Northwestern is on the north side and in the suburbs. It matters in how the schools feel- who are the secretaries and janitors and the general vibe. Agree that Northwestern is more pre-professional. Chicago is likely to be confused with UIC and they don’t care. Life of the mind down there. A bit of a disdain for the preprofessional thing. I have a DD who is applying (reach) to Northwestern and a DD who would be a perfect fit for Chicago.

[Anonymous]

Check the crime reports. Those Maroons have had some pesky random paintball attacks of late.
NU has had some dorm invaders pop in from Sheridan Rd.
I think it's easier to get to the best parts of Chicago from Evanston Purple Line El than Hyde Park.
U of C is more for grad or professional school IMO. NU would have the more traditional overall college experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UChicago left the Big 10 in 1946. It has < 6k undergrads and a 5:1 student:faculty ratio. It's more like a top Ivy than a Big Ten school in terms of demographics and reputation.

That said, Northwestern isn't a typical Big Ten either (smaller, private). More like UPenn than Penn State.

At least for undergraduates, UChicago is definitely not like a top Ivy in terms of demographics or reputation. It's more like a cross between Oberlin and Brown (lesser Ivy).

Strongly disagree

They are both wonderful schools. I'd say your DC should apply to NU if they want the typical college experience, and Chicago if they are interested in the urban/more independent/quirky thing.

Don't even know if this is accurate but I always think of NU as more liberal arts types and Chicago more as STEM/econ types.
Meghan Markle vs. Milton Friedman, if you will. LOL.

Chicago might be better for economics, but Northwestern better for typical STEM programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UChicago left the Big 10 in 1946. It has < 6k undergrads and a 5:1 student:faculty ratio. It's more like a top Ivy than a Big Ten school in terms of demographics and reputation.

That said, Northwestern isn't a typical Big Ten either (smaller, private). More like UPenn than Penn State.

At least for undergraduates, UChicago is definitely not like a top Ivy in terms of demographics or reputation. It's more like a cross between Oberlin and Brown (lesser Ivy).

Strongly disagree

They are both wonderful schools. I'd say your DC should apply to NU if they want the typical college experience, and Chicago if they are interested in the urban/more independent/quirky thing.

Don't even know if this is accurate but I always think of NU as more liberal arts types and Chicago more as STEM/econ types.
Meghan Markle vs. Milton Friedman, if you will. LOL.

Chicago might be better for economics, but Northwestern better for typical STEM programs.

You probably never heard about Fermi lab, or "Stone Age" that are associated with Chicago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It happened. You don’t have it believe it. Nor do you have to think it’s relevant (cab driver, waiter, kid DC’s own age are highly unlikely to be making decisions about your kid’s future (much less based primarily on which Chicago school s/he attended) and prof is old enough he won’t be either, unless your DC ended up where he teaches which is neither of the above). Plus your kid shouldn’t be making decisions about where to apply based on the views of random strangers.

But, while, yes, Chicagoans think highly of both schools — the ones we encountered did not think of the schools as equals and volunteered that fact without us asking (or saying anything at all about UofC). YMMV, but I really hate the DCUM knee jerk reaction of claiming that any experience that differs from their own must be a fabrication.

That's fair. I'm just saying that your experience would be atypical. They are seen as peer institutions by the vast majority of people in the region, and perhaps more importantly, by the schools themselves. The elitist/overtly pretentious tendency of people to constantly bring up how they feel UChicago is leagues better than NU is simply misguided and quite frankly a bit off-putting and reeks of insecurity. You see it all the time on online message boards like these.

[Anonymous]

University of Chicago is a friendlier community than Northwestern. Students are equally smart, but Chicago students are nicer