Reply to What do people consider the most prestigious college in the Midwest?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]U. Chicago is a weirdly divisive subject. I don’t get it. [/quote]

It’s a reflection of the deep ambivalence in the US re whether “elite” colleges are those that educate the richest or the smartest kids.  Ironically, this polarization is happening as Chicago becomes richer (and Princeton becomes smarter, and Harvard becomes more economically diverse while Stanford has become both richer and smarter).  Basically, at least in terms of admissions, there’s a lot of convergence now among schools that were originally developed on very different models.[/quote]

Top colleges have cachet because parents want their kids mixing with rich and connected peers. And rich and connected families donate the most. Chicago’s endowment is relatively low and the student body is too poor and middle class to have the elite cachet its top 20 Midwest peers Notre Dame and Northwestern enjoy. Even huge public Michigan has a far wealthier student body.

Your argument is UChicago is recruiting smart poorer kids by choice? Doubtful. It’s because rich smart kids target schools with elite cachet and rich peer student body. Now if you think UChicago’s recruiting philosophy is better, where’s the proof? Show us outcomes that recruiting more poorer smart kids leads to superior graduate outcomes. Spoiler: it doesn’t.[/quote]

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