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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Is private Chicago worth the premium?[/quote]

I think that Chicago is more for a prodigy who was reading almanacs, dictionaries and encyclopedias at some point. For that kid, going to Chicago might be the only chance to be around similar people. Paying for Chicago for that kid, if possible, is worth it, because going there may be the kid’s only chance to learn how to talk in situations in which dumbing down is not necessary. Going to a place like Chicago or Cal Tech is important to that’s kid development.

Going to Chicago might also be good for normal bright kids who want to go into research.

UVA is probably better for most bright kids who aren’t sure they want to become researchers. [/quote]

This post describes my humanities child and my exact concerns and thoughts. That said, DC also has trouble with a pressure cooker environment. Someone here described the U of C that way. Do others agree? I know it can be for a number of majors but is it necessarily stressful for all kids. DC is the hyperintellectual/high verbal ability but disorganized/absent-minded professor type. [/quote]

The problem is folks here are not consistent. If the quarter system is an issue then every school with a quarter system becomes an issue. Stanford, Northwestern, Dartmouth, and many many more. Clearly the quarter system is a red herring. It is used against some schools but I am sure people will crawl thru shit to get their kids into Stanford. So what is it that makes Chicago stand out? Well it is one of the few schools left in the elite list that actually expects you to be a student and actually study. It is definitely not a "Grade deflated school". That is laughable, but it is also not a "Grade inflated school". If you go there and decide to goof off, you are going to make bad grades. If you don't do your assignments or reading or just try to skate by, you are going to get bad grades. If you are going to binge drink (and trust me, you are do that at Chicago, people you tell you, you can't are clueless about how the school has changed in the last 10 years) and go off the rails, your grade is going to suffer. But if you work conscientiously,  you will do fine. The problem is, most people nowadays think work conscientiously is "being a grind". This is college people, not a vacation. You are supposed to work and gain knowledge.

So it all depends on your philosophy. If you want your kid to get a real education, where teachers don't hand out A's like candy and do justice to the "astronomical tuition" that any private college charges, then Chicago may be right for you.  But if you want your kid to just get a branded degree, don't care or want them to actually expend effort in learning the material, then don't send them here. They will be miserable. BTW, I don't think the school gives a rat's ass. They are finding enough of the kids they want and don't care about others. With a 5.9% admit rate, they don't have to compromise on the kids they take. In fact, I think they are pretty good at cherry picking the kids that actually are not skaters. [/quote]

Hyperintellectual kids often [b]don’t need whip-cracking to learn[/b].  And, in fact, fear of the lash may get in the way of them doing their best work/learning
as much as they can.  There’s a difference between kids who would binge-drink and those who[b] would binge-read[/b] if they weren’t under constant pressure to perform.

And, no, you don’t have to think quarter system is bad everywhere to believe that it’s a real downside to UChicago.  [/quote]

Not sure what you mean by whip cracking, but I don't view refusing to hand out A's for just showing up to class and warming the seat as "whip cracking". While grades are not everything, a professor who gives 50% to 70% of the class "A"'s is not doing students any favors. I expect professors to be mindful that some students are better engaged and more conscientious than other kids. Grade socialism is a terrible signal to send to the earnest student just like "Income Socialism" is a terrible message to send to entrepreneurs and innovative citizens.  This "everybody is special" mindset and trying to "land on equal outcomes" is a terrible idea and is not how the real world operates.

As far as binge reading reference, there is no causal effect between "accurate grading" and "constant pressure to perform". That is a false narrative. Students at Chicago take 3-4 courses a quarter. That is about 9 to 12 hours of class time. I fully expect kids to spend around 50 hours (including class time) a week on academics when they are in school, irrespective of what grade they earn. They are there to study, not to goof off. That leaves plenty of time to pursue interests and other activities if you manage your time well and prioritize intelligently. Kids who want to just spend 12-20 hrs a week on academics, including class time should not attend Chicago. They should go elsewhere. [/quote]

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