For me it wouldn't be a question--Chicago for the academics and the ED boost. And Chicago is a fun city, arguably more fun than DC. All this provided DC is okay with Chicago's intensity, including the quarter system.

Another vote for Chicago
Unlikely admit REA GU — he’ll probably be deferred

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago for Econ no doubt.

Georgetown doesn't have a good program. There business school is .. okay, but very pre-pro. Georgetown is really only great for SFS at the moment.

Georgetown business program ranks very highly.

What business program isn’t pre-pro?

just saying depending on what kind of Econ the kid wants, the GU program is either for him or not. Their business school is good, but it's a business school.

Anonymous wrote:Chicago for Econ no doubt.

Georgetown doesn't have a good program. There business school is .. okay, but very pre-pro. Georgetown is really only great for SFS at the moment.

Georgetown business program ranks very highly.

What business program isn’t pre-pro?

Chicago for Econ no doubt.

Georgetown doesn't have a good program. There business school is .. okay, but very pre-pro. Georgetown is really only great for SFS at the moment.

Anonymous wrote:They both need money. Badly.

I agree. If full pay, you're in the driver's seat with those stats. Both schools are under financial strains, and rich kids that are paying the full nut are part of the solution. Sad but true.

Your could REA Georgetown and EA Chicago. ED2 to Chicago as the backup plan. Georgetown is one of the REA plans that allow EA to other privates I believe.

But you pretty much have ED to Chicago based on their recent history to have a decent shot

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he loves both, he should try for the ED for Chicago, that will be a much easier admit than Georgetown (not that it will be easy). Georgetown's admit rate is extremely low for RE and RD. If it was on the Common App, it would be in the low single digits. I personally Chicago is just stutlifyingly boring with real nerdy strivers, where Georgetown has a greater variety of students and is a bit more grounded. (Yes, I have a kid at Georgetown, and didn't think any of this about Georgetown until I learned about it and experienced it). I have a nephew at Chicago and while I know it less well, I think my perception is pretty accurate.

OP - I actually didn't see UC (DS visited with some friends), but of course everyone's heard the old trope about where fun goes to die. The challenge is that there's been no other schools other than GU that he liked as much as UC (except for Penn, which is a waste of an ED spot since he'll never get in). So...should he let UC go altogether and see where RD takes him? Or apply ED to Chicago and if he gets in, it was meant to be and he'll just have to be the king of nerds....

the nerd thing is so dated. it's not an easy school tho, that's for real.

They both need money. Badly.

I went to both (A long time ago) and have toured both recently. My kids went to a jesuit HS that feeds into GU.

a 1560 will likely get him into Georgetown (they love NY kids and test scores), and ED will get him into UChicago. Neither a sure thing, but both pretty likely. McDonough is less of a sure thing.

Econ is better at UChicago, there's no doubt. It's world class. It's a far more beautiful campus. But it's a much harder school too. It has more socio economic diversity than GU, which is stuck with an 80s era barbell curve. There are nerds, but not all nerds by a very long shot.

Chicago has a quasi-house system. The RAs have real budgets and the kids as a floor go to Cubs games, etc. It's a pretty good system that stretches for years. The food is good (GU is borderline bad). They have a great arts/theater/comedy culture that a lot of kids are involved in. But there will be issues flying in/out over Christmas at least once in his four years there. Chicago is a super fun town. The safety concerns are real but for NY kids, they get how to manage that.

GU is a train ride away, which is great. Mostly happy kids. Lots of internships. DC is less fun town (IMO), but a great starter city for post grad if he wants to do any kind of gov work.

My take: Chicago.

ED Chicago

Anonymous wrote:If he loves both, he should try for the ED for Chicago, that will be a much easier admit than Georgetown (not that it will be easy). Georgetown's admit rate is extremely low for RE and RD. If it was on the Common App, it would be in the low single digits. I personally Chicago is just stutlifyingly boring with real nerdy strivers, where Georgetown has a greater variety of students and is a bit more grounded. (Yes, I have a kid at Georgetown, and didn't think any of this about Georgetown until I learned about it and experienced it). I have a nephew at Chicago and while I know it less well, I think my perception is pretty accurate.

OP - I actually didn't see UC (DS visited with some friends), but of course everyone's heard the old trope about where fun goes to die. The challenge is that there's been no other schools other than GU that he liked as much as UC (except for Penn, which is a waste of an ED spot since he'll never get in). So...should he let UC go altogether and see where RD takes him? Or apply ED to Chicago and if he gets in, it was meant to be and he'll just have to be the king of nerds....

UChicago, for all its warts, is a real university. GU is a school of foreign service and a business school with the liberal arts only hanging on as a vestigial appendage.

If he loves both, he should try for the ED for Chicago, that will be a much easier admit than Georgetown (not that it will be easy). Georgetown's admit rate is extremely low for RE and RD. If it was on the Common App, it would be in the low single digits. I personally Chicago is just stutlifyingly boring with real nerdy strivers, where Georgetown has a greater variety of students and is a bit more grounded. (Yes, I have a kid at Georgetown, and didn't think any of this about Georgetown until I learned about it and experienced it). I have a nephew at Chicago and while I know it less well, I think my perception is pretty accurate.

I know these are REALLY different schools! DS is struggling which one to apply REA/ED. There are things he loves about both - Chicago for the academics, and Georgetown for the location and fun (not saying GU doesn't have great academics - of course it does - but as a likely econ major, the star power of UC appeals to him). He isn't sure what he wants to do with his life, thinks he will be looking for internships "in business," whatever that means.

One confusing factor is that there isn't an acceptance boost for GU REA, whereas UC is ED or bust.

Any advice? Oh, final factor, we are in NYC, so neither school is very close, but both are a relatively short train or plane ride. Obviously the weather in Chicago sucks, but he doesn't seem bothered by the cold.

He has strong stats (3.9 uw/1560) but no big hook. Both these schools are a reach, but I don't see a reason NOT to reach for ED...we have plenty of safeties in the RD list, including state options.