<p>SB, fully agree with your last paragraph. </p>
<p>The fact is that a bright, motivated, driven kid can do very well at a good State U. The big difference is in the bright kid who may, if not ‘forced’ by circumstance, choose to take perhaps the easier road that is available at State U, but not at Chicago.</p>
<p>That latter kid may very well have been me and I am forever grateful to UChicago for forcing me to take the tough classes, forcing me to read Plato and St. Augustine, forcing me to take Art History and Music Theory, and generally forcing me to become a widely educated person comfortable in any intellectual setting. </p>
<p>Could I have done this at my State U? Of course. Would I have done this at my State U? Knowing me, I have my doubts.</p>