<p>Even among schools with Cores, the actual courses and texts can differ greatly. Chicago and Columbia both enacted their core curricula around the same time and were heavily influenced by John Dewey, but whereas Columbia’s Core is more Great Books, Chicago’s focuses more on the Great Conversation.</p>
<p>So take a deep look at what specifically goes in each of the Cores that you’re looking for. Student tour guides are great for stuff like this; ask them what kind of texts they read, what kind of discussions were involved, what they got out of their Core classes, etc.</p>