<p>
There are very few fields, if any, in which Chicago is better than Princeton. Only Harvard, Berkeley, and Stanford can claim to have more breadth and depth than Princeton. Additionally, with its required senior thesis and capped grades, it is more rigorous than many of its peers.</p>
<p>According to the NSF baccalaureate origins survey, Chicago barely outperforms Princeton for PhD production. Although Chicago has capitalized on its “life of the mind” mantra in all of its admissions materials in a desperate attempt to set itself apart, universities like Harvard and Princeton hardly suffer from a lack of intellectual firepower. While Chicago students prefer to consider themselves Shakespeares to other universities’ Dan Browns, few outside the university have the same view.</p>
<p>Princeton has a more beautiful campus, is a lot wealthier with more resources, is more prestigious, is ranked higher overall and in most departments, has a more tight-knit community with more loyal alums, and is more fun. Almost all Princeton students live on campus, unlike Chicago where barely more than half do so, which lends itself to a more collegiate atmosphere. This is a no-brainer.</p>