<p>I just read through Xiggi’s old thread. Are you’re still carrying on about UChicago prompts? Wow. Ever hears of niche marketing? They aren’t interested in being like everyone else. So what? Why does that rankle you so?</p>
<p>Personally I have more respect for people who get “rankled” by ideas than people who get “rankled” by people (i.e. other posters simply expressing differing opinions).I bet Chicago does too. I find it incredible that people have to endure personal insults here simply for expressing those opinions.</p>
<p>Well, I would guess that a number of people can accept the expression of differing opinions but get “rankled” when there are subtle, passive-aggressive digs embodied in those “differing opinions”. The terms of service don’t permit personal insults, so you certainly should not have to endure them! On the internet, just as in real life, some people are more sensitive than others and some are very good at sugar-coating their attacks.</p>
<p>Re that New Yorker “college essay” in the thread xiggi posted above (post 10). Now, imo, THAT is a hilarious parody. I laughed out loud.</p>
<p>Mummom, it’s evident that you don’t care for U of Chicago. And? Now what? Again, don’t apply there / let your kids apply there. I appreciate that you see it as intellectual posing, or arrogance, or whatever. </p>
<p>Having gone to Chicago’s preprofessional (!) cross-town rival, I can tell you that good positioning involves sacrifice. You can’t please all the people all the time. Chicago chooses to portray itself a certain way through all of its marketing materials (including essay prompts) as a place for certain quirky spirits who see themselves, and the process of education, a certain way. They’ve never maintained that they hold the trademark on quirky or intellectual, just that they are a place that fulfills those needs. If they would rather issue quirky prompts so that they self-select out students for whom those prompts aren’t appealing, then so be it. I don’t see why anyone should care. If Chicago’s admin staff isn’t doing their jobs, then I suppose the powers that be at Chicago will fire them.</p>
<p>I don’t see why Chicago’s positioning is any more problematic than some other colleges that position themselves as to-develop-women-in-an-atmosphere-without-men-around, or to-study-in-the-service-of-our-Lord-Jesus-Christ or to-watch-great-football-and-hey-maybe-study-now-and-then. Some students will find these motivating and will apply. Others won’t. So? Better to winnow them out at the application stage anyway, IMO. The (general) focus on developing single-digit acceptance rates is misplaced.</p>
<p>What if Chicago developed prompts that were so targeted towards the kinds of students they wanted that they had an extremely self-selected, small pool and were able to offer, say, a 60% or 70% acceptance rate? That wouldn’t be a bad thing. The only people it might disappoint would be some parents at cocktail parties who don’t have bragging rights, but otherwise, who cares?</p>
<p>I don’t like to speak for others, but I end up always “playing one on TV.” 
(I think that was Richard Chamberlain; someone can correct me if I’m wrong.)</p>
<p>Mummom may suffer, like me, from being too logical. I expect things to make sense, and this expectation gets me into a lot of trouble IRL. So, like the poster Phiruku, I’m still back stuck on the relationship between "quirky’ and “intellectual,” – as if there is an inherent one. As a student applying to colleges (if I were), this would confuse me. Relative to essay prompts, if I saw any particular set that UofC sends out, I would not wonder what the committee wants from me, but what kind of students are there (i.e., student-created prompts), and to me, it’s not clear. Are there mostly students who use big words on all occasions? Students who are deep thinkers? Or “square pegs”?</p>
<p>I’ll tell you what does not match, to me: the essay prompts and the list of academic courses, which is always (logical me) the first place I navigate to on a college website. There’s absolutely nothing quirky about the course catalog. It’s straight-up, hard-core, traditional, classic academics – IOW, what a person looking for a solid research U would expect to see. In fact, if you’re looking for legitimately quirky, you should be looking at Sarah Lawrence, Bennington, Vassar and a whole number of LAC’s with fascinating-looking, edgy courses.</p>
<p>I worked in advertising and marketing for a number of years. The first rule of that is to get your message straight and to stay on message, so that all the elements & images work together to support the position/message.</p>
<p>Where PG’s argument falls apart is that all those other examples she pulled out (of colleges with various appeals) do not necessarily use essay prompts as a way to attract those populations. You don’t necessarily write your application essay about being a jock, for example. For a religious school, they would expect to see in your Statement of Purpose some commitment to or interest in acknowledging that faith & study are harmonious; they may or may not ask such a direct question in the essay. </p>
<p>There are many niche colleges, yes. Some of those include places like St. John’s in AZ and MD. When you look at their curriculum, it is definitely intellectual. But they don’t go out of their way to claim that they are supposedly uniquely intellectual. Nor have I heard that Bryn Mawr claims that you’re “more woman” if you attend their college (vs. a coed college). In fact, that would really turn me off if I were applying to a woman’s college. I don’t like people who feel they have to put other people down, implicitly, by how they advertise themselves. (Not put the other institutions down – that’s part of business; but put the patrons of other institutions down. Big, big difference.)</p>
<p>Perhaps that’s what bothers mummom?</p>
<p>(Again, I just “play one on TV.” )</p>
<p>I don’t think the Chicago are necessarily more intellectually challenging, but I do think they elicit more interesting responses. Even my math/science guy liked the Chicago prompts better than the ones he was stuck with. There are usually a couple that don’t make a kid talk about themselves, but do allow their personalities to shine through nonetheless. My kids don’t like boasting about themselves which is what most prompts seem to be asking for at least indirectly. I don’t know why people get in a huff about the Chicago prompts - they aren’t even that unique - take a look at Tufts optional prompts this year.</p>
<p>As for colleges making claims about their uniqueness. St. Johns does indeed claim they are uniquely intellectual and implies their back to first books curriculum is better than others. Women’s colleges market regularly themselves as providing a unique experience. Nothing wrong with that. Harvey Mudd says they are unique for being a liberal arts college with strong engineering.</p>
<p>Epiphany, I think your point that Chicago’s curriculum is pretty traditional while the essay prompts seem to be looking for quirkiness is an interesting one, but it is one of the reasons I think my younger son might end up doing well at Chicago - that mixture appeals to him. He’s a mass of contradictions or as he describe himself “determined quirkiness”.</p>
<p>Of course they claim they’re unique, and in a way they are. You missed, though, my comments about uniqueness allied with superiority. Big diff. St. John’s doesn’t imply you’re less than intellectual if you’re going elsewhere; Bryn Mawr doesn’t say you’re less a woman, or insinuations to that effect. Again, I’m being an uninvited spokesperson here; but that’s my take on why it may irritate.</p>
<p>Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I disagree, but I appreciate it :-)</p>
<p>I agree that there’s nothing quirky about the course catalog and that it’s “straight up, hard core traditional academics.” OTOH, I think a case could be made that in today’s college environment – in today’s America, for that matter – wanting college to consist primarily of, or solely of, straight up, hard core traditional academics, with a rigorous core – as opposed to football games, tailgates, fraternity dances, and accounting 101 – is a “quirky” taste in and of itself. Or at least somewhat off the beaten path. </p>
<p>I also don’t see how Chicago puts down other institutions, or students at other institutions. Can you help me see where you conclude that?</p>
<p>“I don’t like people who feel they have to put other people down, implicitly, by how they advertise themselves.” Yes, that’s it in a nutshell as far as I’m concerned.</p>
<p>How are others being put down by U of C’s essay prompts? I don’t see it, at all. And I had no interest in going there, nor do my kids. But I don’t feel “put down.” I just feel “good for them, but not our style.”</p>
<p>I agree with Pizzagirl and don’t understand why so many seem to take personal offense to U Chicago’s prompts and essays. Why get so upset? You don’t have to go there or apply there.</p>
<p>I would also add that in order to feel “put down” by Chicago, doesn’t that imply that you’re somewhat vested in them in the first place? </p>
<p>I mean, even if some evangelical Christian school put down in their essay prompts, “Tell me about your religious faith and why you are so much better than the unsaved heathens who aren’t applying here,” I wouldn’t feel “put down” by that – because I wouldn’t care what they thought, either as individuals or as an institution. Why does Chicago have enough hold on you that you read their essay prompts as put-downs of yourself, and why does that bother so much? </p>
<p>If you are intellectual and searching for that kind of experience and Chicago isn’t your cup of tea – well, there are plenty other places you can find and immerse yourself in intellectual experiences. Why is Chicago’s alleged “put down” significant, then?</p>
<p>NSM - it’s odd, because the normal response to “I think XYZ comes across as arrogant” is to then conclude, “Well, therefore, I’m not particularly interested in XYZ’s opinion,” toss the materials from XYZ into the trash and move on with one’s life. Not to get upset that XYZ might be looking down on you.</p>
<p>It’s almost like some people <em>want</em> Chicago to say, “It’s ok, I like you too, even though these essay prompts aren’t your style. You, too, are indeed smart, pat pat.”</p>
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<p>I agree. I don’t see this supposed superiority-complex that Chicago allegedly has. </p>
<p>And the women’s colleges (which my D is investigating) DO have an air of “only those who get why a women’s-college experience is so unique need apply.” And? So? That’s what they are – why shouldn’t they want to seek out people who “get” what their experience is? Same difference with Chicago.</p>
<p>Frankly, I think Chicago looms larger on CC than it does in real life.</p>
<p>“Why get so upset?”
Again, why revert to the personal? Nobody is “upset,” as far as I know. It’s a discussion, for pete’s sake.</p>
<p>“It’s almost like some people <em>want</em> Chicago to say, “It’s ok, I like you too, even though these essay prompts aren’t your style. You, too, are indeed smart, pat pat.””</p>
<p>I agree. I don’t understand why some people appear to want to fit in with U Chicago when there are thousands of other U.S. colleges where they probably would fit in and would be accepted with alacrity.</p>
<p>I’m loving this ****. FLAME ON.</p>
<p>Because it’s weird that the conversation doesn’t just end. OK - you feel Chicago’s essay prompts are pretentious, condescending, an implicit put-down of students who don’t get them or who don’t want to get them or who are heading elsewhere. So you have a bad taste in your mouth about Chicago as a result. Ok, great. Since you don’t have to apply there, what difference does it make?</p>
<p>I mean, there’s a particular t20 (non-Ivy) school that I think comes across as rather boorish and obnoxious, based on the behaviors of their students and young alumni who post on CC. But here’s the great thing - my kids don’t have to apply there! People will still continue to apply there and be happy there – and good for them. That’s why they have chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. We all don’t have to like the same things about colleges. If other people are happy responding to Chicago’s prompts and find happiness at that school being surrounded by peers who also responded positively to those prompts, isn’t the appropriate response “good for them, I wish them all well”? </p>
<p>Good lord, it’s like being offended that Grey Poupon must think it’s uppity for marketing itself as a product that’s served in the finest limousines.</p>
<p>Who cares you hate UofC? That says more about you – that you bothered to create a screen name – and UofC’s “hold” over you – than it does about UofC. </p>
<p>Simple solution: Don’t apply; don’t go. Problem solved!</p>