Duke vs. UChicago?

<p>^ If spectator sports are central to your idea of a multi-dimensional college life, then yes, that’s a valid distinction. If you think the dinner table conversation at Swarthmore is richer than it is at Holy Cross, and that dimension matters to you more, then maybe not. Every college has a social life. Each has some dimensions more developed than others. Such is “fit”. </p>

<p>Chicago does seem to do less “class crafting” than other peer schools. Your grades, scores, and approach to the off-the-wall essays are all important. Unless things have changed lately, how you might help prop up a particular team or club is not. Admissions seems to assume that smart, creative people will figure out ways to entertain each other. Which they do (this is a feature not a bug). However, the resulting dynamic is different than it is at some other schools (and not equally to everyone’s liking). </p>

<p>As for strong alumni connections (or “network”), I don’t know exactly what that means. I’ve asked this question before and never received a satisfying answer. We get several alumni magazines at my house. Chicago’s (the only one I even open) has good articles by faculty and alumni, but I always turn first to the class news section. It describes all sorts of connections among alumni including who is marrying whom, who is god-parent to whose child, book collaborations, visits, “sightings”, etc. Chicago people (and, I’m sure, Wesleyan or Haverford people) are multi-dimensional characters with a wide range of interests and personal connections. I would say though that “who you know is more important than what you know” is not the prevailing mind-set (not from a career perspective, anyway).</p>