Oh interesting. Chicago is on quarters so i need to find out what UI does.
I believe UIC is on semesters.
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For most career paths, it wouldnât matter if his degree is from either school. However, for certain finance career paths (IB, etc.), getting an Economics degree from Chicago (and joining the right undergraduate groups) could open doors that Lehigh wonât open.
Life is short. He has one shot at this. I would go with UChicago.
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Sounds like UChicago could be the better overall fit but your son needs to research the details of the UChicago ROTC program (ex. transportation, timing of classes (semesters or quarters), housing if the schools run on different schedules, etc.) to be sure it is workable.
Congrats on the options and ROTC scholarship.
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it is. I saw that too. I wonder if they have housing available then just for the cadets in the army ROTC program there. hmmm, so many new questions.
I have to believe if the ROTC program exists at Chicago, it is workable. How could it not be? If it was unworkable, it wouldnât exist.
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of course!.
Lehigh is an excellent school, but U Chicago is world class for the study of economics. Much easier to pick up the equivalent of a finance major later in life, but rare opportunity to study econ in one of the best programs in the world.
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If he can work out the ROTC, I would choose Chicago. Itâs such a âfitâ school, and if he thinks itâs his fit, then he is likely to thrive there and also find a community of peers that may be difficult to find elsewhere.
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Maybe âworkableâ wasnât the best word but the program may pose logistical and timing issues and the student should know what they are and decide if they will be comfortable to manage.
FWIW my Dâs college was part of a consortium but she came to find that taking classes at one of the consortium schools would require her figuring out her own transportation (basically needed a car), dealing with a different academic calendar, etc. So there are programs that exist but are logistically difficult to manage. I hope the ROTC at UChicago is not one of them but IMO it is worth a bit of upfront research (perhaps a call to the UChicago ROTC) to understand exactly how things work.
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I like Chicago because he loves classics. If he changes or wants to dig deep, they have it. Lehigh doesnât seem to. Certainly not at that level anyway.
And it sounds like he might be very passionate about it.
At the same time, forgetting school pedigree, finance does not equal econ.
He has to enjoy / be able to persevere whatever he takes on.
So that would still matter.
This is the problem with options !!! 
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My DD read a book a day (literally more than 365 books a year) and preferred engineering but wanted to live and spend time with Humanity kids in college.
We discovered that she is great with creative writing (for herself) but hated to write any essay for assignments. Apparently solving technical problems is much easier for her. It is almost ubnormal to see nonstop reading kids/young adults these days. She also prefers actual book to electronic format.
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I would go to UChicago.
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Because he is an intellectual, as long as the ROTC work is doable, I think he would really get a lot out of UChicago. It has one of the strongest intellectual vibes in the country, at least among universities. UChicago is great in Econ and the Classics, and pretty much everything else they offer.
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I would suggest that your son pick up the phone and talk to the ROTC contact at UI (not at Chicago) and find out what the drop out rate has been, what the logistical challenges are, etc. One of my kids was at a college and had several ROTC friends- the program was not housed at this college, but they had no difficulty navigating the time/distance/commitment. But kids I know in my area have done similar at a range of colleges and at some point, it became unworkable. Much of that was out of anyoneâs control (time/space continuum; mass transit options, etc.) but some of that was the attitude of the commanding officer who made it clear that the most minor infraction (showing up three minutes late for example⊠when weather made mass transit slow to a crawl) would be a disciplinary action.
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I would try to contact Current ROTC students at UChicago. When I Google UChicago ROTC I get website with some picture of kids. It maybe outdated, but if nobody can locate kids in the program that is a big red flag. If you can find current ones and they are happy, then there is nothing to worry about.
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Thank you to everyone. My son spoke to the admissions counselor this morning. They did offer him a spot for this year but after a LOT of consideration, pros and cons, soul searching and praying he decided to stick with Lehigh. He is keeping the transfer offer open but told the AO at Chicago that after everything Lehigh is offering him (free room and board AND all his books too), plus the fact that their ROTC battalion is one of the best in the country (GO STEEL BATTALION!) he wants to give them a shot at least. The AO was very understanding and said Lehigh is a GREAT school, and if he decides to transfer to UC next year - he has a spot.
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Wishing your son all the best!
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Well that is great news! He can go to Lehigh, which he is excited about, probably love it and thrive. And if for some reason things donât click, he can consider UC later. Congrats!
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That is exactly his thinking. Thank you
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