<p>I’m very appreciative of the input. And yes, motion12345 and seeme25, I’m surrounded by people with a rather “PA” mindset…provincial as hell really. I have a friend who qualified for an application fee waiver, but his dad almost didn’t allow it because it was “all socialist stuff”. Still another friend’s dad forced him to stay at home because the “University of Scranton is just as good, if not better, than Notre Dame”.</p>
<p>That said, it’s difficult to put my own parents’ resistance into words. This IS undergraduate college and if I get into Cornell, UPenn, or Princeton (don’t count on the last one) I could receive more than adequate preparation for any graduate school. I understand Chicago’s graduate schools and research facilities are the more famous/prestigious/international aspect of their campus anyway.</p>
<p>And what about financial aid? This is just as important to my parents, yet I am not convinced myself though that UChicago is as “need-based” as the others. How does it compare?</p>
<p>Thanks again for the input so far. Truly amazing.</p>