<p>Interesting thread. Regarding the lack of magic escalator, I think it could be a motivating factor, in a way.</p>
<p>My son will be a freshman this fall. I call him an unrepentant capitalist, eager to enter the world of high finance upon graduation. Having read enough already about how Chicago, in spite of its awesome reputation in the field of economics, does not really have a clout in the Wall Street, my son is determined to overcompensate for it. </p>
<p>A month ago, he won an econ/finance scholarship competition sponsored by one of the well known wall street firms. He was excited about the outcome, not really because of the honor or even money, but because of the possibility that it may open doors for him. So, he went to the final oral presentation day armed with resumes. Upon learning that he won the competition, he immediately started to scan the hall to see who from the firm came for the award ceremony. He approached “senior looking” people, and lo and behold, one of them happened to be a senior HR exec. he hustled with him, and managed to get a paid internship this summer even though the internship positions are really for college kids. The rest of the interns are mostly college juniors and some sophomores from the likes of Harvard, Yale, and U Penn. So far, as an intern, he seems to be holding his own in this crowd and thriving, AND growing leaps and bounds right before my eyes with his observations on interpersonal dynamics and organizational culture at work.</p>
<p>Later, when we were talking about all this, he made an interesting observation about his own motive: if he were heading to Harvard or Princeton this fall, he may not have had the urgency not to let this opportunity slip. It looks like he felt the lack of Wall Street connection through UChicago would disadvantage him compared to his cohorts at HYP, and he had to be far more “vigilant” to stay on top of things…</p>
<p>Anyway, I am extremely gratified that he is going to Chicago. My son will get the world class education with a focus on intellectual growth rather than professional emphasis. Contrary to popular wisdom, in my mind, this is even more important because he is intent on entering the business world, rather than academia. One way or the other, he will do well in the business world, but if he misses the opportunity when he is 18-22 to hone the intellectual side of his mind, where else, and when else will he get a truly intense intellectual challenge to stimulate him?</p>