<p>
To re-frame ModestMelody’s question, what is the antecedent of its?
“Liberal arts education”, or “Brown”?</p>
<p>“Ivy League” is a successful brand. People know and crave the brand, whether they are informed consumers or not. I would imagine that many good students apply to Brown without having a strong commitment to liberal learning, or a very clear understanding of the “Brown Curriculum”. One hopes that among admitted students, the level of understanding and commitment runs a little deeper.</p>
<p>In contrast, the University of Chicago has long had something of a brand image problem. One manifestation is the running inside-joke, “Oh, you go to the University of Chicago? Champaign-Urbana?” Another is the “where fun goes to die” myth (which sorta took off from another student-created inside joke).</p>
<p>My understanding is that, when long-time Admissions Director Ted O’Neill started pushing those off-the-wall essay questions on the U of C application, one of his purposes was to suppress the number of casual, drive-by applications. He wanted to keep the rate of “self-selection” high and devote a lot of personal attention to assessing the personality behind the numbers. </p>
<p>By the way, I’m glad to see somebody from St. John’s jumping in. You folks are a rare breed.</p>