<p>My son does talk about “Ah, the Chicago moments!” kind of conversations he is having with his friends. It’s pervasive, and it is in the air they breathe and water they drink. </p>
<p>Everything on this thread about U Chicago is completely consistent with what I am hearing from my son, so it’s not a skewed observation of those on this board. </p>
<p>As a parent, I have to say this: I am grateful that as long as my son dates within the U Chicago boundary, it’s almost guaranteed, though not 100%, that he is not going to introduce me to some kind of an airhead. And, no, it’s not just because it’s hard to get into Chicago. You could be an airhead going to Harvard, if you know what I mean - testing well, getting high grades and being a class president is not a vaccine against being intellectually and otherwise shallow. My son’s own words: I can’t imagine spending hours and hours with a girl who cannot maintain a train of very cogent and intelligent sequence of thoughts. </p>
<p>Not that my opinion matters with regard to who he dates, but a parent can still entertain a modicum of illusion and fantasy, right?</p>