<p>But snow is so cool! :D</p>
<p>Chicago the city is awesome because it is at the same time large and city-ish as it is homey and friendly. Chicago is the first city I’ve visited where the people who live there actually seem happy to be there (granted, I didn’t go to certain parts of Chicago), and it also happens to be near my first love – horses! – even if that’s an hour or two away.</p>
<p>The campus is great because it advertises itself to be a unique learning experience – you’ll often hear it recommended next to Reed College and the St. John’s colleges. Its core will show you that it’s dedicated to a liberal arts education, but the kinds of courses they offer in the majors and the access you’ll have to leaders in their respective fields (especially economics, of course) shows that it’s not an unbalanced, scattered education you’re getting. The campus ‘feel’ is pretty unique: like a lot of Chicago, it went for the Gothic feel, and lots of brick, which has an interesting effect on the tone of it. Chicago has a lot of support for its alumni, and I hear the career center is awesome at helping place you into internships and jobs. </p>
<p>For the negatives: Chicago gets cold. Way cold. I heard a reported temperature as low as -20 F. That’s /cold/. Then there’s the snow. Chicago also has Div III athletics; they’re competitive and do quite well in their league, but it doesn’t stir up the student body nearly as well as Div I athletics do. Their study abroad program is actually a lot smaller than the one at the school I’m currently at; I don’t know anything else about it, but it seems they restrict themselves to well-developed countries, which isn’t bad in itself but pretty tame, especially when compared to some outside options. Also, they have a reputation for grade /de/flation, which could be bad if you’re pre-professional.</p>
<p>Good luck making your decision!</p>