<p>For one reason or another I fancy the atmosphere of UChicago. I really like the emphasis the university places (or seems to place) on unorthodox thinking and its air of intellectualism. It truly seems like a university committed to academics (not to say that other universities are not). That being said, transferring to the University, although easier than regular admissions, isnt a walk in the park. Therefore, I am wondering if there are any other universities or LACs that have a similar atmosphere as the University of Chicago but a less competitive transfer admissions process (in case I do transfer and option A fails). A smaller campus is also a plus. If anyone knows of any colleges that might fit this description it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. .</p>
<p>As a current UChicago student, let me list some common UChicago-y schools with possibly easier transfer admissions.</p>
<p>Oberlin College is the first one that comes to mind, as does Reed College, Lewis and Clark College, Beloit College, University of Rochester, Tufts, Johns Hopkins, Clark U, Hampshire College, Sarah Lawrence College, NYU, Rice, St, John’s College (both in Annapolis and Santa Fe), Macalester College, Carleton College, and Colorado College.</p>
<p>Synonym: Ivy Rejects</p>
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</p>
<p>Why do you think that’s it’s easier to transfer?</p>
<p>Whether or not it’s easier to transfer, I do not know…but, even if it is easier, then I bet the difference is pretty insignificant. Both processes strike me as being about the same in terms of difficulty. </p>
<p>In fact, I am sort of counter-evidence to your assertion. I was wait listed when I applied for freshman admission, and straight-up rejected when I applied for transfer admission. (with a 3.6 from a Top 20 university) </p>
<p>A lot of people say Chicago is most similar to Reed. (and Reed is easier to get into)</p>
<p>I would add Grinnell College to unalove’s list.</p>
<p>“Synonym: Ivy Rejects”</p>
<p>LOL, I guess NDFreak7 is done with bashing Cornell and is now moving on to Chicago.</p>
<p>yes bash Chicago when you go to Notre Dame :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Chicago’s freshman admission rate is higher than the transfer rate. Like most schools, the freshman pool may be more competitive, but it’s likely that the difference is not significant.</p>
<p>I second Reed, which is known for its very intellectual environment and fits your criterion of a smaller campus.</p>
<p>One of UChicago’s strengths, I think, is its non-traditional Core Curriculum. The core is what, at the end of the day, turns out to attract a lot of self-motivated, intellectual, engaged students. I’m inclined to think that other schools with different approaches to curriculum (Hampshire, Colorado, St. John’s, Marlboro, Bennington possibly some others I don’t know about) have similar kinds of students. Add Bard to the list of intellectual schools-- much more artsy and druggy.</p>
<p>A lot of the schools I mentioned have a lot of students transferring out and transferring in. Like Chicago, these are the “not for everyone” schools, but it looks like you express enough interest in the kinds of atmospheres these schools provide to really benefit from them.</p>
<p>how about good old northwestern.</p>
<p>I didn’t mean to suggest that transferring to UChicago was easy.<br>
On a more personal note, has anyone attending UChicago had a class with Levitt or Becker?</p>
<p>NB: Chicago and Northwestern are nothing alike. I think that’s the only thing that students from both schools can agree upon without descending into warfare.</p>
<p>I wasn’t able to find any comments on course evaluations for Becker, but I was able to find comments on Levitt’s “Economics of Crime” class:</p>
<p>“it sparked a greater interest to research issues pertaining to crime and public policy and has made me more inclined to further research everything I read”</p>
<p>“it dispelled some myths I held about crime and taught me new ways to look at it in the justice system, also about applying econ in general”</p>
<p>“learned a lot about statistics results and challenging status quo ideas and results on crime”</p>
<p>“best class I have taken here (3)”</p>
<p>(That was just a sample).</p>
<p>i’m not bashing UChicago. it’s an amazing school. but come on, a lot of kids there wanted to go Ivy; they just didn’t have Ivy League qualifications. ND, however, is frequently a student’s first choice.</p>
<p>brand_182:</p>
<p>"yes bash Chicago when you go to Notre Dame "</p>
<p>what does that mean? it’s harder to get into ND than it is to gain acceptance at UChicago.</p>
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</p>
<p>Based on? Here are some quick facts from College Board:</p>
<p>Notre Dame
27% Admitted
55% Yield
SAT Midrange: 1230-1460</p>
<p>Chicago
38% Admitted
33% Yield
SAT Midrange: 1320-1530</p>
<p>Your argument must rest on acceptance rates. It is clear to me, however, that the average enrolled student at Chicago is quite a bit stronger than that at Notre Dame and that ND’s low accepance rate and Chicago’s higher acceptance rate are dependent on their difference in yield. Whereas Chicago is an extremely tough school with an environment that many students may choose to pass up, ND has a cult-like appeal, similar to Brigham Young University. This should be expected as there aren’t many conservative schools near the top. To say that ND is harder to get into is laughable. At the least, they are very comparable.</p>
<p>Regardless of this, most comical is that you think going to a more selective (in your opinion) school gives you the right to bash another school. Most people are probably laughing though since, by most accounts, Chicago is considered a notch above Notre Dame.</p>
<p>On a last note, for a quick comparison, consider the student bodies at the following schools:</p>
<p>Columbia University
1320-1520</p>
<p>College of William and Mary
1260-1440</p>
<p>It looks like Chicago is more a peer of Columbia and ND a peer of W&M. Not such a bad thing, but I would consider the former group to have more competitive applicants and be harder to get into, regardless of acceptance rates.</p>
<p>NDFreak,
Some kids have the goods for the Ivies and CHOOSE not to apply there. Even if they are a legacy. Once you get past the numbers, it’s all about fit and opportunities for personal growth.</p>