<p>My son complains about this, although anyone who looked at his application would have concluded he was part of the problem (such as it is). You know who else had very similar complaints? The seniors at my college when I was a freshman. And my friends, when we were seniors. The world is always getting dumber and less interesting, haven’t you noticed? Or maybe it’s just that people actually learn and grow in college, so that 22 year-old fourth-years are more interesting and confident in their unique abilities than 18 year-old high school seniors.</p>
<p>I think Chicago is one of the few places that actually has an effect on the students there. There is a powerful local academic and intellectual culture that students learn, whatever their proclivities coming in. So I don’t think that it is in any danger of losing its special character. There may be somewhat fewer students there who are, as they say, on the spectrum, but I don’t think that’s the end of the University of Chicago as we know it.</p>
<p>I do feel badly for the highly intellectual, quirky kids for whom Chicago was probably an attainable “match” five years ago. Now it’s clearly a “reach” for them and almost everyone else. Some of them will be accepted, but not most. But, really, it’s not the only place in the world for kids like that. One of the most “Chicago” kids I know is happy as a clam at a large, urban, public university which costs about half as much and has completely predictable, stats-based admissions.</p>