<p>I know current Chicago students and alumni in their 60s, 50s, 40s, 30s, and 20s. If there is a significant difference in who is going there now vs. 20 years ago or 40 years ago, it’s lost on me. It is somewhat more popular now, due to a variety of factors including a lot of sprucing up, decent marketing, and increased popularity of urban schools generally, but it’s just not true that there has been some sort of sea change in the character of the students.</p>
<p>At a prep school I know well in my city, Chicago is the #2 destination for its students cumulatively over the last 20 years. (A distant #2 to the local Ivy, but #2 nonetheless.) Basically, it has sent about 3 kids per year there for that whole period. Believe me, that school has not changed its tools and dies a whit. It is stamping out the same kids as always, and they keep going to Chicago.</p>