<p>This is a really interesting thread. I had no idea that Chicago undergrads (thru CCIB) could take (and are actually encouraged to take) classes at Booth. JHS said this and I think this needs to be reiterated: such a program is a huge, HUGE change for Chicago. </p>
<p>Honestly, in my day at Chicago, if you said you were going to take a class on financial accounting or marketing, your classmates would laugh at you. On tours, they specifically emphasized that Chicago doesn’t offer classes in “engineering, accounting, journalism, etc.” </p>
<p>Without doubt, all of the concerns relating to Chicago (not enough support for pre-professional students, lack of transparency with information, etc.) are merited. At the same time, people need to note that, unlike Harvard et al., Chicago’s goal for the college for 100 years was to produce scholars. For better or worse, the goal of the College was to train and produce scholars and critical thinkers and academics. Now, the training you receive in this regard certainly overlaps to the activities conducted in business or law or marketing. The latter fields, however, were seen as separate and distinct from the College’s mission.</p>
<p>As it seems as if the College is modulating its mission (or, at least, expanding away from its once narrow focus of training scholars), everyone needs to note that these changes take time. </p>
<p>For example, please note that Chicago only BEGAN emulating the selective admissions policies of its peers 3-4 years ago. Most top colleges have been engaging in big numbers recruiting and playing the admissions game for a couple decades at least. With just a few years on this track, Chicago has already made real strides on this front. </p>
<p>So, with regard to pre-professional advising, it seems as if some patience is required. At the same time, I do think kids should know what they are getting into with Chicago’s College. The key goal of the place, with exceptions such as CCIB aside, is to train scholars. The school is improving on the other fronts, but again, the core mission is still pretty distinct from Harvard or Princeton or Wharton, where the goal is more or less to reinforce the power elite.</p>