Unpretentious actually IS a good adjective for the UChicago I remember - at least in terms of the day-to-day academic culture. The description that they take their work, rather than themselves, seriously seemed very accurate to me at the time. However, the university as a whole also struck me as existing in a bit of a bubble and that insularity can’t help in the brutal race for money and academic dominance. Wouldn’t call it pretentiousness as much as, perhaps, cluelessness or inability to make the needed changes. As a result, some departments have slipped in reputation. The college has done an outstanding job in landing at an appropriate - and well earned - spot in the USNews rankings, but whether it remains there will depend on the university’s ability to attract top academic talent going forward.