<p>My little brother, who is a freakin genius (He graduated one of the most prestigious high schools valedictorian when he was [very young, his age is such that the disclosure would lead to almost certain identification]… and he almost didn’t graduate because his attendence record was so poor…), goes to UChicago on a Merit Scholarship (one that is give to only 100 out of 10000 something applicants). My parents made him apply to the “big five” although he was stone set in going to Chicago… he got into everywhere but Yale. </p>
<p>My parents wanted that “oh my son goes to Harvard and he is [very young]” line in their already formidable bragging arsenal (they are both lawyers… yeah I know…) but eventually gave in to my brother’s desire and let him go to Chicago… well I figured since my parents hang out with other lawyers most of the times the “my son goes to Chicago with a prestigious merit scholarship and he is [very young]” line carries as much weight, if not more so, as the other line… </p>
<p>Now my “baby” brother is about to graduate… Phi Beta Kappa to boot. He says his professors (including a Nobel laureate) “assured” him that he would get into a grad school of his choice (he is considering staying in Chicago for econ PhD or going to Princeton or MIT for math PhD), not that he would need to pull strings to get into grad school…</p>
<p>I am now applying to college (Yes my baby brother will be in grad school by the time I am a freshman in college… It doesn’t sit well with my ego sometimes but hell I can’t really stay angry or whatever with my bro… he is just a sweet, albeit more than a little nerdy and antisocial, kid; if one could call a 5’10" fit-as-hell man with a Brad Pitt-esque rugged face a kid… yeah he doesn’t look like a nerd at all) and I cannot help but wonder what I would have done in my bro’s shoes… So two questions to ponder…</p>
<p>1) What would you have done in my brother’s shoes?
2) I mean Chicago = HYPSM in like academic and professional circles… Chicago > HYPSM in some fields like economics I suppose but most people don’t even know that there exists a school called the University of Chicago… so would Chicago (with a scholarship given to top 100/10000) = HYPSM in terms of overall prestige?</p>
<p>Your brother sounds like the kind of person who is self driven and isn’t affected by others’ ideas of “prestige” or what-not. He obviously flourished at UofC. And your parents’ retirement (financially) will be a little easier because they didn’t have to shell out 200K to HYPMS.</p>
<p>He seems not to have had any of his academic drive diminished. I’d be very happy for him.</p>
<p>What would I have done? Who cares? I went to one a great school but never worried about what it “would have been like” to attend another. Life’s too short. Ignore the “prestige” stuff you read here and in society out there. It’s really overrated in comparison to the essentials of a happy and productive life. </p>
<p>Great story! I hope you watch “Numbers” (jock big brother, math phenom younger brother who did graduate work at Princeton, now working together to solve crimes). You’re right that anyone who really knows about the specific fields would say your brother made the right choice. If he winds up at any of the graduate schools you mentioned, that will prove it. Plus, Chicago sounds like a better fit socially for someone in his unique situation.</p>
<p>It sounds like he is only 17 years old or so - he should give extra weight to the school that would best promote his personal development as well as his intellectual goals. Whether it is tops in the bragging echelon is beside the point.</p>
<p>I chose Chicago over HYPSM, without the merit scholarship.</p>
<p>(Okay, I didn’t apply to HYPSM so I can’t really say I had the option of attending, but Chicago was my first choice for a reason-- it was the only school I applied to, and once I was admitted EA, I tore up my other applications).</p>