As you noted, Chicago’s core differs from Princeton’s distribution requirements. For that matter, it differs even from Columbia’s (more rigid and universal) common core.
That’s only one difference of many, however. Another key difference is that Princeton requires a senior thesis of all students. In other words, all students must begin a research project their junior year (the junior paper), continued over the summer and into their senior year, that serves as a culmination of their undergraduate education. It’s a rigorous and demanding project. While Chicago students have the option of pursuing a senior thesis, it is not required.
Partly as a consequence of the above, Princeton does not allow double majors. However, it does offer a “certificate” program in numerous fields (sort of halfway between a major and minor). If double majoring is of critical importance, this is something to consider.
As others have said, the locations/settings of the two universities are significantly different, of course. Additionally, Chicago has Greek life (albeit relatively small), whereas Princeton does not officially recognize frats and sororities. Its “eating clubs,” which serve somewhat the same role in the social scene, are nearly unique.
For those who have an idea of what they’d possibly like to study, it is worthwhile to compare academic offerings. For example, the undergraduate program in public policy at Princeton is housed within Woody Woo, and students have access to the classes and professors of the school. The undergraduate program in public policy at Chicago is a program within the College, and the courses are consequently a blend of relevant programs (econ, poli sci, sociology, and the like).
Although both are almost uniformly strong in their academic offerings, you’ll find slight diferences in their programs – an edge for Princeton in art history, an edge for Chicago in anthropology, an edge for Princeton in philosophy, an edge for Chicago in linguistics, etc. I certainly wouldn’t place a lot of weight on this, if any at all, but it may be something to consider for a kid with a very strong passion for a particular field.
The quarter system (Chicago) vs. semester system (Princeton) is a key difference. Quarters allow students to take courses in more topics, but the semester system allows for a much more in-depth coverage of material. The fast pace of the quarter system means students are nearly always prepping for an exam or writing a term paper. Having experienced both systems, I greatly prefer the semester system both as a student and instructor. That said, I’m sure some feel the opposite.
You’ll find a lot of very hardworking, intelligent kids at both. The Chicago of today is very different even from the Chicago of about a decade ago, and its student body is much more similar to those of the Ivies than different. They produce similar percentages of PhDs; a recent ranking placed Princeton and Chicago #5 and #6 among national universities for per capita PhD production, respectively.
Legacies make up slightly less than 10% of each class at Princeton. That figure is well in line with peer universities such as Yale (12% are legacies).
Princeton has extremely devoted alumni and has traditionally had the highest giving rate in the country, with only a few LACs coming close. This fierce alum loyalty may have contributed to his misconception. (It’s also a reason Princeton has the largest endowment per capita of any college in the US, which shows if you visit campus.)
I don’t agree at all with this assessment of Princeton. The elite universities keep themselves abreast of the latest scientific and research developments and the most recent trends in academia and adjust themselves accordingly. That is, after all, a major reason why they have survived as long as they have. Who would believe today that Yale and Amherst were virtually the same size during most of the 1800s? (Yale’s total enrollment did not surpass 2000 students until approximately the time Chicago was founded.)
In fact, Princeton is arguably better positioned than most for this century. In addition to being extremely strong in all of the sciences, it’s stronger in engineering than most of the Ivies and comparable private universities. STEM degrees are going to be of increased importance in upcoming decades.