UChicago vs. Stanford (URGENT)

spike9
Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:27:57 +0000

What a dilemma! The following points are based on the perspective of a current parent, but for what it’s worth (and if you haven’t committed already) . . . .


It goes without saying that Stanford is a fantastic school and extremely well regarded, perhaps more so than UChicago for many, despite the tie in the USNWR rankings, probably by virtue of the fact that its admissions is impossibly selective.


However, the education per se at UChicago is second to none. What seems to be happening with Chicago these days is (1) there is increasing focus on and success in making the undergraduate experience more satisfying (evidenced by a Freshman retention rate now at 99%) and (2) the College’s broader reputation is catching up with the quality of its education and student body.

Today (unlike “yesterday”), and perhaps increasingly tomorrow, assuming UChicago’s star continues to rise, you will be doing yourself no disservice with respect to med and law school opportunities. Top tier academic and professional programs as well as elite employers recognize the rigor of a Chicago education and how well the school prepares its graduates for future endeavors. Of course, your prospects out of Stanford, all things being equal, will be equally promising.


Stanford will offer you the opportunity to root for highly successful Division I sports teams, and the human scenery at Stanford is on average more appealing than at UChicago (btw, I don’t consider either of these trivial attractions; they can have a lot to do with how you feel about your undergraduate experience). The architectural styles and layouts of the two campuses are quite different and whichever appeals to you more is certainly worth considering if you get down to needing a tie-breaker.
You are spot on wrt the Core, certainly in terms of what it can be if you choose your sequences well. Students emerge from the Core with a well rounded liberal education encompassing all the major disciplines (within the limitations of what can be achieved with only 15 courses), and in particular, with a broad knowledge of the classic texts of the Western intellectual tradition, having analyzed, debated, and written about many of those authors and a number of those books which those of us with intellectual pretensions wish we had read but probably haven’t. It’s pretty cool, actually.
The interdisciplinary approach that you value is also valued and encouraged at UChicago.
The UC student body tends to be collaborative, not competitive or mean-spirited.
A Venn diagram of student “types and personalities” would show a reasonable common area, but the clear balance of “feel” between the two schools is different – Stanford being more pre-professional and mainstream elite, Chicago being more intellectually focused and quirky (although arguably less so than in the past). Note though, that UC is paying increasing attention, with increasing effectiveness, to supporting students’ professional aspirations within its CAPS program (Chicago Careers in Law, Health Professions, et al.). You will not be able to rely upon past performance (not that it was bad) as a predictor of future success wrt med and law school placements.
I don’t know anything about the degree of grade inflation/deflation at Stanford. UChicago has had a reputation for grade deflation, but the reality there has also changed, and may continue to move in a more liberal direction. Still, this could be somewhat of a concern, although I’ve read that med/law schools, recognizing the rigorous standards, make some small GPA allowance (~.1-.2?) for Chicago students.
Concerning location, Stanford certainly has more temperate weather, although some people enjoy more pronounced seasons, and a few even find the unique pleasures of a stiff winter (snowball fights, ice skating on the Midway, hot chocolate) worth the challenges of the season. Chicago as a city has more to offer than San Francisco, delightful though San Francisco is (though it’s certainly more of a schlep from Palo Alto than the Loop is from Hyde Park). On the other hand, there are lots of wonderful places to visit within a day to weekend trip from Palo Alto if you have the time.


With respect to being further from home, and leaving your home state, some would say that’s a good thing, and conducive to your growth. My son, a rabid New Yorker who originally was dead set on Columbia, opted for UChicago because, as he reasoned, he would always have NYC to come home to so why not experience another great city and another part of the country. Turns out, he’s absolutely delighted to be at Chicago.


UChicago’s school sponsored study abroad program features UC faculty teaching the 3 course Civilization sequence (part of the Core that can be taken at Chicago or abroad), so there’s no potential compromise in the academic quality of the coursework. However, there’s currently no Civ program in the British Isles (although there are other programs), so if you want Oxford or Cambridge, you’d need to do it under other auspices with other course work, and complete the Civ requirement at Chicago.


In the end, the schools are close enough in terms of educating you and offering you top notch alternatives after graduation that it should probably come down to the F words – fit and feel, which are markedly different. But you knew that already. As long as you feel compatible with the student body, you won’t be wrong with either choice. Good luck and congratulations!