UChicago vs. Swarthmore

Colleges and Universities University of Chicago
#1

<p>Hey, I am really having a hard time deciding between these two schools!
Both have amazing undergrad educations (Swat was ranked #5 overall by us news & chicago was ranked #1 by princeton review & us news) </p>

<p>Swat has a small, gorgeous campus, and gives tons of attention to students...
but Chicago, despite having an overwhelming 9000 grad students compared to 4400 undergrad, is in a big city chicago & has bigger campus w/ lots of ppl which is what I originally wanted (I know swat is near philly but sometimes I heard it was hard to get out of the "Swarthmore Bubble")</p>

<p>I want to major in economics, eventually business (maybe joint degree w/ business & law, we will see)</p>

<p>Both don't have very high GPAs; but arguably chicago has been heard of more at the myriad companies, and therefore understand the low GPA...i dunno, I would like to go to a place that would help secure a great full-time job</p>

<p>my ultimate goal is to go ivy grad; on top 50 feeder school list to ivy/top grad schools swat was ranked #10 & Chicago #14 (yet they noted 11 got into penn MBA which is awesome)</p>

<p>Please give me your advice!! Thanks :)</p>

#2

<p>Have you visited yet?</p>

#3

<p>I am going to Swarthmore 21-22 & I am visiting UChicago 27-28 :)</p>

#4

<p>How exciting! Both schools are wonderful, so you will be able to pick based what feels right to you, and which has the best departments and programs for your interests. If you can, try to sit in on similar classes at each to get a feel for the way econ is taught - upper level as well as intro, maybe. Congrats on your wonderful choices.</p>

#5

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<p>It doesn't follow from this ratio that the grad students are going to win out vs. the college students in some kind of zero-sum competition for resources. The law, med, etc. students for the most part have their own faculty, their own dorms, etc.</p>

<p>To know how the college treats the college students, you have to look directly at how the college treats the college students, not make inferences based on some other data set. At UC, every indication is that the professor/student relationships tend to be good.</p>

#6

<p>Congratulations on having such a wonderful, if difficult, choice of schools. One thing I thought you might want to think about is that having a larger graduate school population could actually be a positive thing. I've heard from alums that instead of professors favoring grad students at Chicago, undergrads actually get to work with them, taking graduate level classes as upperclassman. I find that really attractive, personally. And it's just something to think about. Good luck.</p>

#7

<p>Congrats zztao. I am considering very similar options except that I have Stanford and Columbia amidst my decision. I am also looking to major in economics and then go on to B-School. Does anyone have any thoughts on these 4 schools: Stanford, Columbia, UChicago and Swarthmore?</p>

#8

<p>Hey everyone, </p>

<p>Sorry, I can't personally help-- I'd choose UChicago, but that's just for the university feel and city feel versus the small college suburban. </p>

<p>I was wondering where those Top 50 Feeder Schools list is for law and grad school? I've never heard of it, and I'd like to see it, I'm definitely set on grad school, and really those are the only rankings that matter...</p>

#9

<p>I have visited all of these schools, work with undergrads at an ivy, and have a D. at Swarthmore. She picked the right school because a small LAC was the right fit for her. But you will have to decide for yourself after visiting. Swat is a fairy land right now with the magnolias and cherry blossoms and it has a milder climate than Chicago. But Chicago's architecture and offerings are amazing for the student seeking a larger scale environment. I found it a little easier to access the city from Swat on public transportation (train station is right on campus and quick ride into Philly or to/from airport, whereas public bus from Chicago is doable but a bit of a hassle). Yet Chicago is a truly amazing city.</p>

<p>So, visit, get a feel for both places and trust your gut. Let us know!</p>

#10

<p>Go to Swarthmore</p>

#11

<p>Thank you everyone for your comments!!</p>

<p>anisky: here is the link to the top 50 feeder schools :)
<a href="http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/pdfs/wsj_college_092503.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/pdfs/wsj_college_092503.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>inuendo: Congrats on your acceptances!! It's definitely a tough choice for you! Each school offers a unique array of opportunities; it just depends on what you are looking for. I don't know if it helps at all, but if you go to the above link, Stanford is listed as #4 for feeder school & the comments note that they do a "particularly strong job at spawning MBA stars" (Columbia was #11) Personally, my main goal is to get the best overall undergraduate education so that when I get a full-time job before apply for grad school, I will prepared to face anything at work and be able to do my best to contribute to the company. I hear LACs such as Swarthmore and UChicago prep you incredibly well because of their focus on a quantitative education. Best of Luck :)</p>

#12

<p>Ya, I've seen that list before. I understand your point about a focused undergraduate education and agree with you completely. In that respect, Chicago is my best choice, especially with the strength of its economics department. However, I am worried that I shouldn't choose a college based almost entirely on my intended major, or for that matter, academics.</p>

#13

<p>I definitely agree that you can't base your decision solely on academics. You have to see if you enjoy the environment, the people, and the social scene hehe. I just visited Swarthmore and I loooovveeeddd it! I'm flying to Chicago tomorrow!! Then I have to decide in like a day where I will be going for the next four years :0 hehehe</p>

#14

<p>zztao,</p>

<p>Don't put much confidence in the WSJ article you linked above. It's methodological flaws are quite remarkable. Maybe others can find the past links where the flaws were discussed.</p>

#15

<p>Go to UChicago.</p>

#16

<p>zztao-</p>

<p>I chose Swarthmore over Chicago. I think the decision should come down to personal aspects, not the ranking of a school in a certain concentration. I'm glad you've had a chance to look at both schools, and really get to see for yourself what the student body and dorms and faculty are like for each...</p>