<p>You are not alone in your feeling about Chicago. It is an excellent school, but they do tend to market themselves as quirky intellectuals. Many U of C students proudly wear their “The University of Chicago: Where fun comes to die” t shirts for example, or the Mantis Shrimp Essay question for another.</p>
<p>In contrast, Penn students will proudly tell you that they are the “Social Ivy,” and do a better job of working to balance challenging academics and social opportunities.</p>
<p>Neither one of these is inherently better. Some of us embrace our quirky inner nerd and some are more sociable. I would visit both and see which one you are more comfortable with.</p>