<p>OK, I’m not a Stanford fan. But I went to Chicago, and felt the same way that you did about not really seeing that much “life of the mind” and serious discussion there. I was there for four years, too, and lived in two dorms. The core was OK, not thrilling. The humanities and soc were all right. The phy sci and bio were nothing- just take the courses (which may be part of your major anyway). The various parts of the core don’t really hang together that well. I went to a mediocre east coast public school, but we, in our own way, had as much life of the mind among the group of top students. So, I was somewhat disappointed. I had never heard of SLE at Stanford before, sounds interesting. I agree with you that it may well be better than the core. It might be good for you to experience something outside of California, but on the other hand, Stanford will be better for you in the long run if you wish to live out there. I would vote for Stanford. You seem to know what you are doing, and I do feel that the core at Chicago would disappoint you. (I didn’t mind the core, but did not really go there for the core.)</p>