<p>In case you haven’t seen it, there was this thread a couple of years ago: </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/464873-w-m-vs-uchicago.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/464873-w-m-vs-uchicago.html</a></p>
<p>Personally, I don’t think the discussion was that valuable, as it was mostly speculation on the whole “which school is going to look better on a law school application” question, which is pretty much a waste of time.</p>
<p>I agree with you that W&M and Chicago are very similar academically (with Northwestern being the UVA to Chicago’s W&M), and I’m sure you’ll have the opportunity to have a great experience at either school. Despite what others might say, I don’t think there’s any way to quantify how “strong” academically either school is, or how their names will look to others on a grad school application or resume. I do think it’s safe to say that if you make the most of your experience, wherever you are, it won’t matter which school you choose. </p>
<p>It sounds to me that the extra cost of Chicago, while a factor, is not a deal breaker, nor is the Monroe necessarily a deal maker. So how about things like location, student body, and extracurricular opportunities? Is it important for you to be close to home? Chicago is going to be urban, with all the things that a big city offers, and with a more geographically diverse student body, though from my experience Chicago and W&M seem to attract the same type of student–bright, studious, slightly non-conformist.</p>
<p>Personally, as a W&M alum, I would love to see you go to W&M. They offered you the Monroe because they don’t want to lose you. But you also called Chicago your dream school. I think that’s pretty telling, don’t you? Go with your heart on this one. Besides, you can always transfer if it doesn’t work out.</p>