What's available at Chicago vs. colleges in general

Beckie80
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:18:05 +0000

I’ll be an entering freshman at Chicago this month. But I know a lot of people who will be facing the college search and admissions process soon. Of course, they will have to find and choose colleges on their own, but I’ve been thinking a lot about what different colleges have to offer. Mainly, can you get most of the important stuff Chicago has to offer somewhere else, somewhere that’s a good bit easier to get into? What can’t you get at other places? How widely does the student environment vary? I have a strong feeling that Chicago is a great match for me, but I’ve also been thinking about where else I could have been happy.

I’ve been trying compare top 100 private universities, good state schools like U of Illinois Urbana and UC berkely, top 20 liberal arts colleges and lacs that are towards the bottom 100. Although individual schools can vary greatly, these seemed like sensible broad categorizations. I wanted to discuss what experiences you think can be found at these different types of schools (or specific schools you know about), how they compare with each other, and how they compare to Chicago. I know there’re a lot of things to consider, and people have to go through their own process of finding unique fits. But it seems like it might be worthwhile to talk about what kind of education and college experience is available.

Some specific questions I’ve been asking myself:

It seems like Chicago students are really into their classes and work. They are often excited about what they are doing, enjoy looking into subjects beyond what they are doing for class, and like talking about it with their classmates. There is a good social environment for people really passionate and curious about academics. Is this kind of social environment hard to find?

It seems like no matter how talented a person is or what subject they are interested in, they can find teachers and classes that can challenge them and teach them in that subject. Do you think that there are a lot of places a Chicago student would simply be bored? Do a lot of these places simply not have the vigor and challenge Chicago can offer?

It seems like Chicago can get you into pretty much any graduate or professional school in any area. I’m assuming a bit here. But it seems like if you have the talent and motivation, Chicago has the resources, preparation, and opportunities. Do you think that at a lot of places, it would be nearly impossible to get into a top graduate school regardless of talent and work because the schools simply do not offer the resources/teaching/preparation/connections?

It seems like, although there might be some bad experiences, you can find a lot of good teachers at chicago that will mentor, challenge and help you. In general, it seems like the school cares a lot about educating undergraduates and putting resources in the hands of students, and anyone at the school can get a good education. How would you compare the quality of education at other places?

Chicago seems like a safe place that can keeps you physically, mentally and socially healthy. The administration cares about your well being and students form peer and adult networks that can help with physical and emotional hard times. It doesn’t seem like there is pressure to be in a certain group, join or not join a greek organization, be a certain way, etc… Rather, most people can find good friends that they enjoy spending time with and who have common interests. Do you think this kind of care and acceptance is hard to come by?

These are just things I’ve been thinking about out of my own curiosity and because I want to know what’s available to my peers and people still applying to college. How do schools compare on these issues across the top 100 usnews schools, private schools and state universities, universities and LACs, specific schools you know, and so on. I don’t pay much respect to usnews ranks, but they do seem like a good starting point for categorizing places and for considering how selective they are.

Of course, I haven’t even started college yet! Maybe my perspective on all this will drastically change. But I am interested about it and I want to know what other people think and what your experiences are.