Where else did you apply and why Chicago?

SeaLegs
Thu, 15 Aug 2013 21:36:07 +0000

Warning: long post ahead, cliffnotes at bottom.

I am going to attend UChicago in the fall. I applied to all the ivies and a few other top schools. I only got flat-out rejected by Harvard, Princeton, and Brown, but was waitlisted at 6 schools, notably Yale, Columbia, and Stanford. I’m almost sure I would’ve jumped ship if I got off the waitlist at Yale or Stanford, but with Columbia I didn’t seriously pursue the waitlist (not sending in a supplemental essay even though they strongly encouraged it) because I wasn’t as sure.

My final decision really came down to UChicago, Wharton, Dartmouth, and Williams. While I was certain I would be going to Wharton after Ivy day, the other schools really started to jockey for the lead. After a few gut wrenching days, UChicago got the lead. After visiting the above four, UChicago was the semi-tough choice.

It is definitely funny to think about choosing between Wharton and UC, considering that both are on the opposite ends of the theoretical vs practical spectrum. I liked the idea of Wharton because, well, I like the idea of making a bunch of money and I thought business/wall-street would be the way to go. However, I’m very much of an intellectual type and I found it hard to grapple with the idea of just giving up all other types of academic enrichment: I definitely like math and lit plus other areas. While in theory Wharton says “Business and More”, the reality is you take 4-5 classes a semester; so even though 40% of classes are outside of Wharton, that only comes out to a couple classes a semester. I realized this would be okay for someone who had one interest separate from business (someone like Elon Musk who went to Wharton and also got a degree in physics), but it would be a harder fit for someone like me who didn’t know which one field I would pick to double major in without adequately exploring all the disciplines in a college setting. Also, I’m not sure about going into investment banking or the other types of business that Wharton acts as a feeder for, and going there would have been a big commitment.

A couple other things about Wharton was that the students I met didn’t impress me. It’s obviously completely unfair to judge someone off of a few minute encounter, but I didn’t see myself in the people I talked to. Maybe an unfair observation, but the people who go to Wharton seemed like the people who are happy life/business isn’t a meritocracy.

(One side note is that UChicago was very accommodating for me visiting outside of the the admitted students days [including an overnight visit] but Wharton/UPenn was a much more impersonal experience and wouldn’t let me stay overnight)

Dartmouth definitely took my heart for a few days. At the end of my visit there, I felt like it was truly a tossup between there and UChicago. But only a week later, on 4/27, I committed to UChicago. The rationale that formed in my mind was that Dartmouth allured me with the kind of guy I wished I was-- confident, sociable, party hard, and women easy–when I was truly more of a UChicago type–intellectual with some introverted tendencies. As well, I didn’t like the idea of having to go through with the whole frat rushing; I wouldn’t dismiss Dartmouth out of hand just because of the strong frat scene, but when I had alternatives “frats” ultimately became the one word reason I would give people as to why I didn’t go there.

Williams never really took seed in my heart, but sometimes I question whether I should have considered it more. A big drawback for Williams is that I visited it very late in the decision process, doing an overnight around 4/21. As well, it was really hard to connect with my host who was tired, busy, and an entirely different personality type than I am. The class I sat in on was nondescript other than being incredibly small (just under 10 students). In theory it was Dartmouth without the frats, but it was late in the month, my mind was fatigued from the whole process, and I had basically decided on UChicago already.

(Another consideration for Dartmouth and Williams is that I wanted a place easy to commute to from California and that has a whole city to enjoy over four years, not an insular town that I might find old after a couple years)

UChicago was the first school I visited, and it did all it needed to become the frontrunner. While incredibly shallow in retrospect, I was concerned on the quality of women based off of all the self-deprecating jokes. All it took was a few hours on campus to realize that this should not be a concern. The classes were solid, but what made an impression was that everyone took interest in me, even students outside of the admissions-office/PSAC bubble. I felt at home at the house table. Interestingly, UChicago was the only school that, on my trip, brought me to a frat party. The funny thing is that the admissions office almost encourages it, or certainly doesn’t dispel it, perhaps as an effort to eliminate the “Where fun goes to die” notion many hold going in.

Separate and apart from the good visit, just the fundamental characteristics of UChicago suit me very well. For one, the Core is great for me to get the proper classroom exposure to many fields before I make a decision: I get to take 24 classes before I have to make a choice about a major. As well, UChicago is top notch for econ and math, which are my top two interests, and good in lit from what I hear. The reputed workload is daunting, but ultimately it might be for the better considering I tend to do my best work in classes that up the workload and slack-off in classes that don’t push me.

Calculator5 (OP), I don’t have an extended take on Columbia because I never visited or invested much time into it, but if you want some extra perspective on Wharton, Dartmouth, or Williams, I could provide some, although this post contains most of my thought processes.

TL;DR UChicago over Williams, Wharton and Dartmouth
Wharton: too preprofessional, not enough time to explore other areas
Dartmouth: frats and location, but good visit
Williams: meh visit and location
UChicago: good visit, girls not a problem, great in math and econ, Core is good, workload for the best