Which is harder to get into- Northwestern or U. Chicago?

Colleges & Universities Northwestern University
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<p>Thread necromancy is not cool.</p>

102

<p>In spite of roughly equivalent % admitted, as a much larger school Northwestern rejects FAR more applicants than UChicago, and has FAR more applicants to choose from. As I said earlier, NU could fill 2000 slots with kids with virtually perfect stats, but they instead choose applicants based on wholistic criteria.</p>

103

<p>^^
On the other hand, it’s interesting to see what people said about the future few years ago and then fast-forward to today and compare. Post by Cue7 back in 2009:

</p>

<p>Looks like Cue7 was right on the money!!</p>

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<p>The question of selectivity, in my opinion, can’t really be answered directly. Both schools are fundamentally different in that the type of applicants they look for are different. It is probably true that UChicago tends to attract the more nerdy types, while Northwestern will attract the more athletic and socially-capable students. I had to make the decision between Northwestern and UChicago about two months ago. In talking to another student facing the same dilemma, I realized that we had much in common. In the end, I picked UChicago, while he picked Northwestern. The schools are truly comparable in prestige, and to me, making a distinction based on perceived selectivity is meaningless.</p>

105

<p>To add to my response:</p>

<p>I ended up choosing UChicago based on the strength of the economics department and its high national and international ranking. I also felt as though I’d fit in with some of the shy (but not socially awkward) students at UChicago. </p>

<p>My acquaintance ended up picking Northwestern because he was freaked out by the weird kids on the UChicago facebook group. I don’t blame him, they were pretty damn weird (but that’s not representative of the student body). He felt as though he’d fit in better with the Northwestern student body, and it was probably a wise decision.</p>

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<p>NU is clearly a more well rounded school. Chicago kids are a bunch of weirdos who have unjustifiable superiority complexes. It holds them in good stead when they are looking for jobs at the local McDonalds. (insert sarcasm)</p>

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<p>I assure you…Chicago students don’t have superiority complexes. Some threads in the Chicago forum argue against her and may have created a bad impression.</p>

108

<p>This is beyond childish. Whether you’re a prospective student heading to either school, or an alumnus, this is embarrassing.</p>

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<p>This thread is hilarious.</p>

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<p>There are a lot of differences, and both admissions teams look at different things. As someone stated earlier, I feel UChicago is more of a research, academic-oriented school, whereas Northwestern is more of a career-oriented one (but both schools have great research and professional opportunities in general). Thus, both schools in general look for different types of applicants (and the tell through the essays, recs, and ECs). </p>

<p>Also, it’s important to take into account the fact that UC is going through a transformation right now. It’s becoming more traditional in the sense that it is getting a lot more applicants, and becoming more known amongst applicants. Thus, I feel that UC does look at the numbers (SATs, GPA, etc.) a lot more than they used to / once claimed to. This is not to say that UC doesn’t weigh their infamous essays a lot anymore, they probably still count on those more than any other school, but I’m just saying numbers play a larger role than they used to. Northwestern on the other hand hasn’t changed that much, and they probably still weigh the essays and the stats how they always used to.</p>

<p>To simply answer the question, UC is harder to get into. They have a lower acceptance rate, and a lot more essays to right. I got in and am going to NU, but the logic is simple as to why UC will be harder to get into. First is, like I’ve said before, it’s becoming a lot more popular since its #5 rating on USNWR. In fact, it has already overenrolled for the class of 2016. Next year, they’ll know to admit A LOT less people, and they’ll also expect a rise in applicants again (thus dropping their acceptance rate even lower). Just based on those simple facts alone, the UC admissions team is going to be a lot more strict, just because their school is suddenly a VERY popular choice now, and they are only getting used to dealing with it now. NU, on the other hand, has always been a relatively popular choice. Though more people are going to NU and applying there year after year, it is not to the degree of change as UC, since UC has sort of come out of nowhere now (whereas before it was only/mainly well known amongst others in academia).</p>

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<p>All those who are considering answering collegechica7: <a href=“http://newsrealblog.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2009/09/dont-feed-the-■■■■■.jpg[/url]”>http://newsrealblog.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2009/09/dont-feed-the-■■■■■.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>They get really upset when you ignore them and look for other places to get their fill, as seems to have happened when (presumably) she was ignored at the U Chicago forum.</p>

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<p>Northwestern students rarely post on the UChicago forum but UChicago forum seem to be on the Northwestern forum an awful lot. It’s okay- we’re used to being popular ;)</p>