It really is a tough choice. UChicago of course has an amazing academic program- one that is, from what I've heard, much better than Georgetown's. Every single person I've talked to who is associated with Chicago in some way has said that the classes and professors really are excellent. Meanwhile, I've heard from one or two Georgetown-associated people that a lot of the non history, politics, and english classes are only okay. UChicago also has an absolutely gorgeous campus- it's probably the most beautiful campus I've ever seen. They have this one church, called Rockefeller Chapel, that is better-looking than any of the churches in Paris. UChicago's campus definitely beats Georgetown's.
Another thing that I liked about UChicago were their dorms. The rooms were pretty crappy- I feel like that's true about freshman dorms at any college (including Georgetown)- but each dorm also had its own common room. The common rooms were huge- with comfy sofas, big TVs, video game systems, and a bunch of people just hanging out. I really can imagine myself hanging out here- talking with friends and studying (it is UChicago, after all). Lastly, UChicago is probably more prestigious than Georgetown. I feel like it would definitely look better on a resume than Georgetown; but I could be wrong about that.
Location-wise, though, Georgetown definitely has Chicago beat. It's right next to DC, meaning I could possible get an internship in Congress, at the White House, at the Supreme Court, or plenty of other places. UChicago just can't offer that. Plus, apparently UChicago isn't that close to downtown Chicago- whereas Georgetown is pretty damn close to downtown DC and is in a much nicer part of town than UChicago is. Also- I didn't realize how much colder it is in Chicago than in DC. Temperature-wise, I think it's basically the same. But it is really windy in Chicago. I feel like all of us who live in Northern Virginia are kind of spoiled in regards to how good of a climate we have here.
Another thing about Georgetown is that I know a couple of people who are going there and am really good friends with at least one, and maybe two, future Georgetown students. That would definitely make the transition process a lot easier. Something else I definitely noticed is that Georgetown seems to have a lot more school spirit than UChicago. They have a really good Division I basketball team, while UChicago sports teams are almost nonexistent, so that's a given; but beyond that I got the sense that Georgetown students had more pride in their school than UChicago students did. Obviously this isn't the biggest factor in the world, but I do think it would be cool to be part of this great community surrounding their basketball team that Georgetown offers.
Counselors and other college-associated people always talk about the "fit" of a college. At the beginning of the day while I was visiting UChicago, I really was pretty sure I was going to go there. But then I started hanging out with the current students and prospective students (affectionately deemed "prospies") a bit more. And honestly, a lot of them are pretty weird. I did not find that whole "where fun goes to die" stereotype to be true at all. There were plenty of things going on during the overnight, and basically every student told me that while UChicago is a lot of work, they do have a lot of time to hang out. But I found the stereotype of the weird, socially awkward kids to be pretty true. And I don't know if I'd fit into that type of atmosphere (no mean jokes here, please). Georgetown, meanwhile, I don't foresee having any problem fitting into. Honestly, I think I could see myself better at Georgetown than at UChicago.
Here's the thing, though. I only spent one and a half days at both schools. I didn't even stay overnight at Georgetown- so I can't say I know too much about its atmosphere. UChicago is divided up into different dorms and "houses," each of which apparently has its own culture and atmosphere; and my current-student roommate told me the house I stayed in (Linn-Mathews) had a "unique" atmosphere. Really everyone I've talked to who is in Chicago or went there said that yes, there are a lot of weird kids- probably a higher proportion than at most other schools. But at the same time, they said, it's really not difficult to find cool people to hang out with- and I did meet a lot of cool prospies during my stay at UChicago. So how much can I really read into that whole "fit" feeling?
Obviously I'm going to have to decide this soon. After considering all of this, right now I think I'm leaning towards UChicago. While I feel like UChicago would be a riskier choice than Georgetown, I also think it probably will be more rewarding and better career-wise. I would be giving up the excellent DC location, but really, I could always get an internship on Capitol Hill during the summer if I wanted. And I'm sure I would meet plenty of cool people at UChicago- not just a bunch of weirdos.
I really would like to get peoples' opinions on this. Am I making a mistake by disregarding this feeling I'm getting about the whole "fit" deal? Or am I making the right choice? Am I not considering something here in making my decision? Comments would be appreciated.
