Pros and cons of the University of Chicago?

UChicago is like my family school, so I'll just forward you the information that my family themselves have told me.

PROS:

-One of the most prestigious universities on planet Earth. On par with most of the Ivy Leagues, Stanford, MIT, Duke, etc. Chicago is among top in the world when it comes to producing Nobel Laureates.

- Pretty safe CAMPUS. Yes you are in south Chicago, but the University has done a good job to make its immediate campus in Hyde Park safe. Will discuss more of this in the Cons section.

-Great school for the Humanities. Not very highly regarded in Practical Sciences and engineering (although renowned Physicist Carl Sagan spent all of his education there). UChicago is a hotbed of future politicians, lawyers, writers, international affairs workers, Investment Bankers, etc.

-Beautiful Campus. The buildings range from old to modern, Gothic to brick. It has a very lovely campus.

-Intelligent student body, with a wide array of interests in the "educational" realm. If it doesn't have to do with an intellectually stimulating conversation, no one wants to hear it.

CONS:

-Off campus is pretty dangerous. If you want to hit the night scene, it would be best to leave valuables at home. Conceal your cell phone as well. Its not uncommon for people to "lose" their cellphones if they are not careful with them.

-Very nerdy and cliquey student body. No one is really interested in sports, parties, etc. You'll find pokemon battles and smash bros brawl to be the common past time among students. Very small greek life.

-Weather. It's not called the "Windy City" for nothing. You will be freezing your respective genitals off in the winter, and summer is hard to predict.

-Crap load of work for classes that shouldn't have as much work associated with it. I can't tell you how much my Cousin raved over the endless amounts of reading, annotating, essays, etc. for her ELECTIVE classes. The proffessors know exactly who the students are in UChicago, and because a majority of them CAN handle the work and won't have issues when it comes to "relaxing" they will work you into the ground.

- People will always confuse this school for The University of Illinois at Chicago. It's just how it is with the naming. The University of Pennsylvania has the same gripe with students at Penn State. An unfortunate name for a grand school, I'm sure.

-Chicago itself. Look I love the city. Everything from the Pizza to the sports, to the *northern* areas of Chicago where you can see the Willis Tower and catch a boat on Lake Michigan. UChicago is not in the Northern side of Chicago. It has a very high crime rate, very high poverty rate, and a very low education rate.

Hope this was in any way helpful to you.

U Chicago is very highly rated, very competitive, challenging courses. It's in a really lousy neighborhood. If you could ever get accepted there, it would be a real accomplishment. Live on campus, and beware the neighborhood.