Hardest Colleges To Get Into for 2023

cyclone13

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aaah, U of Chicago: where fun comes to die

I heard General Mills prefer U of Chicago grads to fill their C-level personnel.
 
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jcyclonee

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I'd think a lot of it is local kids who want to play college sports but aren't good enough to play for Iowa/ISU/UNI. Another part of it is a lot of kids from smaller towns/schools don't want a huge university environment with 400 kids in a lecture. They think/know they'll be more successful in a smaller environment with smaller classes.

Private colleges typically offer much larger tuition discounts than big public universities. So in the end, the out-of-pocket to attend a Wartburg, Coe, Simpson, etc. is going to be pretty comparable to Iowa or ISU. I have a lot of friends and relatives who've sent their kids to small Iowa privates and they're by no means wealthy.
The religious aspects of some small schools is important to a number of families, too.
 

Mr.G.Spot

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I went to grad school at uchicago and knew a few people who did their undergrad there as well. All were extremely smart.
UC looks down their nose at everyone - not in a snooty way, they truly believe their university and students are the best anywhere.

In a weak moment, they see Caltech, MIT and Oxford as universities with similar qualities. They definitely think they are better than Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc.

What was your grad degree in at UC?
 

SCNCY

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No doubt. I think I was referencing some comments about wanting to stay in the Midwest after graduation. If you want to work for Goldman, Morgan Stanley, BlockRock, Blackstone, etc. then a Wharton degree or, believe it or not, a liberal arts or econ degree from Chicago, Harvard, Yale etc. goes a long way to getting your foot in the door.

When I was in school at ISU, I visited one of the proprietary trading firms in Chicago. As we were touring around the office, our guide pointed out a guy at one of the trading desks (with like 10 monitors) who said that he was one of their best traders; had a degree is classical art of something like that. So can confirm that they will hire non business educated people. Really, they are looking for people who will work hard and learn something new in order to succeed.
 
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cyclone13

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I went to grad school at uchicago and knew a few people who did their undergrad there as well. All were extremely smart.
Is it true that it's really difficult to get As there? That basically companies know that the Bs in U of Chicago worth basically As in most of other universities?
 

Mr.G.Spot

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Is it true that it's really difficult to get As there? That basically companies know that the Bs in U of Chicago worth basically As in most of other universities?
I believe it is the 4th or 5th hardest college to get into purely determined by acceptance ratio, which can be misading in itself.

They pride themselves, and the undergraduate curriculum, of no grade inflation in the past 50 years. I believe, if you graduate as an undergrad with a 3.0 or above then you are graduating with honors.

I have a good friend's son, a national merit scholar and graduated with a 2.75 in chemistry at UC, is now in his third year in med school at Iowa.

The two main slogans for undergrads at UC are: "The University of Chicago were fun goes to die and if I wanted an A I would have gone to Harvard.". You will see those these t shirts when walking around campus.
 

AuH2O

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I've never met a Grinnell grad in Iowa but I met two in the 15 years I worked in Chicago.

FWIW one of them was identical age, job, field, employer as me.
I know two. One was from the bay area, the other podunk Iowa. Both were off the charts smart. The kid from the bay area is pretty successful. The kid from Iowa hasn't really achieved a whole hell of a lot. The difference between the two is the kid from the bay area works his ass off, and the kid from Iowa still parties like an undergrad and is probably 32 years old.
 

ClonerJams

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My cousin is in grad school at NYU. Kind of surprised they're not on this list; they're pretty selective from what I understand.
 

mramseyISU

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I'd think a lot of it is local kids who want to play college sports but aren't good enough to play for Iowa/ISU/UNI. Another part of it is a lot of kids from smaller towns/schools don't want a huge university environment with 400 kids in a lecture. They think/know they'll be more successful in a smaller environment with smaller classes.

Private colleges typically offer much larger tuition discounts than big public universities. So in the end, the out-of-pocket to attend a Wartburg, Coe, Simpson, etc. is going to be pretty comparable to Iowa or ISU. I have a lot of friends and relatives who've sent their kids to small Iowa privates and they're by no means wealthy.
I know several Wartburg grads and all of them played sports. Basically if you're good enough to play there they'll find a way to make the tuition comparable to UNI.
 

Mr.G.Spot

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My cousin is in grad school at NYU. Kind of surprised they're not on this list; they're pretty selective from what I understand.
Very good school. Probably not top ten.....more like top 20.

Lists and more lists......... splitting hairs for the most part.
 

carvers4math

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I believe it is the 4th or 5th hardest college to get into purely determined by acceptance ratio, which can be misading in itself.

They pride themselves, and the undergraduate curriculum, of no grade inflation in the past 50 years. I believe, if you graduate as an undergrad with a 3.0 or above then you are graduating with honors.

I have a good friend's son, a national merit scholar and graduated with a 2.75 in chemistry at UC, is now in his third year in med school at Iowa.

The two main slogans for undergrads at UC are: "The University of Chicago were fun goes to die and if I wanted an A I would have gone to Harvard.". You will see those these t shirts when walking around campus.
Grading is similar at Caltech although there are a few geniuses among the geniuses. Husband found some Caltech joke book that had a fake blue book marked 27%, A+. Wasn’t too far from the truth. Exams were incredibly difficult.

When we went to commencement, they had a fancy dinner and were at a table with son’s friends and their families. There was one empty spot and a student with no family there took the spot. He turned out to be the top of the class.
 
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Mr.G.Spot

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I just finished up a CalTech Systems Engineering crash course. If the undergrad programs are anywhere near as good as that as I would say you're right. I think I'm going to do a year long systems engineering program through them in the next year or so I enjoyed it so much.
Carversformath knows more than I do about Caltech. I just have very close hand knowledge that UC considers themselves in a class by themselves, and they see CalTech and MIT as peers.
 
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FriendlySpartan

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My cousin is in grad school at NYU. Kind of surprised they're not on this list; they're pretty selective from what I understand.
NYU is in the same catagory as Michigan, Virginia, and Cal (not cal tech) very good schools that will open doors and have prestige but not at the same level of an ivy or Stanford, MIT, etc.
 
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Gonzo

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I know several Wartburg grads and all of them played sports. Basically if you're good enough to play there they'll find a way to make the tuition comparable to UNI.
This was back in the dark ages but I considered playing D3 football, my family wasn't able to help with costs, and yes, while D3 privates "can't offer athletic scholarships" they would've been able to make it work for me with loans, grants, and other scholarships.
 

carvers4math

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I just finished up a CalTech Systems Engineering crash course. If the undergrad programs are anywhere near as good as that as I would say you're right. I think I'm going to do a year long systems engineering program through them in the next year or so I enjoyed it so much.
If you get to the LA area you should visit the campus. It’s small but lovely and interesting. Olive trees are a big thing. They shot the TV show Numb3rs there for the parts with Charlie, the nerdy brother who was a prof at the mythical CalSci or whatever they called it.

There are various items related to Nobel prize winners. Son showed us the device used by Robert Milikan for the oil drop experiment he did while at University of Chicago and brought that with him to Caltech. They roll that out in first year physics although it’s just laying around in a building.

The Jet Propulsion Lab is both a Caltech and NASA venture originating from some students messing around with rockets. Not on campus but very worth a visit.
 
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mramseyISU

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If you get to the LA area you should visit the campus. It’s small but lovely and interesting. Olive trees are a big thing. They shot the TV show Numb3rs there for the parts with Charlie, the nerdy brother who was a prof at the mythical CalSci or whatever they called it.

There are various items related to Nobel prize winners. Son showed us the device used by Robert Milikan for the oil drop experiment he did while at University of Chicago and brought that with him to Caltech. They roll that out in first year physics although it’s just laying around in a building.

The Jet Propulsion Lab is both a Caltech and NASA venture originating from some students messing around with rockets. Not on campus but very worth a visit.
If I do end up in that year long course part of it is done on campus which would definitely be a highlight.

My 8th grader really wants to work at JPL when he grows up so he'll be super jealous if I do get to spend some time out there.
 
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