UChi and Columbia are two of my favorite schools – you would definitely have a fabulous experience there. The Southern Cal schools are very different. – very good students go there, but the atmosphere is quite different from UChi and Columbia – in these schools there is not the slightest doubt – you are in an environment where intellectual life is primary and is second to nothing in importance. I’m not sure you will find that in California.

It is a humbling experience to stand in the middle of the quad at Columbia or Chicago and understand that you are in the heart of one of the great intellectual engines of the world. Not everyone can understand that, and even fewer can experience it as a full member…

Go for it!

ps. Although what Fly says about Harvey Mudd is true, he apparently doesnt realize that it is even more true at Chicago. UChi is one of the few elite schools in the world where really famous professors focus on teaching undergraduates. Every professor teaches them. And the profs there are famous for spending a lot of time with their students… check the comments on some of the student forums and you’ll see MANY comments about UChi students having personal experiences with famous profs. Plus, unlike Harvey Mudd, Chicago is a huge research place. They have absolutely state of the art world class research facilities within walking distance of the undergrad dorms (which are all small and very personalized). The freshman bio majors take classes in the lab next to the medical school student lab… everybody working together on cutting edge research.

You must decide if you are ready for the big time or you just want to spend four years chilling with some smart kids in a small pond.

GOOD LUCK