My son is very interested in this school and baseball program, can anyone help with input ?

thanks

I went there in the early 1980's, got both my BA and MBA from U of C. Pretty interesting place. As demanding academically as they come. The library is the social center of campus. Sports were hardly on the radar screen, at least then.

I assume certain things have changed in 20 years, but it was an elite education, a solid gold degree, and a great campus that sits kind of as an oasis in the middle of pretty rough area of town.

But it has the advantage of having a Harold's Chicken Shack nearby.

thanks for the help !

joein....

Son was accepted to UC 'early action' for the 2006-2007 semester as a freshman. Attends the University of Rochester in New York. Our son did a "stay over" with one of the players during the recruiting process. Coach Baldea at UC, and his assistant, Coach Budesalich are two terrific people. Knew Coach Budesalich from a previous Notre Dame camp.

Education wise Like Rob Kremer posted, the neighborhood is pretty scarey at best. They have had a number of physical attacks, and I hate to say it but murders as well, this past year!! You could argue the fact that this could happen anywhere, and it probably does. Players who decide to leave the surrounding campus, even though protected by campus police, are strongly encouraged to go in groups if they take public transportation into the city.

The baseball field is an open area with a backstop, but with no permanent outfield fencing. Its the plastic weather type of fence that is put-up and taken down seasonally. Go to the schools website and checkout the statistics from past baseball seasons to determine how important baseball is when paired with a great education!!!

I'm not trying to discourage your ideas about your son attending UC, our son had a tough time as well deciding. We visited a number of quality universities and found that many are in neighborhoods that are not to appealing, i.e., Univ. of Pennsylvania, Yale, Johns Hopkins, and to a certain extent his school, the Univ. of Rochester. UR has some natural boundries like a river, a research hospital, and a cemetary that mostly encircles the campus, so its really not bad. Of coarse if you leave the area, you could probably encounter bad areas, but it really isn't too bad.

Knowing that your son has the ability to pretty much go to any university does feel good. Lots of luck in the 'search' process.

My daughter looked at UC pretty closely and decided she wanted a smaller school. But, for someone who is interested in a highly, highly intellectual (the phrase usually used is "quirky intellectual") campus and some of the best departments in the country, including anthropology and economics, you can't beat Chicago. Hyde Park itself where the campus is is pretty nice and has been improved a lot in the last years. But beyond the campus, the neighborhood especially at night is dangerous (one of the reasons I was lukewarm about it).

Really high percentage of students go on to graduate schools and professional schools.

It also got ranked I think 8th in the USNWR rankings and the applications were WAY up (42%) this year in the early round. It seems to be becoming more popular.

I can't speak to the baseball program since my daughter doesn't play and isn't recruited .

Why can't they clean up the neighborhood surrounding one of America's top five universities? It is a disgrace that students have to worry about being mugged, raped, or murdered just walking around or near campus. Univ of Chicago is an academic star and it should be a safe place to go to school.

I have to imagine you need a 4.0 or better and a 1400 or so SAT to get in there. Plus, it has to cost upwards of $40K to go there.

Northwestern offers much the same academic opportunity but with Big Ten Div I athletics and in a nicer part of town. . .

Actually, the UofC campus is not at all unsafe. Hyde Park is a pretty nice area. It is outside of the confines of Hyde Park where the neighborhoods get sketchy.

But on campus, there is a large, almost ubiquitous campus police force that makes sure things are safe.

Yes, Northwestern is in a more pleasant town, for sure. Its campus is really nice. Biased as I am, I'll go out on a limb and say that the tradition of academics are not as strong at Northwestern.

Rob--Certainly would not disagree about UofC's traditional academic ranking compared with NW's--but both are GREAT schools in a great city. UofC is a top five school in the U.S., and, truth be told, if not for politics, it would be #1. NW, on the other hand, is "only" a top 20 school in the U.S. And the non-academic factors may be decisive for a baseball player (Big Ten baseball, while not PAC 10, ACC, SEC, or Big 12, is certainly top tier). And I have been to UofC and its neighborhoods and areas around it. It can be dicey pretty quickly (though that never stopped me from frequenting The Checkerboard Lounge back in the halcyon days of Buddy Guy and Junior Wells at their respective peaks).

thanks for all the great input from area experts. My son and I had a chance to take in a game, and saw UC play Case, and also had a chance to speak with some of the UC parents. thanks again

Funny it is a small world. We were there too checking out both U of Chicago and Wash U!

wow, that is awesome, were you there saturday or sunday ? what position does your son play, what high school ? BEST OF LUCK THE REST OF THE SEASON !

While I am also interested in the University of Chicago, what showcases do their coaches attend and in what parts of the country? I am a North Carolinian looking for exposure to the program. Looking at the roster, I noticed there aren't any players from this part of the country. I have already been in contact with the coaches. Any help would be great.