The University of Chicago

Date: Jan 02 2009
Major: Economics (This Major's Salary over time)
Simply a great institution, the University of Chicago may be one of the few places left where a real, rigorous liberal arts education takes place. Whereas numerous other institutions are preparing students to go into select fields (engineering, finance, law, medicine, etc.), the university gives you everything you need to enter such fields and more. The Core education focuses on the precise art of thinking, of presenting arguments clearly, of analyzing philosophical perspectives, of understanding the meaning of

human being and citizen,

of recognizing the fact that not all arguments are equal, that there is a conclusion to be reached.

Of course, nothing is really easy. Even the intro biology classes, in addition to the hard technical details about biology, go into depth about current political/cultural issues. Students are encouraged to make connections, to reasonably question basic assumptions, and to understand the methods of constructing ideas with evidence.

The math program, for example, is also one of few in the nation that not only requires a real math course, but teaches delta-epsilon proofs in all levels of Calculus. UChicago students come out not only with a strong ability to calculate (which most decent high school students can anyways), but also with a coherent understanding of the way that math is built from basic axioms, that making strong statements cannot be speculative, but requires rigorous proof based on clear definitions and assumptions.

Of course, I could go on. There very little you can find at other institutions that you can't find at UChicago (besides warm weather). All kinds of social life, activities, clubs, organizations are available. If you really want an experience of a lifetime, this is an excellent place to live the "life of the mind."