I received the University of Chicago’s ‘Prospectus’ in the mail today, which they call “the Life of the Mind.” The attached letter specified quite clearly that this was not a viewbook but rather a collection of stories about student experiences. It was even shaped like a book, rather than any viewbook.

The book was divided into sections, for instance one detailing a class trip to Wyoming to a dig for a paleontology-type class. Each section was very distinct from the others and offered a great taste of different academic possibilities on campus. There was one on sports, too, and another on Chicago neighborhoods. It offered great insight–so what was wrong?

Here is what gave it away: each section was meant to a candid camera view of a class, or a study session, or a spot of research. This was achieved mostly through conversations–there were pictures to complement these. The probem: no one said ‘like’ –ever. Every tour or interaction I’ve seen with even the brightest Ivy Leaguers has still had a visit from that disastrously common word. I know the University of Chicago is a very intellectual place which takes its academics seriously, but its students are not freaks; their lives are not an endless series of epiphanies strung together by eloquent questions posed to genius teachers. It’s rather unbelievable. It felt a little disingenuous. Not so much because it lacked the word “like” but because that omission was representative of the way in which it felt vaguely sanitized. Reading the book I get the feeling that these are not normal people. I don’t mean “not normal” in the sense of “people passionate about learning and academics, just like me, awesome!” I mean not normal.

People do discuss Marx over Chinese food, I realize. I discuss Marx over Chinese food. The difference is that I remember to eat, too. These people are caricatures who take themselves far too seriously. I would have preferred to see more “real” students. Real students are not numbingly serious when they are discussing planting flowers and growing vegetables.

I still really like the concept, though, and the fact that the people seem viewbookified doesn’t detract from the examples all that much.

Admissions offices can go on thinking that a ‘perfect world’ image of a school looks and works best in reaching out to students, but it really doesn’t. Why not? Because only the most narcissistic people will feel they could fit in such a perfect place. College choices should be, after all, about fit.