<p>hey, i'm borderline in deciding to apply to chicago. i have a few questions..</p>
<p>1) how generous is the financial aid? also, is merit aid extremely hard to get? (what sort of stats do you need, etc)</p>
<p>2) is the pre-med track/bio program a strong one? what about acceptance rates to medical school?</p>
<p>3) is it difficult to keep up your gpa? what about grade deflation?</p>
<p>thanks for taking the time!</p>
<p>1) U Chicago's FA is definitely hit-or-miss. You either get really good FA or bad FA. They calculate assets a bit differently than other schools. They are, however, generally open to limited negotiation. The 30 full tuition scholarships are predictably hard to come by, but other top applicants should have a good shot at the 200 $9500 scholarships or the $2500 NMF scholarships. :)</p>
<p>2) Biology is very strong at U Chicago, especially evolutionary biology, paleontology/paleoecology, immunology, and ecology/organismal biology. Pre-meds have about a 85% placement rate into med school. You can apply to the Chicago med school as a sophomore. </p>
<p>3) Don't know-a current student should answer. Chicago is well-known for being extremely tough and having grade deflation, however.</p>
<ol>
<li>A lot of the people I speak to here like their financial aid package a lot. The University is generous and takes merit into account a notable amount.</li>
<li> You can't spit without hitting a bio major. The sciences are strong here.</li>
<li> Yes, it is insanely hard to keep up your GPA, and some teachers don't give A's and all that jazz. On the upside, grad schools/employers take the "went to uchicago' part more seriously than the "graduated with a 3.0", so don't worry. But the sheer amount of work you have to do as a science major makes it hard to get a great record. People don't think about their grades here too much.</li>
</ol>
<p>mmm. That last part sounds quite like Cornell. Grade Deflation. I like that. Now my liking for Cornell is improving quite dramatically ... :)</p>
<p>I'd say, be careful what you wish for though. Some premeds are pretty competitive, and if you're not prepared for that, you might not enjoy your undergrad life the way you want. Visit, sit in on classes, then make a decision.</p>
<p>Yep. Im visiting a few schools after the October SAT. How cold will chicago be in mid- October? Will there be snow? Lol. I've never seen snow before :( I wanna make a snowman ... :p</p>
<p>Hope classes won't be "that" hard!!!</p>
<p>Kjoodles--last year I visited my son in Oct., for parents weekend, and after some rain, the skies cleared and the weather was fantastic-- Indian Summer weather. Anyway, bring an umbrella and a warm coat, in case of rain and chilly weather, but maybe you'll get lucky and hit Chicago during one of those wonderful golden autumn times like I did last year. When I was there, the students said it was the nicest the weather had been since they had arrived. </p>
<p>I don't think you'll get snow in Oct., though I suppose it is possible . . .</p>
<p>varsity, if you go to U Chicago, it stands to reason that the students liked their FA package. The students with crappy FA probably didn't attend. Just wanted to point that out.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I've never seen snow before.
[/quote]
Isn't there some kind of a snow/winter festival at Chicago? I remember reading about it, but I don't remember specifics.</p>
<p>I spoke to people at the weekend for admitted students about our financial aid, so i can say that the aid is good, even for the people who chose other schools eventually. I will note that this a flippin great school, so a lot of people just sucked it up and went anyhow, so the aid may not be all that great. Its not even october here, and its insanely cold. i've never seen snow either, so im prettty psyched myself. But again, its COLD. There is a winter festival (there are a lot of traditions at this school), but i have yet to experience it. Its called k-something (the eskimo word for happiness.)</p>
<p>I wanna make a snowman ... :p</p>
<p>hehe. Im gonna have to buy some warm clothes. Don't really need it much here. Never get anywhere close to freeing here. :)</p>
<p>Comment on Chicago weather - don't expect a lot of snow. Cold yes. Snow no. It comes down, but not in the amounts one sees back east or in mountains.</p>
<p>I've had discussions here with the long time locals. THEY will tell you about the two foot snow fall. The official NWS records will have no record of such a thing. It seems the discrepancy is drifts. The snowfalls here blow and drift. </p>
<p>Here's an example:</p>
<p>January 05, 2005
Chicago's Snowiest January 5 in 120 years</p>
<p>January 5, 2005 has made its mark on Chicago weather history. With 4.9" of snow officially measured from midnight through 8:30 p.m. at O'Hare Airport, the city has shattered today's old snowfall mark of 3.1" established back in 1991. The snow is expected to continue through midnight and today's record snowfall will continue to increase with the day's final snowfall total to be determined at midnight. Chicago snowfall records date back to late 1884.</p>
<p>FIVE inches!</p>
<p>Some other data:</p>
<p>For the month of February, all time records:</p>
<p>temperature, -27
24 hour snow fall, 15"</p>
<p>For the month of February, all time records:</p>
<p>temperature, -17
24 hour snow fall, 10"</p>
<p>Keep in mind that these are ALL time records.</p>
<p>nmd:</p>
<p>I was in Chicago for an interview during that 27 below...with wind chill, it felt like 87 below. The hydraulics on the planes at O'Hare froze, and the only thing in and out was the planes from Florida. It was great time. :)</p>
<p>And, yes, I took the job anyway.</p>
<p>bluebayou,</p>
<p>Do you mean to say you were in Chicago in January 1985?</p>
<p>A historical note:</p>
<p>Chicago Historical Information</p>
<p>1967, 1979: Major Snowstorms</p>
<p>Severe snowstorms are relatively frequent in Chicago compared to Miami, but infrequent compared to Buffalo and other points east. Chicago's snowstorm of the century occurred in the winter of 1967. After unseasonably warm temperatures, snow started falling at 5:02 a.m. Thursday January 26. Snow continued to fall through Friday morning for a total accumulation of 23 inches, with drifts to 6 feet.</p>
<p>Cold weather and periodic snowfalls over the next 10 days created more havoc. Although trains continued to run, cars, buses and planes didn't. Almost all schools, offices and other work places were closed for several days. Commuters unable to reach home spent several nights camped out in downtown hotels, O'Hare International Airport and stranded cars. The Department of Streets and Sanitation, which is responsible for plowing streets, estimated that 75 million tons of snow fell on Chicago. Some of it was sent south in empty railcars as a present to Florida children who had never seen snow before.</p>
<p>Large numbers of fatalities are relatively uncommon in winter storms, but 60 deaths were attributed to the storm--mostly heart attacks from shoveling snow. 273 looters were arrested. One young girl was killed while police were shooting at looters.</p>
<p>The Blizzard of 1979 started on Friday night January 12 and lasted until 2 a.m. Sunday January 14. On top of a 7-10 inch base left over from a New Year's Eve blizzard, 20.3 inches of new snow fell--setting a record for total snow on the ground.</p>
<p>Transportation again came to a standstill for several days. De-icing salt caused electrical motor failures on trains running in expressway medians. These lines had all started operation since 1968. Therefore, unlike previous storms, rapid transit service, as well as buses, cars and planes came to a halt. Aside from transportation problems, garbage piled up, rats flourished and cemeteries delayed burials by several weeks. Popular wisdom attributes the February 27 electorial defeat of Mayor Bilandic to the difficulties the city had in dealing with the storm. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that these are the only "major" storms in 40-50 years. Contrast this with, for example, Boston, which has had 5 or 6 storms (I lost count of the exact number) of 20+ inches in the past 8 years alone.</p>
<p>Though the official temperature in 1985 was -27, it was -29 at many locations with a wind chill of -90. I took the El & Bus to Hyde Park and made it too our University Lab, ...and apparently lived to write about it. I do remember the warnings not to breath too deeply or run for fear of freezing one's lungs. Don't know if that can happen, but the warnings were everywhere. I also lived through all major snow storms, which are kind of fun, ...for awhile.</p>
<p>idad,</p>
<p>You should have seen the weather up in Minneapolis that same period. People without garages would bring their car batteries inside for the night.</p>