Ask a Current Student!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
21

<p>Hi there.
“When I go to a US University, I want the typical college experience- work hard/party hard. (Probably party harder…haha!)
Well, how do you like the parties at UChicago?
I heard and read (e.g. Princeton Review) some bad stuff about the UChicago Social Scene.
90%nerds and ultra competetive…
Is that true?”</p>

<p>–> To be honest, we may not party as hard as, say, some of the larger state universities. But here you can party as much or as little as you want. Some people party all the time, some never do. So while it’s not a campus where everyone gets smashed every night, some people do (and some don’t). We have a reputation for being very anti-social, but that’s outdated and false :). And it’s not academically competitive–the person next to you in class will almost always be more interested in working together to understand the materials better rather than sabotaging your grade.</p>

<p>“And how do you like Chicago? Is it a long way to the hot spots from UChicago and are there any buses or tubes that go there?(I certainly do not want to buy a car…)
I’m gonna be 21 when I start studying and I wonder if there are many students who are as old as I am? By the way…
Clubbing and drinking is prohibited under 21 in the US, right? So will my classmates have problems going out on the WE?”</p>

<p>–>Chicago is a very fun city. Getting to downtown with public transport (buses, subway, trains) takes only 20-25 minutes; add 15 minutes or more to get to some of the other neighborhoods. But it’s fairly simple to figure out how to get around, and there are lots of great places to go.
I think a fair number of the international students are a few years older than the average US students…several that I know are in the 20-22 range (and are first years); some US students are that age as well. So while most first years won’t be as old as you, some will, and of course the upper year students will be close to your age (and it’s common for people of different years to mix).
About the clubbing and drinking: Your classmates who are not 21 won’t be able to go to bars or clubs, but on-campus parties happen all the time and they do not check ID so underage students who want to go out (mostly 1-2 years) will go out all the time on weekends, but mostly to on-campus events (frat parties, apartment parties, dorm-room parties, etc.) You’ll still be able to party with them no problem. Just not at clubs in the city.</p>

22

<p>The financial aid office is a very mysterious place that no one understands. Your admissions counselor is a much better source on this one.</p>

23

<p>THX Me.Antonia</p>

<p>Can you also tell me anything about greek life?(And I know literally NOTHING about it!)
Does UCHicago has a good public transportation system? (Running 24/7?)
I live in Hamburg right know, and people say, that Chicago is very similar to Hamburg.
(Weather sucks, friendly people, <3 electro music, never sleeps/partying until noon,)
Is that true?</p>

24

<p>Greek life: There are 3 sororities and 12 fraternities on campus, and around 15% of the student body is involved in Greek life. Basically, the frats are there if you want, but if you’re not that kind of person, the most you’ll see is a few people walking around with their Greek hoodies/bags/t-shirts. I’d say that there’s a certain “theme” to most of the frats, and some frats have long-standing traditions (i.e. Alpha Delt has Bar Nights every Wednesday nights). If you’re just looking to go to their parties, there’s usually at least one big party at least one frat every weekend.</p>

<p>Transportation: The university has an EXCELLENT public transportation system (then again I’m from Michigan so anything is better than nothing). The University has a contract with the Chicago Transportation Authority to have two public bus routes servicing around the campus, which are free to university students. In addition, there are four shuttle routes that depart from the library to the different parts of campus late at night. Finally, there is also the Safe Ride van that will pick you up anywhere and drive you anywhere around Hyde Park for free. It operates from the evening to the wee early hours so you won’t ever have to walk back to your dorm at 2am if you don’t want to. As for getting into downtown, there’s public transportation by bus, the “L,” or a combination, and the Metra, which is a commuter train that runs by the lake and will drop you off at Millenium Station. Taxis cost around $20 to get from Hyde Park to downtown.</p>

25

<p>Does Competitiveness get too intense?</p>

26

<p>Are you the Antonia mentioned in a recent blog post (the one who won the Truman scholarship)?</p>

27

<p>Oh, goodness no. Antonia’s actually my middle name. But I do know the one who got the Truman scholarship. She’s an amazing person.</p>

28

<p>Q: Does the competitiveness get too intense?
A: I have always found the academic community to be very supportive. Students really aren’t competitive about grades/grading on the curve, and genuinely want to help each other and collaborate and learn. My friend is in a rather large Chemistry lecture which is graded on the curve. There’s one kid who consistently sets the curve in the class on every test. Instead of trying to keep it that way, he holds study sessions with any student in the class who is struggling, no matter whether or not it might have a detrimental effect on his grades. So people really aren’t competitive in that respect. People don’t really care what grades you get–it’s not something you ask unless you’re trying to improve your work (example: So I got a B on a Humanities paper and my friend got an A-; I might ask in that case to see their paper to see what I could improve upon. This person would probably help me unless they were super shy about having other people read their writing).</p>

<p>To sum it up, there isn’t much of a competitive aspect for grades here. It’s very much a collaborative spirit, where the goal is learning and enrichment.</p>

<p>(sorry it took me a few days to reply!)</p>

29

<p>Me.Antonia- my son is currently a HS junior very interested in Chicago. You mentioned going to Chicago Symphony Orchestra - does the university offer discounted tickets to the arts for students? Also, he is interested in double majoring in math and music and wants to be involved in orchestra at school and ensembles. Can you tell me anyting about either dept and how difficult it is to double major? thanks!</p>

30

<p>Your son actually sounds just like one of my housemates–he’s a genius math major type but also incredibly musical. I don’t know whether he’s going to pursue music as a second major, but double-majoring here is certainly possible, and while the math major is large-ish, the music major doesn’t have too many requirements, so a doubling wouldn’t be too hard. As for the departments, I know that the math department is phenomenal. The music department is smaller and not performance oriented (although they are building a new performing arts center, which is AWESOME), but it’s very very good for the academic study of music, theory, history, and it’s apparently a very good place to study composition. Hey, if Phillip Glass did it at U of C…</p>

<p>Chicago Symphony–the university itself doesn’t offer student tickets, but for most concerts the CSO has student tickets from 10-15 dollars. Also, when you’re in housing, your house or sometimes dorm will sponsor Symphony trips where they will subsidize some of the costs. I’ve gone to the symphony a few times, (Mahler 4, Bruckner, etc.) and the CSO definitely deserves its reputation as one of the greatest symphonies in the world.</p>

<p>As for performance opportunities on campus, I don’t know what your son’s particular musical interests are, but there are A LOT of a cappella groups (men, women, and mixed), large choir groups, two orchestras, a wind ensemble, a New Music ensemble, and then lots of smaller chamber ensembles (and I’m sure I’m missing some…). I’m a member of the University Symphony, which is the larger performance ensemble, and they’re really quite good (although the conductor is occasionally a bit crazy). We play a lot of bigger works–this year we’ve done things like West Side Story, Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis, Sibelius I, and we’re doing Brahms 4 soon. We also often have big-name people perform with us. Our upcoming concert is with Edgar Meyer, who is one of the most famous string bass players in the world right now. So the Symphony’s a really fun program, and the time commitment isn’t too heavy, which is nice.</p>

<p>If you or your son have any further questions about any of these things, feel free to ask!</p>

31

<p>I am an admitted student and currently strongly considering going to U. Chicago. I really do see myself taking part in the intellectual life at U. Chicago that I hear so much about in addition to enjoying all the opportunities to pursue other kinds of interests. I have also heard a lot about the demanding workload there. I would really appreciate it if you help describe to me what your “typical” day at U. Chicago consists of and whether the workload is truly that overwhelming. Thanks.</p>

32

<p>Most classes here are MWF, MW, or TTh, so my mw’s are different from my tth’s. But here’s an example (as in, here is what I did/will probably do today):</p>

<p>Monday:
8.30: Wake up to my roommate getting up. Fall back asleep.
9.30: Wake up to my alarm. Snooze.
9.40: Get up. Shower, dress, last minute Russian homework or Dostoevsky reading, oatmeal in my room (thank you, illicit hot-water heater appliance).
10.20: Walk leisurely to Russian with a few friends from BJ to Cobb.
10.30-11.20: Russian. Conjugate some verbs, converse about the idiotic characters in the videos we watch.
11.20: Powerwalk from Cobb to the BSLC (bio building). Wave at tons of people.
11.30-12.20: Bio Topics class–“The X Chromosome and Its Degenerate Counterpart, the Y” (one of many classes for nonmajors.) Tre cool class about sex biology. Taught by an adorably nerdy septagenarian dude.
12.30-1.15: Lunch in the BJ dining hall at my house table. Today we discussed such varied topics as the in-house Assassins game, imagining music, and what it would be like to have an AI computer friend in your brain that you grow up with. And the disappointing mac’n’cheese.
1.15-2.50: Go back to my room. Fool around on the internet, talk to prospective students, figure out my schedule for the week, hurriedly try to finish the Dostoevsky reading (Crime and Punishment, 150 pages) that I should have done last night but mostly blew off in favor of watching old episodes of Buffy.
2.50: Head back across the Midway to the gorgeous Harper Memorial Library for my awesome Dostoevsky class.
3.00-4.20: Dostoevsky. Cute professor+British accent+some of the world’s greatest literature+a bunch of my friends=AMAZING. Stare raptly for an hour and a half. Take lots of notes that may or may not be comprehensible later.
4.20: Head to the Reynold’s Club to do some theater business and meet up with friends in Hallowed Grounds, one of the sweet coffee shops on campus. Try to sit in a squishy chair and get Kant reading done. End up either chatting with friends or dozing.
6.30: Return to BJ for dinner.
6.30-7.30: Delicious BJ food. Sorta. But good company and good conversation.
7.30-10.30: Try to finish the Kant (40ish pages), make flashcards for Russian quiz Thursday, get caught up on Dostoevsky. Probably will achieve half of these objectives, interspersed with lots of chatting, internet surfing, facebooking, etc.
10.30-11.45: Go to Ratner. Half an hour elliptical, half an hour weight training. Return home with lots of endorphins and sore muscles.
12.00-1.15: Work, this time away from the computer so as not to be tempted. Report to my commander for Assassins. If I managed to get stuff done earlier, watch old episodes of Buffy/Dollhouse/The Daily show.
1.30: Bed.</p>

<p>As for the workload, I’d say it really depends on the day and the week. Sometimes you’ll have two papers due within a few days of each other or a paper near a midterm, but other weeks will be oddly free. I don’t tend to really do much work daily; usually there are two or three days a week (Tuesday and Wednesday esp.) where I work pretty seriously and the rest where I spend a lot more time goofing off, on the web, watching movies, hanging out, having rehearsals for music/theater, giving campus tours…I usually work a bit each day, but not terribly much (As I said earlier, I get off topic pretty easily. On my big work days I’ll usually go to the library).</p>

<p>Also, my T/Th this quarter is totally awesome because I only have class from 2-4.30 (Russian drill session, Hum class) and then I’m totally done, so I have the morning to give a campus tour/be productive/be unproductive.</p>

<p>Hope this helped! Each day here is a bit different for me (Friday and Saturday tend to have the word “party” somewhere), but my Mondays are pretty standard.</p>

33

<p>Hi Antonia! I love reading this thread, lots of good insight.</p>

<p>My dad just mailed in our financial aid appeal in the hopes of lowering the parent contribution. Do you happen to know how often these result favorably? Maybe you had an experience appealing or know someone who did.</p>

<p>Also, please convince me as to why your residence hall is the best ;)</p>

34

<p>I unfortunately have really no idea about the mysterious realm that is the financial aid office. No one does. Some people have very good results and are extremely happy with their packages; others do not. From what I’ve heard, it’s kind of a crapshoot…good luck though!</p>

<p>Ah, my residence hall. Burton-Judson, BJ, “the Beej”…is totally awesome and pretty much the best. Reasons:

  1. Proximity to main quad–it’s a lovely 5 minute walk to campus, which, while not quite as convenient as Max or Snell, is still pretty good, especially in Fall and Spring.
  2. Attached dining hall. No treks across campus–it’s right there. Brunch in PJs is therefore feasible.
  3. Lots of singles and all doubles are two room suites. The singles can get pretty large, especially the ones that upperclassmen (and thus, you in one or two years) get, and some of the doubles are freakin’ enormous. And being able to have a roommate but still your own room (or a communal bedroom and communal desk/study room) is GREAT. Speaking from experience.
  4. Small houses with super-tight-knit communities. The value of this cannot be overstated.
  5. General Nerdery. Pretty much self explanatory. We’re nerds, but not in a creepy way. We still know how to have fun.
  6. Communal bathrooms. Now, this may seem counter intuitive, but I am quite happy to take showers in flip flops just to avoid having to clean my own bathroom.
  7. Generally beauty. It’s basically a castle. Awesome. Lovely courtyards, old stone, ivy, the works. And the Midway, which is lovely for soccer, frisbee, ice skating, and the like.
  8. Proximity to Law School (and thus Law Library and thus study space, cafe, and a hidden ATM).
  9. Proximity to South Campus Residence Hall. BJ rooms are only singles and doubles and therefore less suited to parties. It used to be that for non-frat parties, you had to go all the way to Max, the Shoreland, or an apartment for a party. Now they will be right next door, along with all the awesome former Shoreland members. This. Will. Be. EPIC.
  10. The most awesome people on campus. Did I sort of cover this earlier? Doesn’t matter.</p>

<p>That said, the other dorms are really great too, for the most part, and I’ve come to realize that I’d probably be happy just about anywhere, because most people are just total BAMFs here. So don’t stress too much about dorms. You’ll probably find a great community wherever you end up, and if it doesn’t work out you can always transfer :)</p>

35

<p>I’m sure all the dorms are great like you said. I just wanted to see how much you liked yours. It doesn’t really matter anyway. I won’t commit until after they review my financial aid appeal and give back an offer (if it’s favorable), so I’ll be committing pretty late. I’ll take what they give me and be happy regardless.</p>

36

<p>How is the English Department here? I want to be a critic and eventually go into publishing.</p>

37

<p>I’m not an English major, but I have been taught (in my humanities class) by an AMAZING professor of English–he’s got one of those fancy positions named after a donor and could be teaching grad classes but thinks undergrads are way more awesome so he teaches every quarter in several fields. And my RA, who is an English major, assures me that most of the profs within the department are excellent. Since we’re a school that insists that everyone gets a well-rounded liberal arts education, our departments across the board are very strong, and that definitely includes English, CompLit (I’m taking a Dostoevsky course right now that I love), and the like. If you want more info, you can pm me and I can hook give you the email of some of my friends who are English majors.</p>

38

<p>ooo, do tell about your Dostoevsky course. I read Crime and Punishment a while ago and loved it. I’m reading Brothers Karamazov next after I finish my latest Vonnegut novel.</p>

39

<p>Hello there,</p>

<p>I was wondering if you could tell me whether undergrad econ majors have the opportunity to do a Senior Thesis (in their fourth year)?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

40

<p>Hokay! Antonia! So…I am in the midst of making an intense college decision between Chicago and another school. One thing I want to ask concerns the sports at U of C. Is there school spirit surrounding sports, or does it simply go on without notice? Are there intramurals? How competitive are they?</p>

<p>Also I am planning on attending law school after the undergrad, do you know anything regarding the services they have for helping pre-law students find their future law schools, attain internships, etc, etc</p>

<p>Also, I was wondering if the houses contain any special amenities which make the undergrad residents gasp, jump, and\or squeal.</p>