<p>One of the things that intrigues me about U of C is its seeming sense of humor. From the first minute that the college junk mail started flooding into our house, the materials from Chicago were seemingly a cut above in terms of the school's ability to look at itself and poke a little fun. Yes, there other schools like Carleton that had some humor in their literature, but no one else did as good a job as Chicago. I definitely prize this characteristic, whether in an individual or a school. I also think that a lack of humor was one reason that my son found the constant postal bombardment from Wash U distasteful, but rather looked forward to the blurbs from Chicago. </p>
<p>Is this sense of humor for real, or is it just a ploy put on us by the Admissions Office (if so, a very clever ploy indeed!). Where does this humor come from? Is it something in the school's history or student body, or does part of it come from the city itself? </p>
<p>I'd be curious to know anyone's thoughts on this, and also one more question.... Did Chicago's sense of humor play any role in getting you to look at and consider the school?</p>
<p>This was and still is a big attraction for my S at Chicago. He finds that there is an underlying "Chicago" sense of humor that permeates most activities. I think it is part of the culture to laugh at itself a little. It was there when I attended many years ago, and appears to be there still. We had a favorite t-shirt that was a take-off on a famous army recruiting slogan of the time (not just a job an adventure). Our shirt read: "U of C Grad School: Not just a job, an indenture." We had another, which showed a goofy gargoyle having a nervous breakdown that said, "Ho ho, the University of Chicago is funnier than you think!" (Still have it, can't believe how much it "shrunk" over the years.)</p>
<p>My favorite was the website talking about how late it was possible to apply and the link to the world clock with the note "you can apply as long as it's still January 1st. Anywhere."</p>
<p>I think that was a big reason for me too. Any school that sells shirts [truthfully] saying, "UofC: Where the end of the world began" is a school for me.</p>
<p>Yeah it was a big reason for me as well. I appreciated how they refused to award an honorary degree to the queen for her having not completed enough work to earn it. Fantastic! </p>