^^Yep, good point, there were a couple of bartenders in the back!
That’s good news. Feel like I’ll need a cocktail by that point…
A few quick thoughts/comments:
Only the kids can attend classes, but I think the facility tours are open to parents, too. (Don’t take my word on the facility tour–double check.) My S went to a class by himself (enjoyed it–two other students attended as well), but we tagged along for the Logan facility tour (mostly admitted students, but there were a handful of parents).
If you do the Logan tour, be aware that it is about a 10-12 min walk from Rockefeller/Ida Noyes. We had to cut out of the tour a few mins early and were still late to the Keynote Address. If Admissions is reading this: the 2 days were run extremely well, but a spot for improvement would be to provide a shuttle to and from this tour.
@85bears46 My son did mention the protest on Thursday night–mostly to say it was blocking their way to the dorm. There was also protest on the Quad on Friday around lunchtime. We were all pretty neutral about it. Free speech is good, but I can definitely see where it may have disturbed some folks.
@monstermama Thank you for the feedback.
Last Thursday and Friday were unseasonably cold April days in Chicago. Coupled with the protest I wonder whether that would be a major turn off for admitted students and parents.
I am fairly liberal on social issues and I usually respect students right to protest. Yet as a grad student in the 1980’s who had seen Hyde Park at its nadir, I find the demands of the protesters naive and/or disingenuous. Disarming UCPD? Restricting UCPD zone of patrol? If Hyde Park went back to unsafe days in 1980’s and early 1990’s, I seriously doubt any parents would want to pay $70,000 per year for their kids education at UChicago. And even in the bad days in 1980’s UCPD was armed. Does anyone want UCPD only armed with Taser when gang-bangers from Engelwood decide to come to HP to conduct business?
@85bears46 I personally find it comforting that there is an armed police force. As a parent, I am, of course, accessing more than the academic offerings at U Chicago. I want my S to be safe. Not trying to start a debate here–just my humble opinion.
University of Chicago has been known for some pretty famous protests. Unfortunately, the kids now seem to be opting for quantity over quality. If they are going to stage a protest - make it for something that’ll stick. Protesting to disarm the UCPD in light of the body-cam footage just makes it appear like you are protesting for the sake of protesting. And, ironically, the university administration looks very good for allowing you your freedom of expression - no matter how trivial or naive you sound. Just my 2 cents on that issue.
As to how this might impact decisions to attend: highly doubt that anyone visiting is going to be turned off by these. Those who noticed are going to be relieved that free expression isn’t just a talking point, or relieved that social justice is alive and well at UChicago, or relieved that free time seems to be more available to the students than the rumor mill would have it. There’s no down-side. And it’s not like other places aren’t staging their protests and sit-ins as well - many of which get out of hand now and then.
I want to reiterate that issues like profiling minorities, especially African Americans, on campus and in HP, are serious and worthy subjects for the students to open a dialogue with the University Administration. But naive and unrealistic demands like disarming UCPD and relegating UCPD to a elementary school security force in a suburb are simply not sober and meaningful solutions to some genuine problems. In many ways I am disappointed. I thought U of C students were smarter than that.
Back to the original program: I am glad that from many of the postings on CC most parents were not distracted by the protest and they and their admitted students seemed to come away with a positive impression of U of C.
@85bears46, regardless of one’s views on the issues being protested, in my family’s book the fact that protests are taking place on campus is pro for attending rather than a con.
A couple observations:
- Sem Co-op, not the University of Chicago Bookstore, is the official source for course material. The "Bookstore" sells mainly memorabilia. And, yes, Amazon tends to be cheaper. But, yes, for the Core you have to watch the versions you buy.
- Based on my kids and their friends, I have a strong sense that students' reaction to the Core generally follows a predictable arc. Alumni, even very recent alumni, tend to be huge Core fans. First years, in spring quarter, not so much.
Almost everyone enters college liking the idea of the Core – that was almost always part of their decision to apply to Chicago, and part of their decision to pick Chicago over other choices. Almost everyone is disappointed by the execution of the Core, especially while they are taking Hum and Sosc. The courses are really diffuse, a good experience depends on the skill of the teacher, and skilled teachers are few and far between, and often teach only a quarter. (A few of the Hum sequences are more focused, and tend to have somewhat higher satisfaction – HBC, whatever they are calling Greek Thought now, and Philosophical Perspectives.) A fair amount of cynicism about the Core develops, too, because not all students are high-minded about it. Some just want high grades and low work.
Then, over time – certainly by fourth year, and accelerating rapidly after graduation – students and alumni develop an understanding of how the Core affected their overall experience, especially the ease with which Chicago students who didn’t know one another could discuss some new idea, thanks to the Core.
My daughter chose Chicago in part because of the Core. In the middle of her first year, she was saying she wished she had gone to Brown and could take whatever she wanted; the Core was too much like high school. Her fourth year, she looked back at her Hum papers and said she wished she had been more open to what her teacher was trying to teach. Two years after graduation, living in NYC, she was effusive about how much better her college education was, thanks to the Core, compared to all the people she was meeting from peer colleges.
First year DD is not disappointed by HUM core (HBC); she didn’t need to, but she elected to take a third quarter of HUM with same prof as first two quarters.
(Non-major) BIO core is something else, though at least she didn’t expect to like it.
She was pleasantly surprised with her first (non-major) PHSC core class.
We were disappointed that she couldn’t get into SOSC core class this year. She put down 9 options for SOSC sections, and didn’t get one in pre-registration, despite having almost no conflicts with other classes she listed. And then SOSC sections were full by the time the first years could do add/drop (classic type SOSC, anyway - Mind was open, but intelligent and thoughtful posters on this board convinced her that that would be a waste). Hopefully they will work hard to make sure that there are plenty of good options for Class of 21 forced to take SOSC in their second year. Though I’m not holding my breath.
@JHS - I’m going to share your post about the Core with my son. Helpful perspective, thanks.
D is one of those who definitely chose UChicago because of the Core - and we know several kids who did NOT choose UChicago because of the Core.
She actually enjoyed her Hum (Greece and Rome Texts,Traditions & Transformations), particularly 2nd quarter. Sosc. (Classics) was less fun in the winter than fall but that apparently had to do with not liking Rousseau. This quarter: Nietzche and totalitarian thought so we’ll see what happens. She actually enjoys studying all these works and writing about them - more turned off by the author than by the course, the instructor, or the time of year.
Phsc.and - so far - Core Biology were/are “fun”. The bio. might be the big surprise because she really disliked her HS bio. course. Also totally enjoying world music (satisfies the Art Core).
She’s one of those kids who is looking forward to Civ. in the fall and and will likely take TWO sequences at the same time. Yeah, I know.
The biggest complaint we heard: the curve-busters (or maybe it’s “curve-b*stards” 
) enrolled in Calc. 130’s who obviously should be taking the higher sequence. They are/were obviously after an easy A. Very annoying to those who really are there to learn the material and challenge themselves appropriately.
“Hopefully they will work hard to make sure that there are plenty of good options for Class of 21 forced to take SOSC in their second year. Though I’m not holding my breath.”
@Lea111 she’ll have first dibs over Class of '22 by registering before them. We found last summer that they half-filled the Sosc. classes, then closed them up to allow first years a chance. I’d estimate that about 50% or more of the first year class hasn’t taken Sosc. yet so she’ll be in great company come fall. She should definitely make this sequence a first priority when she does pre-reg.
“D is one of those who definitely chose UChicago because of the Core - and we know several kids who did NOT choose UChicago because of the Core.”
Prior to his visit, I would have described him as agnostic about the Core. He has no great yearning for it but recognizes bits of it might be vaguely helpful in some undefined way years down the road. Or - more likely - he thinks of it in the same way he thinks about snow - doesn’t really have an opinion on it other than it’s something he has to wade through to get to where he needs to be.
After the visit, he was concerned about how the current students described their Core classes as very unpleasant. Didn’t hear any talk about grades or grading as an issue, but multiple mentions of how miserable several of the students are in Core classes they didn’t care to take. I’ll point out to him that most were probably first years and many of the ones he spent the most time talking to were - like him - math or econ types who are so focused and eager to get to their specialty courses they’re currently frustrated but may see things differently in hindsight.
“The biggest complaint we heard: the curve-busters (or maybe it’s “curve-b*stards” ) enrolled in Calc. 130’s who obviously should be taking the higher sequence. They are/were obviously after an easy A.” Hmmm, are you sure about that? Do the students say that? It could be that you’re right, but I wonder if some kids were placed in 131 by the math placement test who shouldn’t have been so placed. Didn’t you or someone say previously that it required a really high % correct not to get placed in 130 sequence? My DD was the kind of kid could have made a few careless errors and screwed that test up. ( Or did include material that kids who took precalculus a couple of years before might have forgotten? Or a combination of forgetting old math and careless errors?) Fortunately DD didn’t have to take the math placement test, due to 5 on Calc BC exam, but I think if you got a 4 on BC exam, you still had to take the math placement test (???).
The more difficult the endeavor the more worthwhile the result. Like most things that are worth doing they can only be truly appreciated after they have been accomplished.
“@Lea111 she’ll have first dibs over Class of '22 by registering before them.” But she won’t have dibs in pre-registration, because, as you point out, they reserve half the seats for 1st years. And pre-registration is when most of the slots go. Half of the Class of 21 will be vying for half of the SOSC seats, and then probably half the Class of 22 wil be vying for the other half - it doesn’t matter that '22 has to register later, because half the spots are reserved for them.
I guess she’ll have dibs over first years in early part of in add/drop (before classes start), if they don’t change the system from last year. But the only spots that will open in early add/drop, if they do it the same last year, will be 2nd to 4th years add/dropping, because 1st years won’t be permitted to drop then either. I’m not sure that’s really in advantage.
And it’s not the only class she has to make a priority; the class needed for her major meets in only 1 section per year, and so she certainly needs to take it next fall.
And she wasn’t able to get into her matching PHSC class this year. She tried to add/drop, and that didn’t work, and then she tried to pink slip in and filed the online form and went to class all week, and the prof didn’t answer and she emailed him, and only then did he email her back and say, “we don’t allow any extra students in this class due to the size of labs” (he never responded re the online pink slip request - I think they shouldn’t have the form online if no one is allowed to pink slip in, but whatever).
Getting classes has been a little harder than we expected. Even with all the work of waiting through add/drop and pink slip process.
In my vicarious experience, the Math Department thinks, with justification, that 160s Honors Calculus is its signature course, and everyone should take it. If a kid has a prayer of surviving it and wants to take it, he or she will be given then chance. As between 150s and 130s, they think 150s is what you should take if you ultimately hope to learn some actually meaningful math someday. 130s is nasty thing the University pays their grad students to offer for the most craven of the premeds and the most limited of humanities majors. They take the money, but it makes them feel dirty; the only ones who feel good about it are the grad students who are trying to put together a record that shows they can teach math to idiots in case they want jobs at LACs. I don’t think anyone who has an interest in math is “forced” to take 130s. Maybe I’m wrong, though.
The department states that taking the 130s puts you in the same place as the 150s at the end. Maybe that’s not really true?
I was impressed by most of what I saw at the admitted students events and am thrilled that DD has decided to attend. But I have to admit, I felt that many of the facilities could use a little sprucing up. The older buildings need some TLC, IMO. A nice first year led us on a quick tour of Snitchcock, and it was, well, kind of depressing. Does anyone know the condition of Burton Judson? Is there