<p>im a math/physics person
and i think chicago has good math/physics departments
but i heard it has an extensive core curriculum</p>
<p>i sort of like english, especially writing, but not so much history....i hate memorizing
and as im thinking of focusing on math/physics i dont want to waste too much time on useless classes that wont help me in the long run</p>
<p>so how is it?</p>
<p>To be honest, few people consider the core classes "useless" or feel strongly that time spent on them is wasted. The requirements get a little aggravating sometimes, but the core classes are well-taught and generally awesome, and expose you to an entire world of knowledge that you would never find otherwise. Sure, Greek Thought & Lit won't help you become a better physics major, but it will round out your intellectual life. I don't think I'm only speaking for myself when I say that my core classes have been great (except for Calc - not a math person), and that I'm very glad I ended up taking them. </p>
<p>The core classes are an integral part of the education and ethic of the school, and if you really don't want to do them then you're probably not a good fit for UC.</p>
<p>^^^ good post. I like when I agree with another student on these things-- sometimes I feel like I'm just spouting my random opinions.</p>
<p>Students come to Chicago because of the core, not in spite of it. (There's another school that begins with the letter "C" that has more students moaning and groaning about core, or maybe that's just my patch of friends...) If you think that sharpening your reading, writing, and thinking skills on the likes of Marx, Kant, Plato, et. al. is not exciting or fun or anything you want to do, save yourself the hassle of applying.</p>
<p>Agreed. </p>
<p>To sum it up:
1. Most people like most of the core.
2. If the concept of a core does not appeal to you, there's not need to apply. The core is a huge aspect of the school.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Students come to Chicago because of the core, not in spite of it.
[/quote]
I don't think there's a better way to put it; you've in fact stolen my words!</p>
<p>One thing I might add to this is that I don't think "memorizing" has anything to do with any part of the core curriculum. If you are interested at all, you should probably look it up, rather than imagining what it might be like. It's fairly complex and unique. There are some standard requirements (a certain amount of science, math, art or music, and foreign language), and then a flexible choice from a limited menu of courses in each of three interdisciplinary (and somewhat overlapping) areas: "humanities" (which includes literature and philosophy), "social sciences" (economics, psychology, political science, anthropology, sociology), and "civilization" (history and area-focus).</p>
<p>After all of my college decisions came out and I was trying to decide between UChicago and another college I sought advice on this message board. Someone responded with the following suggestion: Take into account what courses I would like to take over the period of the next four years (my interests, major requirements, etc.), the total number of courses I can possibly take over the next four years and the number of core courses I will be required to take. Then subtract the number of core courses from the total number of courses I can take and see if the remainder is sufficient.</p>
<p>That really got me thinking. If you are considering "subtracting" the core courses from the total number of courses you can take, you've really got off on the wrong foot and are completely at odds with the UChicago take on a college education. The core is an integral part, maybe even the most fundamental part, of what constitutes an excellent, well rounded and intellectually challenging college curriculum. If you don't feel that way, you should really explore the core and what it consists of as JHS suggested. If after all that you still feel that you don't want it, then you need to consider other colleges.</p>
<p>Bottom line: A large number of students decide to attend UChicago BECAUSE of the core, myself included.</p>
<p>This is very true. I wanted a core, and if I didn't go to a school that had a core I would be imposing one on myself anyway. However, I wanted to go to a school where other people had the same regimen that I did, and I didn't want to be alone in spreading myself around courses in philosophy, social sciences, humanities, etc.</p>
<p>Hi, I'm in the UChicago class of '11, but I haven't posted here in a while.</p>
<p>Speaking of that "other C" college, I visited Columbia this April for admitted students weekend, and an admissions rep told me that when Columbia gives speaking tours with Chicago and some other top twenty schools during the fall/winter application crunch, "whenever we get to speak first, we steal the Chicago rep's talking points..." I assume this is because the colleges are very similar (if the letter C also stands for Core and Cool City) and ultimately because Chicago students and brochures speak much more genuinely about their core.</p>
<p>hahahaha</p>
<p>I was somewhat disappointed with Columbia's whole gig, and the students I know who go there are the ones who went there because of the big name factor, not because they were going to be reading Oedipus Rex.</p>
<p>I seem to remember Columbia's admissions spiel being something like....</p>
<p>... "NEW YORK CITY"....</p>
<p>... "IVY LEAGUE"....</p>
<p>... "METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART"....</p>
<p>... "TOP SCHOOLS IN THE NATION, VERY HARD TO GET IN"....</p>
<p>..."IVY LEAGUE"....</p>
<p>(coming from the New York area and having my three immediate family members represent three different Ivy League institutions, the fact that a school was in New York City and in the Ivy League was not impressive and did not add to the school's appeal for me).</p>
<p>Then, I remember</p>
<p>..."HIGHLY UNUSUAL CORE CURRICULUM"....</p>
<p>..."AMAZING OPPORTUNITY YOU WON'T GET ANYWHERE ELSE..."</p>
<p>...."NO OTHER COLLEGE IN THE NATION OFFERS WHAT WE OFFER"....</p>
<p>..."oh yeah, the University of Chicago has one too."</p>
<p>I was so angry I was thinking about going up to the admissions director afterwards and giving him a list of schools that had some sort of core (Reed, St. John's, Thomas More College for the Liberal Arts, Fordham, Boston College etc.) that he deemed too below him to mention.</p>
<p>I don't mean to degrade this thread into a Columbia-bashing-fest, but I want to also add that several students told me that the best part of the core curriculum was that "we can talk about our shared experience reading Augustine's Confessions and Plato's Republic while networking with alumni at parties..."</p>
<p>Don't diss Columbia at all. It is incredibly foolish to put a school down because they are in the Ivy League, and for mentioning it in its talking points. Unalove, please. People DO NOT just go to Columbia because it is in the Ivy League. New York City (a way better city than Chicago, but I'm a true New Yorker so you won't convince me otherwise) is a huge reason so many people want to go there, and in my ignorant opinion it is the only reason prospective undergrads apply to NYU. That plus the school is actually in th city (not its outskirts). </p>
<p>Related to this, my cousin went to Columbia undergrad (ED acceptance, if not would have gone to UChicago), and is now getting his Phd at UoC. The real reason he liked Columbia more than UoC was New York city. He is way above the snobbish Ivy League crap, and that wasn't a factor at all. He was a History major, and in my opinion, NYC would be a much better place (than almost anywhere) to learn history. Just more resources.</p>
<p>Hehehe, I apologize for Columbia-bashing. I actually like the school a lot. I guess what I was trying to point out is that the admissions officer who was trying to sell the school was not doing a particularly good job of selling it to ME. I don't live in New York City, but I live near it, and wanted to go away from home for college, so NYC was a drawback rather than a plus. Also, the Ivy League part really didn't matter to me... I just wanted to know about the school.</p>
<p>It's been a long time since I've sat in on Chicago's info session, but I seem to remember a lot of talk about the school as "nerdy" and "different" and the "Uncommon Application." Instead of talking about how few students get in (that's what I felt was the prevailing attitude at every school I went to, and understandably so-- every other school had info sessions in large lecture halls, Chicago's was in a small room), the admissions officer was talking about a student who was in her area and whom she really wanted to come to the school. Wow, I thought. An admissions officer who really wants to know the students who are applying!</p>
<p>To be honest, I was expecting myself to apply to Columbia ED because that's what everybody and their mother did. I just couldn't get myself to do it.</p>