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As I said in the original post, I’m not going to be chancing anyone. There’s plenty of other threads for that; I’d rather this thread be about the university, my experiences, the culture/people, what there is to do, advice, etc. Not a chance thread. My comparative advantage is in offering my experiences and giving advice/insight into what going to school here is like.</p>
<p>How popular is the physics major? Are the teachers good?</p>
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I know a handful of physics majors, but it’s nothing like economics or bio. I’m sure the actual stats are easy to find. And I’ve never taken a physics class, so I don’t know about their teachers.</p>
<p>Unless you’re talking about overall teacher quality, in which case I think it is pretty good. It depends heavily on the class/subject though. Extensive use of the evaluations site has kept me away from most of not-as-good teachers, and I recommend that you put some time into that site, both during o-week and before each quarter. Grad students can be hit or miss, and you learn which classes they tend to teach. If you want to take more advanced/honors/intensive tracks, then you’ll end up with less grad students and more good professors. Certain subjects end up with lots of very good teachers (polisci), while some end up with more grad students and not-as-good ones, mostly based on how large of a class size the subject can handle.</p>
<p>Are freshmen allowed to bring cars? If so, is it even worth it? How reliable /safe is public transportation?</p>
<p>Why did you choose the University of Chicago over other highly competitive and selective schools? What drew you/draws you to UChicago?</p>
<p>^ fabulous question. Along with that, what are particular “do’s” and “don’ts” you’d recommend …in any aspect of college</p>
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No one cares if you bring a car, you just have to find a place to park it. None of the dorms (to my knowledge) have or provide parking of any sort. You can either rent a parking spot in the university garage or just street park it, which is what most students do. It’s a pain though, as you have to find parking spaces (which can be difficult) and deal with street cleanings and such.</p>
<p>In general, I’d say that cars are not worth it, unless you have a situation where you need one. I’ve had friends work/intern downtown on the north side, and for that a car can be useful. Keep in mind that campus is very compact, and that, unless you’re making a trip downtown or something, the vast majority of your time will be spent within 5 or so blocks of campus. Especially if you live in a dorm. I lived in Max P, which is pretty close to the north edge of campus, and could walk to South, the dorms at the south edge of campus, in about 20 min. Not to mention the variety of university-run buses and shuttles that traverse Hyde Park.</p>
<p>If you think you need a car, consider getting a zipcar. The university subsidizes the cost, and there are quite a few lots around campus. I don’t have one, so I don’t know specifics, but many of my friends do, and they’re very useful for the occasional trip.</p>
<p>In terms of safety, I think most would describe it as very eccentric, but safe overall. There are some lines that you don’t really want to go on, but all of the most useful lines and buses (and all of them that are primarily used to go north rather than south) are very safe. I’ve never been in a situation where I haven’t felt safe, and few if any people I know have either. Just follow common sense, don’t go out alone at night, etc.</p>
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<p>I got pretty interested in economics and stuff the summer before senior year, just as the application process was ramping up, so Chicago obviously became an option to be explored. At first I was interested most in the economic tradition and reputation it had. But what really drew me in and made it my top choice was the unyielding commitment to academic excellence. Even though it has softened somewhat as the university attempts to become more mainstream, UChicago is still, more than any other school, the school you should go to if you truly love learning. And now that I’m here, I know that reputation has something to back it up. The floor has been lowered somewhat; it’s not going to punish you with basic core classes. But the ceiling here is incredibly high. If you really want to learn and you’re willing to put in the work, this school will teach you more than any other. And that’s what I love about here.</p>
<p>I also think that we have a greater diversity of people/interests than most schools. This is more of a cursory observation, but from what I’ve seen at other schools, we have a much more heterogenous student body than most. I’ve met more absolutely unique people and personalities here than anywhere else, and in general there’s much less of a social standard or rule. But this is a pretty casual observation; most of my experience with other schools comes from UVa with some spread out friends at other schools.</p>
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<p>That’s pretty broad, so I’m not sure how to answer it. Anything more particular perhaps? A specific field or situation?</p>
<p>Ah yes, my apologies for making it too broad. I suppose things that you wished people told you your freshmen year such as how to approach studying, time management, etc.</p>
<p>Also, is Greek life a big entity? And do you know how much of a time commitment/ how expensive it is?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>