CURRENT student here to answer questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>Hey everyone, I'm a first year student who was in your shoes last year... and I know you all have MANY questions about the university and the college process as a whole. Feel free to ask away. I am a student athlete here, am involved in student organizations, have a strong grasp of the city and university demographics and geography; I also consider myself knowledgeable with the Greek life, student population, and dormitories on campus. I myself am pre-med with a bio major, but am also familiar with the core, econ, and other prominent majors/areas of study.</p>

<p>I consider myself overall very well rounded and I will do my best to be as unbiased as possible.</p>

<p>So... ASK away.</p>

2

<p>Thanks for taking questions!

  1. How would you say the difficulty of the coursework is? I read somewhere that to be on the Dean’s List at UChicago, the GPA requirement is like 3.25…so grade deflation?</p>

<p>2) If I go to UChicago, I’d definitely be interested in the Greek scene (I’m a girl). What’s it like to be Greek at a school where only 10% (I think that’s the right stat…) are involved in Greek life?</p>

<p>3) Is there “typical” college fun here?</p>

<p>4) I’ve heard lots of differing views on how UChicago does as an undergraduate institution - how good is the advising, etc?</p>

<p>(Aarghh…didn’t realize I had so many questions!)
Thanks again!</p>

3

<p>The course work is more difficult tha most other undergrad programs. Princeton and Harvard have publicly announced via student newspapers that they are less difficult than Uchicago. I wouldn’t say we deflate grades, we just don’t inflate them as much as other schools. I guess you could say a 3.3 here would be relatable to a 3.8 at Harvard (for example). Grad schools/med schools take this into account, and won’t discredit you. And of course, if you take easy classes, you can always fish a higher gpa.</p>

<p>My gf is in a sorority and the 3 main sororities here are great. Definitely work hard/party hard girls and your involvement is dependent solely upon your own decision. I feel like the greek life is much larger, perhaps in the 20-30%, but I’m not sure. The greek life, especially for girls, is relatively normal aside from the notion that none of the sororities have official houses. (They all have apartment clusters)</p>

<p>There is definitely fun, i am going to a frat party in a bit as a matter of fact lol… people love to do things on the weekends, downtown or on campus.</p>

<p>Lastly, I chose Uchicago for it’s top of the line undergrad program. It is known as one of the best, if not the best undergrad program in the country. The atmosphere here is definitely shapes towards a strong undergrad program and there is a lot of faculty support. My first advisor was so good she was in fact promoted and I wish I still had her. My new advisor is also good, but no one likes starting from scratch I guess. Anyways, academically I definitelty enjoy and recommend the school, and the support is definitelty here for those who need it/want it.</p>

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<p>Excuse the typos. This was from my phone</p>

5

<ol>
<li><p>Would you consider yourself an offbeat person? Is the majority of the student body offbeat? Basically, what would you find yourself discussing with your friends (like a range of subjects)? For example, while I love talking literature (currently finishing up the Game of Thrones series) or philosophy, I also love talking Bulls basketball (hence my username), and would that be out of place here? It certainly is when I talk to my more intellectual friends.</p></li>
<li><p>After a grueling high school, I do want to relax a BIT. I thrive under pressure, but do you consider UChicago a pressure cooker? Not in terms of difficulty, but workload. Lots of time spent studying?</p></li>
<li><p>Having lived in Chicago for my entire life, I know that UChicago isn’t in the best of locations and doesn’t have the best campus. Do you feel like the range of space outside of campus that is considered “safe” is limiting? How connected are you to the city? </p></li>
<li><p>How possible is it to take courses in Econ, Math, Philosophy, Film Studies, and Pre-Business? Would all of that be overload? Going along with that, while I have a variety of interests, I feel like the Core makes UChicago into high school 2.0. Do you feel the same way?</p></li>
<li><p>I was never into partying or the “typical” college life that FrannyG was. What kind of social life exists outside this? I don’t know if the stigma, “Where Fun Goes to Die” applies to the party scene, the workload, or the lack of a social life completely.</p></li>
<li><p>As an introvert, would it be easy for me to fit in and make strong friendships with people like me here? </p></li>
<li><p>Is there lots of initiative involved? I mean from talking with professors to activities to everything. Basically, do you get lost in the system easily?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Sorry for the loads of questions. I’m currently trying to decide between UVA, UMich, and UChicago. I’m waitlisted to my first choice, Wharton, so I want to choose a college that I’d be happy at but that is also very strong.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance if you even reply to all of my questions (I just kept coming up with them).</p>

6

<ol>
<li><p>Most offbeat discussions can be found walking around campus, in coffee shops or sitdown areas, the dining halls, and house common rooms. We talk about a LARGE range of things. Economics and Wall Street, Anti-feminism and feministic motives in many works, Aristotle, Darwin, theory, gay-rights, presidential campaigns, etc etc. Conversations are a little intimidating sometimes, but there are a lot of things to talk about. I just had breakfast and me and some friends were laughing over a debate about some physics theory questions. We live in Chicago, so enjoying the Chicago Bulls is a given lol. Sometimes students get tickets and go together to watch some games. Weekends are also a good time for students to watch sports on TV.</p></li>
<li><p>Like you said, you “thrive under pressure”. UChicago, and any college for that matter, will push you in ways you have not yet been exposed to. Sure it is similar to any academic institution, college, high school, whatever… you get hw, assignments, readings, etc… but everything in college is on your own jurisdiction. Your mom/dad aren’t here to tell you to stop sleeping and do your hw. That’s all on you. Now in relation to other universities, this institution is definitely more difficult in work load, content, and etc. There is an intellectual charisma here that most people share… I told myself all throughout first quarter that everyone is smarter than me, that I’m a dumbass and idk why I’m here, but then I started molding in and realizing that I do belong here, that I can contribute to discussion in class, that I can ask valuable questions, and that I can compete. Sure I spend more time than I did in high school studying, but it’s manageable. Everything is proportioned. Now, if you were planning on being an Econ major and also being premed, then wow you can probably kiss your life goodbye, but I have never seen that done.</p></li>
<li><p>Going off on your comment “doesn’t have the best campus”… lol what? You have seen the architecture here right? The campus is gorgeous. At first I truly felt like I was going to Hogwarts. I may not have lived here all my life, but I am from IL so I have been familiar with UChicago for some time… anyways, we have the second largest private police force in the world… yes, I said world. This is a very safe campus in my honest opinion. Now, if you were going off campus, near the liquor store, at… say… 2 am… then I can’t promise anything, but that’s obviously a dumbass thing to do. I have never had any safety issues on campus this year, and I consider myself an active night person… aka, I will go see my gf late at night at her dorm, or go to frat parties, or walk to the library at 11 pm and come home at 1 am. Hyde Park, as a neighborhood, is (I believe) one of the top 5 safest neighborhoods in Chicago. (This is a statistic from last year) I am going downtown to Michigan Ave, today, in fact. It takes… about 30-45 minutes to get downtown, depending on if you take the bus or railway. At first, I thought this was a drag, but I’ve really enjoyed the ability to hop on the railway and go downtown (or to Congress Theater for a concert, or China town… etc). Via car/taxi, it’s 20 minutes or so? I guess it depends on traffic really. A lot of students in their higher years will get big internships that are downtown and they often transmute on a day to day basis. I’d say it’s a safe method of transportation, I’ve never had any problems.</p></li>
<li><p>We have a prestigious academic system called the “Core”… basically it requires students to take a certain amount of math, science, hume, civ, art, etc etc… classes. This is to help create an overall well rounded academic student, in Uchicago’s eyes. You will have to take math, I advise you to take a few econ courses (We are one of the world’s best afterall), marketing (or whatever business classes you are thinking of), film studies (this would probably be an art), and philosophy… if that’s what you want to do. There are no restrictions to your course schedules as long as you meet the requirements for your major and the core. There is definitely a lot of flexibility. I wouldn’t expect to be able to take all those courses at the same time, but it is 100% definitely doable. I would say any university as a matter of fact, would probably be able to accommodate those classes. I don’t feel that the core is restricting… for example, I am Biological Sciences - Premed, so I have to take math/sciences anyways for my major. The classes that I need for my major overlap with what I need for the core, therefore it’s a win-win situation. The core is pretty enjoyable, none of the classes (unless if you are unable to swim, they will make you take a boring swimming class) are a drag. I have learned a lot from all my core classes thus far, and I fully believe it helps/has helped me become more well rounded. The university itself is renown for it’s undergraduate program primarily because of it’s core, after all. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>I also like a bit of guidance, because the idea of doing whatever you wanted (at brown I’m pretty sure you create your own major/outline or something like that) is a little scary. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>“Where fun comes to die” is a humorous joke, nothing more. We love intelligent, quirky humor. Some of our other jokes/t-shirt slogans include “The University of Fun, Sex, Cool” “UChicago, where nothing goes down on you except your GPA”, “If I wanted an A, I would have gone to Harvard”… etc etc. We create these silly slogans as a mere joke, but some people take them WAY too seriously (social media, prospective students). A lot of the social life exists in the houses, I’d say your closest friends will be in your house/dormitory. If you are an athlete or want to be on a club sport, that is also a great thing to meet people. RSO’s/clubs are great… While frat parties are one thing, let’s be serious… that’s not going to be a deciding factor of whether or not you can have fun. People love going to coffee shops, just hanging out, gaming (PC mmorpgs, starcraft, wow, LOL, etc… or just Super smash/Halo/COD etc…), going to restaurants, downtown (That’s a big thing), apartment parties, etc. We live in Chicago, so if you get bored that’s kind of on you lol. (except in winter quarter, that is definitely understandable… a lot of people are less outgoing since it gets kinda cold). Oh, and there’s always drugs, if you are into that. That’s at every university, fyi.</p></li>
<li><p>Definitely, I think my other responses kind of involve this. All universities have small niches that fit in different type of people. I think this university definitely incorporates a lot of people with the same/similar mindset. </p></li>
<li><p>There is a lot of guidance, as much as you are willing to look for… what I mean by that, is that there are tutors always available for free, but YOU have to go to THEM. Your advisors are always there for you, but YOU have to go to THEM. Etc etc. Your RA’s/RH’s… same thing. We have lots of doors open to you but you have to take initiative as a college student to seek help etc. Obviously there are required meetings which require you to come to study groups, advisor meetings, but most additional things are on you. I don’t think it’s easy to get lost in the system unless if you are a huge anti-social person, big-time druggy, or addicted PC gamer.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>UVA UMich and UChicago are all great schools… particuarly for medicine. Is that what you are looking into going into? (Just a guess). I would look at your financial aid packages between the 3… I am going to assume just by endowments, and unless if you live in VA, that UChicago is going to give you the best deal. All 3 schools have big winters, and since UMich and UVA are state schools, and you seem like a non-partier type of person, I would recommend UChicago solely on that respect. Obviously I am a little biased, but I am trying to picture myself in your shoes. I don’t know your circumstances, but if you want any advice feel free to ask.</p>

<p>I hope this all helps, if you need clarification on anything let me know.</p>

7

<p>Thanks a lot. I’m interested in business, but also the other classes I mentioned. I personally think I’d enjoy the “life of the mind” attitude at UChicago more than UMich and UVA for sure. Plus, my dad said that if I go to UChicago, he has added incentive to buy a <em>nice</em> condo downtown which I could use. Definitely something to consider lol.</p>

<p>I’m also not into the party or drug scene. Never was in high school. Lots of my friends look down on UChicago based on the lack of this type of a social scene compared to other colleges, but that’s not what makes me hesitant. I still want to be able to hang out, go downtown, etc. with friends, and I was worried that for an introvert like myself coupled with the workload of UChicago, I wouldn’t be able to have ANY social life.</p>

<p>I think you quelled that fear a bit though. </p>

<p>Also, finances are not an issue at all. Weather isn’t either since I’ve lived in Chicago my whole life (and this year’s weather was surprisingly amazing), although UVA seems to most beautiful to me.</p>

<p>It’s just hard because I don’t know if I want to push myself to an extreme in college or if I want to relax and enjoy it a bit. I got preferred admission to Ross in UMich which is a hard deal to pass up, but I’m wary of their large student body that’s more focused on a “rah rah” type of atmosphere, but then again, Ross is going to be completely different.</p>

<p>Gah, this decision has left me way too divided :(</p>

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<p>By the way, this is far from a dry campus. While it may not have the big ragers, it definitely has significant drinking and drug use. It’s very liberal in that sense – the police don’t care, your resident heads don’t care, there are no room checks… you decide what you want to and don’t want to do.</p>

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<p>I got admitted to UChicago and would like to find out more about the students’ life in campus. I wonder if there is some student discussion forum where people can share campus information (housing, books, meal plan, etc.). Any url available?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

10

<p>Splami - when you say a 3.3 at UChicago is about the same as a 3.8 at Harvard, and med schools take this into account, have you talked to a pre-med advisor about exactly how much this is taken into account by med schools?</p>

<p>I would be very careful about this. When I was at UChicago, students got a 0.1 “boost” for attending the school - so a 3.3 counts as a 3.4, etc. There is a boost, but it was VERY small. Maybe this has changed now? I doubt it, though, as schools are as usnews conscious as ever.</p>

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<p>Hi, so I was wondering, as your experience as a premed bio major, would you say UChicago is a good school to do premed? For example, is it really hard to get a good GPA even if you study very hard? Also, how is the premed advising at UChicago? I heard that they encourage graduate schools more than professional schools?
I’m really into UChicago’s liberal education and the intellectual feel of the campus, but I’m worried that as a (prospective) premed student, there won’t be as many opportunities at UChicago…</p>

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<p>Uchicago.edu. … click on the students tab you will find all you need. Or google search uchicago student activities, meal plan, etc etc</p>

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<p>You are right, i probably overexaggerated, but a good reference point would be looking at deans list requirements. Here is about 3.2. Idk what harvards is but i can guess at least 3.4/3.5. I definitely believe and know for a fact med schoola/grad programs put an extra weight on our gpas.</p>

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<p>Uchicago is HUGE in premed. I think you should really look it up lol. Most everyone is econ, poly sci (prelaw), or premed (bio, chem, etc)</p>

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<p>If you study hard and correctly and are a good learner, arent susceptible to distractions, anything would be easy. It is harder, but i cant say how much. Its really dependent to the person. (I can say from experience the chem tests are curved really well. This isn’t a bad thing though)</p>

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<p>Just a comment – UChicago does have good career programs. For Premeds, check out Careers in Health Professions.</p>

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<p>Splami - med schools/grad schools DO put extra weight on UChicago GPAs, but the key question is HOW MUCH? From what I know, there isn’t a great deal of boost for a UChicago GPA. Again, check with a pre-med advisor and get the stats - the advisor will have a list of where all past students have been accepted, and their GPA/MCAT scores.</p>

<p>Make sure you know all the info you can.</p>

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<p>I do agree with you. I have looked into it and discussed the matter with my advisor, but I haven’t gotten into the quantitative calculations. I am only a first year after all and for a small period of time I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to stay in my major.</p>

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<p>Splami317 - good for you for taking the necessary steps here. No need to get into the quantitative calculations right now, but the more information you know, the better.</p>

20

<p>Hi! I recently was accepted to UChicago and I kind of wrote it off, but now I am seriously starting to consider it. Hopefully you can steer me in the right direction.</p>

<p>A bit about me. I live in VA and have been accepted to and am considering Duke and VA Tech. I’m looking to be a math major, which all those schools are GREAT for, especially UChicago (I know!). However, I am also interested in the social sciences, particularly sociology and anthropology. I am an african-american female, but have been pretty much isolated in school because of classes I’m taking. Usually i’ll end up either being one of the only black students in my classes, one of a few girls, or both! So this is definitely a factor in choosing a school. I recently visited Duke and it has a great Black community, but they seemed to segregate themselves some which I didn’t really like. </p>

<p>So I guess my main questions would be,

  1. How was it getting used to Chicago. I can’t stand cold winters (but am willing to deal), but maybe you or someone you know who is from the south could let me know how the transition is.</p>

<p>2) How are student-organizations? I really want to be involved with the school, possibly student government, but also do fun things too such as an a capella group or random scavenger hunts every now and then. Do UChicago students usually take on ECs or does the course load tend to deter that?</p>

<p>3)What you love and don’t love about UChicago.</p>

<p>Thank you!!!</p>