<p>Hello there,
I've been around here and there and was one of those EA acceptances to UChicago who still had yet to decide, but am leaning towards Chicago. Someone else mentioned the apparent lack of interest in ec's and I wanted to ask more about that. I do consider myself an intellectual and am drawn by the academic rigor of the school. However I do have academic interests which extend into outside activities, like Mock Trial and Band. I also do venturing which is an outdoor exploration program and would be interested in doing debate in college (though probably not both Mock Trial and Debate). Are extracurricular clubs a very strong part of UChicago life, or are academic classes basically the sole focus? I know this is a generalization, but I want some kind of idea what I would be getting into if I went to UChicago. Thanks for any help or input you guys have :)</p>
<p>Considering there are something like over 400 RSOs (Registered Student Organizations) on campus, I think extracurriculars are well-developed at Chicago.</p>
<p>From what I can gather, Chicago is an intense school–intense in academics, intense in work, intense in internships, intense in extracurriculars. I think most students are involved in at least some extracurriculars, in addition to work, school, socialization, etc.</p>
<p>Mock Trial at Chicago: [University</a> of Chicago Mock Trial](<a href=“University of Chicago Mock Trial – Join UChicago Mock!”>University of Chicago Mock Trial – Join UChicago Mock!)</p>
<p>There seem to be lots and lots of high school debaters and mock-trialers at Chicago. But I think you’ll find that artificial activities like those are comparatively less vibrant at every elite-type college than at most large high schools. People engage in debate a lot more than they engage in Debate.</p>
<p>For example, one student I know was very deeply involved in Debate in high school, went all over the place to tournaments, had some nifty ranking, etc. At Chicago, she spends a lot of time on a club sport that she loves, and also works with The Innocence Project. Her “Debate” impulses are now focused on the real world of criminal appeals.</p>