<p>I'm looking into UChicago right now, but my main concern is the core curriculum, which I'm thinking might be too extensive than what I'm looking for. I was hoping to have the flexibility to double major and possibly spend 2-3 semesters abroad, and I don't know whether or not the core at Chicago would allow me to do that. I'm also concerned about the specific requirements for biological and natural sciences; I love school in general but I hate science with a passion, so I'm really unhappy with the idea of having to continue that in college when I'm supposed to have control over what I want to learn. Does it sound like UChicago wouldn't be a good fit for me, or is the core curriculum not as overbearing as it seems to me?
Thanks for letting me know! :)</p>
<p>Chicago is surprisingly lenient with the Core. If you’re still an underclassman, follow the words of wisdom: take what in high school you don’t want to take in college. A 5 on the AP Chemistry or Physics exam will exempt you entirely from the physical sciences requirement, while a 5 on the AP Biology exam will leave you with just one bio elective to take to satisfy the biological sciences requirement. </p>
<p>If you’ve gotten a 5 on some AP language tests (French, German, Italian, Latin, Spanish, and Japanese) or are competent enough to demonstrate yourself in a language competency exam, you can get out of the language requirement. </p>
<p>That leaves Civ, Hum, Sosc, and Math (and phys ed, but ehh, not a big deal, trust me. Take social dance, it’s fun). Math is pretty much what you make of it. You need two quarters of a math sequence above pre-calc (e.g. 131-132, 151-152, 161-162, etc). I believe a 5 on the AB exam gets you out of 151, and a 5 on the BC exam gets you out of 151-152. You can also place out of calculus entirely and get credit for 151-153 if you do well on the calc placement exam. Of course if you choose to take 160s, you forego all credit for 150s. If you really like math, the math requirement shouldn’t be a problem. If you don’t, there are alternative courses - you don’t have to take calc. </p>
<p>Hum, Sosc, and Civ aren’t negotiable - and I don’t think they should be. These courses form the backbone of the core; I agree wholeheartedly with the College’s judgment that while science and math courses may be comparable to AP courses taken in high school, no history, english, social studies, economics course or what have you will EVER come close to the experience you will have in these courses. Cherish them; they will enrich you as a thinker and also provide a common forum for discussion; no matter what your major, you should always have something to say about Marx (if you actually did your sosc readings, which I suppose is the hitch). </p>
<p>You say you hate science with a passion…I largely felt that way too before coming to Chicago. Well not hate, but I definitely didn’t want to waste time taking chemistry or biology when I wanted to take other classes. Luckily the core really gives you a lot of flexibility with regards to pretty much all the core requirements besides hum, sosc, and civ. Also, there’s plenty of time to double major or study abroad, since Chicago is on the quarter system. </p>
<p>Speaking of studying abroad and the core, you can also (and most people I know have done or plan to do this) fulfill the civ requirement by studying abroad for a quarter. Most people agree that studying abroad in a different country for just a quarter and getting your civ requirement out of the way beats taking a year-long civ sequence in Chicago.</p>
<p>I think the concerns you have are largely assuaged by the flexibility (and awesomeness) of the core. I really hope you choose to consider Chicago - it is every bit as awesome as it seems!</p>
<p>Thanks, that was really helpful! 
Unfortunately I’m going to be a senior and not taking any AP Sciences (though I might self-study for Enviro- would that get me out of anything?), so I’m wondering, are there blowoff science classes that you can take for the requirement, like classes that are for the people who hate science? I don’t have a problem with any of the other requirements, they seem like classes I would take anyways, but I think a college requiring me to take 4 science classes that actually require me to understand science would be a deal-breaker, no matter how stupid that is. So are there ways to get around that at all?</p>
<p>There is an array of core science courses for people who don’t want to take real science courses (with pre-meds in them) to meet their four-quarter Core requirements, including courses on exercise, diet, and metabolism, modelling climate change, and poisons (among many others). Some are traditional _____ for Poets nontechnical drive-by surveys, some approach a whole interdisciplinary field through a single lens (like environment, or metabolism), and some are very narrow and deep. Some of the Bio Topics seminars that non-science majors use to meet their bio requirement are so good that people take them after they have already met their bio requirement.</p>
<p>On the other hand, you are going to have a lot of trouble finding true “blowoff” classes on that list (or any other part of the University of Chicago course catalog). If you really think you shouldn’t have to understand science at all, you may not be a great fit with the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>I’m fine with them requiring work, I just don’t get science so I’m worried about having to take classes that I’ll hate and that I’ll do badly in since scientific things don’t make any sense to me, but it sounds like there are options for people who don’t have the brain type for that, so I’ll keep looking into the college. Thanks for your help!!</p>
<p>The core curriculum is very flexible, as others have said. In fact, one of my friends is double-majoring in math and economics and plans to spend his entire junior year abroad (at the London School of Economics), so meeting your desires for a college education is definitely doable.</p>
<p>“Scientific things don’t make sense to me”? One thing is not liking science, but if that statement is true, then what does?</p>
<p>^I meant mainly things related to natural sciences; I’ve found that I tend to be better at abstract thinking than more physical studies. I love studying literature, reading philosophy and debating public policy, but when it comes to science my brain kind of shuts off, which is what I was trying to convey. For example I love history; the subject in general makes a lot of sense to me and I tend to remember seemingly trivial details because they seem important to me, but when we turn to military details in war, I have a certain amount of trouble actually wrapping my head around the logistics. I love studying theories and I think I’m pretty good at discussing them, but when it comes to thinking about things like molecular dna and orbitals around atoms, it takes a lot more effort for me to actually get what’s going on. All I was trying to get across is that science is my weak point and I was hoping to be able to focus on my strengths in college.</p>
<p>“though I might self-study for Enviro- would that get me out of anything?”</p>
<p>NOOO don’t do this! It will be a complete waste of time. Self-study AP Physics B and AP Biology instead-just getting 4’s on each will get you out of the physical science requirement and the bio core requirement.</p>
<p>^thanks for the suggestion, but i’m pretty sure ap physics or ap bio would be a waste of time since i really doubt i would pass them even with studying. ap enviro is the only one that seems passable to me (among the sciences), so are you saying that it won’t help me at all with the requirements?</p>
<p>Yes, I’m saying it will not help you at all with requirements. AP Psych (which I self-studied a 5 junior year of high school), AP environmental (which I was about to self-study senior year) AP human geography get no credit whatsoever, not even electives.</p>
<p>AP Physics B looks doable, I regret not self-studying it in high school. Just a four on that exam would get you out of the PHY Sci core (2 whole really annoying and pointless classes if you’re not a science major). AP Bio looks like a lot of memorization, which would get you out of the bio core which is pretty nice.</p>