<p>so, i've heard a lot about the core and the intense workload at Chicago, but is it all doable? I've been accepted and am trying to make my final decision. I do not want to spend my 4 years at college stranded in the library or with my nose stuck in a book. Is there time for things outside of the classroom and academics? I'm scared that by picking Chicago I am choosing 4 years of life in a classroom. Am i taking it too far out of proportion?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>There's like 80 billion threads on this. Why don't you find one?</p>
<p>yes it is. i know someone who transferred from chicago to yale (history major) and said that the workload was comparable. chicago is on a quarter system which makes everything go by a little faster (ie fitting a 14-week curriculum in to 10 weeks) but don't forget, you'll be taking 3 or 4 classes at a time as opposed to 5 or 6. in his words, chicagoans just liked to complain louder than students at other schools.</p>
<p>i don't think chicago is MIT-difficult, or even cornell-difficult. correct me if i'm wrong, though, as i have yet to actually attend.</p>
<p>you wont be stuck in a book or the library, there is plenty of time for other stuff.</p>
<p>That being said, chicago is usually thought of as being along the lines of caltech and mit when it comes to the more rigorous majors so there can be a lot of work at times but there is still a social life.</p>
<p>During my visist a lot of the med- based majors were really flipping out. Some of them were taking, I think, the MCAT pretty soon.</p>
<p>Most of the students seemed to agree that the hardest majors with the greatest work load were something in the science realm (ie. horrid 3-4 hour labs, long regular clases etc...) </p>
<p>One girl was seriously praying on her knees in the middle of the yard for mercy- she was probably over doing it.</p>
<p>Chicago is intense, no doubt, and your first year will be the worst. Most people aren't used to it. But in a lot of ways it's like boot camp. After basic training things that used to seem hard and stressful just no longer do. You'll learn how to manage your time, what to study and what to ignore, and all that stuff. By your second year everything is just easier and by your third year, why, it's downright enjoyable*!</p>
<ul>
<li>This is a joke. I just mean that the while the workload actually increases as you progress here it actually feels like it's becoming easier because you're smarter and know how to work more efficiently.</li>
</ul>
<p>what about the humanities-oriented majors, like english, classics, history, etc.?</p>
<p>Humanities majors take a different kind of work. Sciences have a concrete set of stuff that has to get done. It doesn't matter how good you are at science or how well you manage time, a lab will still take X number of hours, for example. There will still be problem sets, etc, due at regular intervals. Humanities have a lot more flexibility in how the work gets done. If you don't have the reading done in time, you can just catch up (although if you get too far behind, it's tough).</p>
<p>I don't know if "it" is doable, but I certainly am.</p>
<p>oh eric you and your saucy sexiness.</p>