I am currently a freshman at a large state school and I am unhappy mostly because I don’t like it socially and haven’t found many people I connect with. I haven’t had trouble making friends in the past, and thought maybe my current school was the problem so I decided to apply to transfer. I applied to several top schools and so far have only been accepted to UChicago. However after doing some research on social life at UChicago, I have become concerned that going there won’t actually solve any of my problems. I know the stereotype is that most people are nerdy/anti-social and I’m not sure how excited I am about that, I’ve heard the student body has been described as unfriendly, and it sounds like the houses are very hit or miss with regards to whether you get one you fit in well with. Am I likely to have similar problems socially at UChicago, or will it be easier for me to make friends there as a transfer? Thanks in advance!
UChicago will be very different from a large state school but it really depends on you to socialize. Personally I think you will be fine, much easier at a smaller school with houses to make friends.
My daughter, a first year at UChicago, got asked this question last week by a prospie from her HS. Her take is that the two biggest obstacles to making friends at UChicago are that lots of people are shy and that everybody’s busy (so it can be hard to schedule fun things). That said, even the shy people are friendly (so often all it takes is making the first move) and the always-busy phenomenon is a function of classes/homework, so one way to start hanging out together and getting to know people is to study/work on psets with classmates. She’s also gotten to know people in her House (via the House Table in the cafeteria as well as outings and House movie nights) and through RSOs (extracurricular clubs). FWIW, she lives in North Campus where, reputedly, House culture isn’t strong.
My 2 cents: College, wherever you go, is different from HS in that you don’t naturally see the same people day after day, year after year in your classes. Nor does everyone have lunch/free time at the same time and in the same place. So friendships can feel slower to develop/less organic/more intentional, especially during your first year in a new school. (And when you’ve recently come from an environment where you had old friends). But, hey, now you all live within walking distance of each other and there are no parents around to limit when you get together. So there are compensations!
For what its worth, a friend attends UChicago and he loves it there and says the house he is in is very social and friendly. They do a lot of activities together
If you are a University of Chicago kind of student – which your admission suggests – and you are capable of making friends, you shouldn’t have trouble making friends at the University of Chicago. While many people find that their houses are their most important social resource, others make their friends through participation in other student organizations, or via classrooms.
One of my kids had a very close friend at the University of Chicago who was a transfer student. The became friends through University Theater. They graduated a while ago, but live and work within a few blocks of each other, and still have lunch or drinks together pretty regularly.