<p>University of Chicago seems like a great school for me- the academics are phenomenal, it's nearby but not too close to home, etc. However, I have some questions regarding various unpleasant rumors I've heard about UC. Is the surrounding neighborhood truly atrocious? Is UC really "where fun goes to die"? (I'm no party animal, but I don't want to be a hermit for four years either.) Is there really massive grade deflation? Is it really just studying 24/7? (I am not against studying, but as mentioned above, I'd prefer not to be a hermit because of it.)
Responses from current or recent students would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I just want to tidy the forum a bit to link back to this thread, which was posted maybe two weeks ago:</p>
<p>That thread gives a lot of different views on "party scene" and "social life."</p>
<p>To answer your questions one by one:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>By urban standards, the neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Woodlawn, Englewood, and Bronzeville (Hyde Park is where the University is, W is south, Englewood west, Bronzeville north) are pretty decent for what they are. I say that as somebody who has had the chance to be in cities and has seen neighborhoods far, far, worse than any that surround the University. Some crime does happen here, for sure, but that's part of the give and take of an urban neighborhood. Stay safe and stay smart, walk on well-lit streets where there are other people, don't carry around tons of valuables, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>"Where fun comes to die" is a well-loved t-shirt slogan that we sell to our own students, so I guess it is :-). We have both super-party kids and hermit kids, with most falling somewhere very in between. You'll be fine.</p></li>
<li><p>Massive grade deflation? No. Newmassdad was able to demonstrate, through a labor of love of counting the number of students graduating with honors (3.25+) in the graduation program, that about 2/3 of the student population has over a 3.25. I've gotten a lot of grades here, and each one was fair to me. Don't expect all A's, not here and not at any elite university.</p></li>
<li><p>Again, no, students do lots of things besides study. What there isn't as much as is pure "shoot the breeze" downtime, and I don't think there are many moments when I say to myself, "Gee, I have nothing to do." But that's because I'm working, at the gym, at paid work work, playing intramurals, doing club activities, volunteering, with my friends, downtown, and so on. So I'm pretty busy with many non-academic things.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I promise you it's fun. "Where fun comes to die" is a joke. Please, please, please don't take it literally. </p>
<p>You will be with fun and amazing and brilliant people and go to school in a great neighborhood with all the resources and livelihood of a spectacular city at your disposal. You will go to plays and concerts, explore fascinating neighborhoods, go to tame or crazy parties (often or rarely, depending on what you want), play games, joke around with your friends, throw your own parties if you desire, join a frat or sorority if you desire, etc etc etc. The U of C is a fun place. :)</p>
<p>what i love about going to school here is the amazing diversity of people, ideas, interests, passions... as a uchicago student, you quickly realize that no two people here think alike. i will admit, most of us were probably some form of a nerd in highschool, but here, there are all kinds of people. there are just as many introverts as there are extroverts. the individuals here are some of the most passionate human beings i've ever come across.</p>
<p>"you quickly realize that no two people here think alike"
Does this mean that the people in UChicago are idealistic, in the sense that it would be hard to connect with people who think like you?</p>
<p>the "where fun goes to die" was created by u of c students and is absolutely sarcastic. most people don't know that. it's part of our whole self-deprecating culture.</p>
<p>uchicago is absolutely fun.</p>
<p>I really hate it when people say "Where Fun Comes to Die" is just a joke.</p>
<p>Well, yes, but now you've sucked the life out of it.</p>
<p>I've been tempted to just say that it's true and leave it at that, hoping that a sense of sarcasm would travel through, but that opens a whole other can of worms. </p>
<p>As has been written before but I'll write again for any newcomers to this debacle, Chicago has a party scene AND a social scene. It's not HUGE, but it's not all that tiny either. Keep in mind that while you have access to Fiske and other "accurate" sources, I have a facebook, so I have a very good idea of who is doing what on the weekends. ;-)</p>
<p>Beauty, like fun, is in the eye of the beholder. </p>
<p>Having attended a big ten university myself, having a D who graduated in June from UofC, and having lived near campus for a year three years ago, I can tell you that the concept of UofC fun is a bit different from a big 10 U, or even schools like Penn or Northwestern.</p>
<p>Briefly, "fun" at UofC is not frat centric. In fact the frat parties are a bit of a joke for anyone beyond first year. "fun" at UofC is not alcohol centric, although lots of students do get wasted on weekends, some even hauled to the ER. "fun" at UofC tends to be more small group centered, although large parties do exist - got to watch one broken up when I lived nearby. Hundreds of students were milling around on the street. One of the officers told me something funny - when he went to shut down the party due to fire code issues (how many can you squeeze into one apartment safely?), the host gave him a hard time until he threatened to check IDs for underage drinking...</p>
<p>At UofC, fun includes things like Doc films and even the A level snack shop in the Reg (the library). Many students, but certainly not all, prefer smaller gatherings with lots of discussion, perhaps alcohol fueled. Funny thing is though,, my D lived in one of the biggest party buildings on campus, the Pepperland, even though she was not a big drinker. There seems to be a lot of tolerance for various "fun" approaches.</p>