<p>I'm a current student at the University of Chicago, and I am on the executive board for the Prospective Students' Advisory Committee (PSAC), the student side of the admissions office.
It seems like only yesterday I was trolling College Confidential and waiting waiting waiting for admissions decisions to come out. I know many of you are currently in the same position.
If, whether you're an EA applicant or an RD applicant, you have any questions a current student might be able to answer, please feel free to post them here! I, and other members of PSAC and current students, will be around to answer your questions. We're on winter break now, and so naturally have a lot of time on our hands. You may also choose to join either of our Facebook groups, "UChicago Applicants: Class of 2013 (Official Group)" and "University of Chicago Class of 2013!", or send more detailed questions for current students to <a href="mailto:psac@uchicago.edu">psac@uchicago.edu</a>, which is read and responded to by members of the PSAC Executive board.
Please do not expect answers to questions about admissions or financial aid specifics; none of us are admissions counselors, and can only provide information specific to our own situations, not yours. Also, we will not "chance" you, as (especially for the UofC) your statistics are much less important than the total package you offer as a student to the University, and "chancing" you based on a few facts is really not going to provide you an accurate portrait of your ability to get admitted to the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>So, please feel free to ask any and all questions about classes, activities, student life... whatever you think a current student might be able to answer! And, no, we still don't know when admissions decisions are going out. :)</p>
<p>Best,
Grace, class of 2011
Web Content Director,
Prospective Students Advisory Committee Executive Board of the University of Chicago
<a href="mailto:psac@uchicago.edu">psac@uchicago.edu</a></p>
<p>sick
this is awesome
i have some questions </p>
<ol>
<li><p>is the weather bad? i know its chicago, the windy city yadi yadi yada, how cold does it get and how fast does it get cold? Are there ample time for students to enjoy outdoor activities in the fall? or even in the winter for that matter?</p></li>
<li><p>do you guys have a Quidditch team?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Weather: it gets cold, yes, but usually not until late November/early December do we have snow. Intramural outdoor sports are totally possible almost all of Fall Quarter, which runs September-early December. In terms of playing sports outside or lounging on the quads, yeah, it gets too cold for that, but it's nothing that a good down coat and hat won't fix for general "being outside" purposes.</p>
<p>Quidditch: Wouldn't be surprised, but I haven't heard of one. If you wanted to get one together you'd probably have more people interested in it than you could handle.</p>
<p>I was wondering, with the increase in students, does U of C still have small classes? I am considering U of C and other small liberal arts colleges, but I have always wanted more intimate classes predicated upon discussions. I know, from reading a few articles, that there has been some debate about increasing the student population, so i was wondering what the impact of that was and, perhaps, will be.</p>
<p>The University has always been committed to keeping instructional classes small, and I do not think that an increase in average incoming class size is impacting this at all. The "University of Chicago" education style- mainly seminar classes, and discussion if you have a larger class- just doesn't work if smaller classes are overenrolled. Remember that an increase in class size here would be in the hundreds, not the thousands- the fluctuations are due to more students accepting the offer of admission, not an concerted effort to have more students on campus.
Our average class size, which incorporates lecture classes as well, is 20 students. I have had classes with anywhere from 6 (a seminar on human-animal interactions I took this quarter) to 120 (gen chem), erring on the side of the teens ans twenties. I have never had a class that I felt was too large- even the lecture classes I have taken have been appropriate in size, and have always incorporated a discussion section with fewer students. Really, the only classes that are lecture classes to begin with are classes where it's not necessary to share your opinion- I would have died if, say, Gen Chem had been an "open forum" discussion class like my Humanities class was, because all that's necessary out of that class is hearing the brilliant professor talk and asking the occasional question during the lecture portion. Discussion is present in any class you take, and emphasized in the majority of classes- where you'll get a lecture class is often general science courses, intro to economics, and the occasional poli sci class.</p>
<p>From a technical side, there isn't space to increase classes. The moajority of HUM and SOSC classes are in small classrooms with either one large table or a few tables set up in a rectangle. Even if they wanted to add 10 students to that class, there would be no room.</p>
<p>Also, the lecture room in Kent, where Gen Chem takes place, is the largest in the school. I took my largest class last year with Allen Sanderson. Even though the class had approximately 225 students, he would still recognize students across campus, and I still say hi to him when I see him at the med (a local restaurant). He would even ask sometimes a student who sits near the back row, where they were the class before, because he hadn't seen them the week before (it turns out the had an interview).</p>
<p>So basically, most of the classes are small, but even when they're large, the professors teach very well.</p>
<p>They are not coming out today. I work closely with the admissions office, and if PSAC board members don't know when decisions are coming out, nobody does! :)
Hang tight. They should be out within the week.</p>
<p>Hi Grace, on the collegeboard site it says:
"12/15 U Chicago: Deadline for college to notify students of early action"
Does the college have to abide to this deadline? Is it an official deadline?</p>
<p>Teehee, sorry I had to lie to y'all, we're really not supposed to tell :)
Yes, decisions are now up. go check in the scure section of the applicant's page!</p>
<p>ah gracello, I remember you on my tour :) I picked you out to be my tour guide, and you totally rocked. Hilarious. Thanks for giving me a great time when I visited! :)</p>
<p>Where did the virtual dorm tour that used to be on the PSAC website go? Actually, where did the PSAC website go? I remember looking through the virtual dorm tour last year and now that I'm actually choosing a dorm, it would be really helpful.</p>