<p>Yay! Sad that we can't be neighbors any more... I've left that floor for greener, less-stinky-bathroomed pastures :)</p>
<p>Just so that you don't think unalove is unique (well, I'm sure she is, but not this way): My kids live off campus and love it; neither misses the dorms at all. But their lives revolve completely around campus -- they often don't see their apartments between 8 am and midnight, and when they do go home for dinner, they usually go back to campus afterward. They work on campus, play on campus, study (alone and with others) on campus. They also enjoy going around the city (with friends from the University), but that's like once-a-week playtime (sometimes twice), not the center of their lives.</p>
<p>Both live with other U of C students, in buildings that are almost completely full of students, faculty, and staff there. One kid lives in a building with nothing but 20 or so undergraduates; it might as well be an official house. (Actually, since many of them share some aspect of a particular activity, it sort of is a theme house.)</p>
<p>Nooooooooo, Grace, you are leaving me with members of the male species on that side of the floor.</p>
<p>Hopefully next year I'll return to the female floor!</p>
<p>When it comes to the college culture, I've found that our school always seems to have something going on outside of the city or a house has made plans to go see a show or something downtown. Most events though, I would argue, are on campus, since you don't have the most time to wander around the North side on the quarter system (unless it's like first week or reading period).</p>
<p>As for pre-med, I'm a first year pre-med and I really love it. The school is pretty strict with grades if you're premed. It's a lot of extra planning and time, but if it's something that means a lot to you, it won't be the absolute worst. Many people change their minds after gen chem though. Even my RA was a premed third year and she just changed her mind to law.</p>
<p>Firstly, thanks so much for taking the time to do this. </p>
<p>I've been accepted to NYU and Chicago so far and am being pulled in different directions! Academics aside, I really love the idea of living independently in New York, and have a fairly strong aversion to the idea of Greek life. </p>
<p>You've said that UofC students tend to be independent, but could you talk a bit about the social scene? How often do students go into the city compared to house/frat parties etc.? In your opinion, is Chicago really where fun goes to die?</p>
<p>I was wondering how many people are taken in by the city life so that their grades suffer? I have been accepted here and Cornell and one of the arguments my parents make for cornell is that there won't be as many distractions; hence i will fair better. I know that there is a huge difference, from the other thread, between the two schools and i love them both.</p>
<p>I suspect it really depends on what exactly distracts you. The University of Chicago isn't right smack in the middle of things the way NYU, or Columbia, or Harvard, or even Brown is. It takes a certain amount of effort to get out of Hyde Park. (Which, by the way, has many fewer distracting amenities than Ithaca does. Ithaca is a great college town, very nice for the middle of nowhere.)</p>
<p>I'm just a parent, but I haven't heard many stories of Chicago students being "taken in by city life". Of course, anywhere you go there will be some self-destructive people, and they will be using whatever means is closest to hand to self-destruct. That isn't the fault of the city or the gorges when it happens.</p>
<p>When my second child wanted to go to Chicago rather than to a college very much like Cornell, he used a different version of the same argument: "Look, I like to party as much as the next guy. If I go to [Cornell-type college], I'm a little bit afraid that I could fall down some bottomless pit. [Reminds me of a distant acquaintance we know, a smart high-performing kid who pretty much did just that as a freshman at this college.] At Chicago, I know exactly where the bottom of the pit is -- it's my sister and her friends. It's a very shallow pit!" </p>
<p>He wasn't wrong about that. Chicago isn't where fun comes to die, but it doesn't seem to be a college where people have so much fun they forget why they're there. Cornell has a much more developed frat/party scene compared to Chicago. Also, at Cornell people can get lost in the woods as easily as people at Chicago can get lost in the city. There's a lot of fun stuff to do around both colleges -- different, yes, but both fun -- and if you are prone to distraction, you'll get distracted either place.</p>
<p>City proper is a good 7-8 miles and 40 minutes away by bus. It's more of a project to go than a spur of the moment thing. S's many projected visits never materialized, particularly in the winter quarter. Spring might be different. We'll see.</p>
<p>? Why take the bus? Take the el, and its not forty minutes.</p>
<p>Ummm…the U of C is in Hyde Park, a neighborhood of Chicago; Chicago Proper. The loop might be 7 miles away, 20 minutes by bus or El (I have no idea how your son gets there), but you soon get over the loop and start to discover other distinctive neighborhoods in the city - and there are quite a few in the general area surrounding Hyde Park and even much further south.</p>
<p>What are the “Core” humanities classes like?<br>
How do the required foreign language classes compare to the high school ones?
How harsh does winter get?
What is a typical class schedule/routine you have per week?</p>
<p>Hum classes: I think it all depends on the sequence that you take. I took philosophical perspectives for two quarters, and even within the sequences the classes vary depending on the professor. Fall quarter was all discussion and we completely deviated from the “required” book list, but last quarter was mainly the teacher talking and clarifying the text for the class with little participation from the students. The reading amounts also differ depending on the sequences. I don’t think I read more than 20pgs per class, but all of the text was very dense and it took time to figure out what the authors were saying. Other sequences might have more reading, but the texts might be easier to get through.</p>
<p>Winter: It’s really cold here, and I’m from Michigan. There’s a lot more wind and since walking is the main form of transportation, I’d invest in warm boots. But winters are doable; I think part of the reason I did well winter quarter was because I didn’t want to go outside and thus was more likely to study. </p>
<p>Schedule/routine: I recently just finalized my spring schedule! I have two classes each day Monday-Thursday, and one class on Friday. My earliest class is at 10:30, and my latest ends at 3 (only on MW though). This quarter I’m trying to get up early despite my late starts, so I’m volunteering to be a tour guide in the mornings. Unless I have a lot of work (i.e. tests and papers), I try to go to the gym at least twice a week in the afternoons. I have meetings for clubs and stuff late evenings, and then readings come in between. I do problem sets and readings for Monday and Tuesday over the weekend, so my weekdays are fairly chill unless there’s something major for a class I need to do. My system has worked well for me, but everyone has their own routine.</p>
<p>Hi :)</p>
<p>I am wondering about the difficulty of the classes at UChicago. I understand that it depends on the specific course, but approximately how many students (out of the total number) can get A’s and B’s in a relatively hard class?</p>
<p>Also, are the Core classes helpful in helping students discovering their major? I’m asking as an Undecided major ^^</p>
<p>Lastly, are most professors available outside of classes for students to ask questions and get individual help? </p>
<p>Thank you for your help! I’m excited to be admitted into UChicago! XD</p>
<p>As many students as earn the required number of points or percentage to receive an A or B in a class will receive one. There are no University-imposed “quotas” for grades- so, if you do the work required by the professor for an A or B, you will receive one. In a great example, when I walked in to Physiology yesterday, my professor started off by saying that he is perfectly willing to give us all A’s, so long as we all meet the criteria he then outlined for an A. The ease of getting an A or a B varies by class, and it’s really difficult to pinpoint or define which classes are “easier” than others.</p>
<p>The Core is REALLY valuable in helping one discover a major. Basically, the majority of topics or topic areas in which you can possibly major have some connection to the Core- so, you don’t have to feel restricted in exploring a variety of topics, as you’ll most likely be able to find a class of interest that will both help you explore new subject matter and satisfy a Core requirement. This is great for students who are undecided, partially decided, or even set in what you think you want to study, because you always have the opportunity to tailor your Core somewhat to subjects of interest or areas you’d like to explore.</p>
<p>And yes, all professors are required to have ‘office hours’, where they are available in their offices for a period of time to help students with course material, problem sets, or just chat. Professors make a good effort to have their office hours during times accessible to most student in the class, and I’ve never had a problem organizing a different meeting time if I had a time conflict. Professors really want you to learn and understand the material they are presenting, and will for the most part bend over backwards to help you and be accessible if you take advantage of their scheduled office hours or take the initiative to make outside appointments.</p>
<p>Is the core especially math-heavy? Math is by far my weakest subject; if I could go the four years with minimal mathematics classes I would be very happy. </p>
<p>And how much truth is there to Chicago’s reputation for loads of work? Are there many students who feel overwhelmed?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>I’ve heard that the courseload at Chicago is really heavy… Also that the place is uber competitive, and people dont get the time to have fun… How much of that is true?</p>
<p>And the last time I visited Chicago was 7 years ago, and only for a couple days, so I don’t much remember it… Is the weather really as bad as it has a reputation for?</p>
<p>And if anyone has any thoughts on Chicago vs Berkeley for a student who wants to major in economics, please let me know.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>So, I’m visiting in a couple of days. I’m kind of planning on just wandering around campus, taking a tour, etc. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to do the overnight stay, but does anyone have recommendations for any other things I should do to get a feel for the school. Specific places I should visit at the school or in the city (I’ve never been to Chicago before). Also, how would I go about sitting in on a class?</p>
<p>It may be helpful for new visitors to spend time getting adjusted to all the information that’s already on this board, as a lot of these questions are not getting asked for the first time. That’s not me trying to yell at you or anything like that, but me letting you know that whatever answer you get to your question here, it’s very likely that there are more eloquent posts/threads on the subject of your choosing.</p>
<p>University of Chicago competitive.</p>
<p>First, there are many words I could think of to describe Chicago students, and competitive would not be one of them. I think that goes for any institution where most, if not all of the students are darn smart. You may have the experience of feeling a little “whoa” at first-- or may continue to feel a little “whoa”-- at the intelligence of your classmates. This can be a little intimidating at times. For example, I said something that was not entirely well thought-out in class today, and about three people responded politely to share their (contrasting) views on my comment. Right then and there, a little intimidating, but in retrospect it was really excellent. One of my primary complaints about high school was that students didn’t care enough to voice dissenting opinions.</p>
<p>Students who bring up grades… they are few and far between… are tools. Plain and simple.</p>
<p>University of Chicago workload.</p>
<p>Really, really varies. Quarter to quarter, major to major, class to class. That’s not the answer you want to hear, but it’s also the truth.</p>
<p>I am also suspicious of the claim that other schools are “easy” and Chicago is “hard.” Instead, I think that other schools have more of a “work hard/party hard” feel to them, and Chicago has the “work hard” and not as much of a “party hard” feel. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t think that’s because students here lack the social knowhow or resources to party, but rather that it’s not something a lot of students are highly interested in. I think a lot of students tend to socialize in ways that don’t necessarily reflect our fraternity or sorority scene.</p>
<p>University of Chicago stuff to do</p>
<p>Maybe admissions has some suggestions, but I would definitely stop by Reynolds Club to talk to current students. Hang out in Hutch (downstairs) and Hallowed Grounds (upstairs). Hang out in front of Cobb and people-watch.</p>