<p>Hey everyone,</p>
<p>I recently got accepted to UChicago EA, and it is currently one of my top choices. I would like to ask some questions.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>UChicago is known to be an academically rigorous school. Thus, a student at UChicago may get a 3.5 GPA, whereas he/she could've gotten maybe a 3.8 at a less academically intense university. How will employers/grad schools look at this? Will they understand that it is much more difficult to earn high grades at UChicago?</p></li>
<li><p>What is the social life at UChicago like, really? Do people literally have no social lives? Or is that an exaggeration? </p></li>
<li><p>If you are severely lacking in the maths/sciences department, will you still be able to survive in the Core? How difficult are the math/sciences courses for people who are basically illiterate at these subjects?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks so much in advance! </p>
<ol>
<li><p>The grading is more lenient, comparatively and absolutely, than in the earlier days when the “fun goes to die” reputation was formed. The median GPA is currently ~3.3, and many of the older professors I’ve spoken to have confirmed that the grading has gotten more lenient over time. If you’re struggling in classes, there are free tutors/study advisers whom you can see in addition to your professors and course assistants. They are very helpful.</p></li>
<li><p>That is an exaggeration. I have friends who attend UIUC, UIC, or Northwestern and whom I see every quarter, and the social scene at UChicago is just as rich as those of the other three schools. The quality of your social experience will depend more on yourself and the people you interact with than on the particular school you choose. Overnight stays at the schools you’re considering might give you a better idea of what “crowd” you like. </p></li>
<li><p>You will be able to survive. If you’re very concerned about your grades, there are “easy” classes for both the math and science Core requirements. I don’t want to single any out, but you’d be able to find them through word of mouth if you attend :). The math department is also very lenient about letting first-years switch math classes during the first five weeks.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Feel free to ask if you have more questions. I like to link the course catalog for admitted students, since I enjoyed reading it and daydreaming about the classes I would take the summer before I started.
<a href=“http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/”>http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/</a></p>
<p>@waddlingnarwhal Thank you so much! What are you majoring in? Do you feel like the Core limits you in any way? Also, I heard that Chicago is a pretty sketchy area – is it safe?</p>
<p>@HvePassion I am majoring in math. I do not feel that the Core is limiting in terms of getting a particular major. It is very possible to get a double major in two unrelated subjects even without testing credit. Did you mean limiting in another sense?</p>
<p>I think that Hyde Park is safe. I have lived in many different places and feel that Hyde Park is one of the nicer ones. </p>