<p>It seems there's not a single description of UChicago that doesn't include this word somewhere, so I'm wondering: what is it about the school that invites such a reputation? I visited campus last month and loved it, but nothing really seemed out of the ordinary to me. I'm just curious to hear someone else's perspective :)</p>
<p>Interesting that you would ask this question… I have been on the campus tour twice, once about 6 years ago and then again this last year. What struck me this last year is exactly what you said – the tour seemed just like every other school. They used to tell stories about a shadow cast from a statue like a hammer & sickle, make a bigger deal of the Enrico Fermi/pile history, talk a lot about the scavenger hunt, and “life of the mind”. They barely mentioned any of this. Nothing about the statue or “life of the mind”, a passing comment on Fermi, and only talked about scav when I asked. And the students that took us were quite different. Six years ago we had a girl with unruly hair who was clearly very, very smart. This time we had someone who seemed almost corporate, with a carefully memorized tour spiel, but just no sparkiness. So… I am not sure U of C is as quirky as it used to be, at least from a visitor’s perspective. Others obviously may have other opinions.</p>
<p>If you have looked at the U of C supplement you will have noticed the essay prompts. The prompts are different than most - i.e. “quirky”. If you love them (my son says they are the best he has seen…by far) you will probably fit in. You are not going to “see” this during a campus visit but most of the students will probably have loved writing those quirky essays.</p>
<p>Myself, I think the last one for this year, “So where is Waldo, really?” is simply brilliant.</p>
<p>I attended U of C in the 1980’s. I never heard it described as quirky nor would I describe it as quirky.</p>
<p>intparent, that’s exactly the tour experience I had. My mom later commented that it felt like a performance. Obviously that’s just one tour guide, but who knows? (Personally… I’d be that girl with the crazy hair, which is why I’m applying in the first place.)</p>
<p>keesh17, I do agree that the essay prompts are brilliant. I’m going to have a lot of fun with mine.</p>