Student of the College

<p>Alright, I'm a first year here at the college, and I for one will tell you- THIS SCHOOL IS HARD AS ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not joking. This school will easily push even the brightest mind there is, I'm sure. This post is not to discourage anyone. This post is to tell prospective students what to expect when they get here.</p>

<p>When I first applied to the school, everyone was saying "This school is hard." I took it as, "It's hard, but you'll get by." I really should have listened more clearly. Now, I'm here pulling all-nighters just to get a 3.0. However, I must say that it is worth the effort. When you get an 'A' here, its definitely well earned! </p>

<p>I would only reccomend this school to students that truly love learning, and that truly want to learn about damn near everything- two words- "The Core." </p>

<p>Though this school, at times, will come off as a hell hole, its a lovable hell hole in the end. Not to mention- I KNOW that I'm getting the best educatoin in the USA, if not the WORLD. </p>

<p>I'll be hear to take any questions from prospective students. I am a student, so I may not be on here tooooo often, but I'll try to check one to three times a week at least. Best of luck to all....</p>

<p>Later
TL</p>

<p>From a student that hopes that "This school is hard" is "this school is hard but you will get by" and "Fun dies" is "Fun dies on the weekdays"-</p>

<p>Do I have no clue what I am getting myself into?</p>

<p>No. You'll be fine. This school is hard, but you can get by. In terms of grades, if you try hard in all your classes, you can probably get Bs in most subjects (maybe not in all your pre-med classes or advanced courses, but generally). It ranges from quite difficult to nearly impossible to get As in classes, depending on the course. Fun dies almost completely for people focused on getting a 4.0 or close to; if you are OK with getting a mix of As and Bs, with probably more Bs, you can definitely have fun. Your experience may be different, but this is what I have seen. In the end, though, you're getting a better education with your money here than at almost any school in the country.</p>

<p>I have always been interested in whether students of the college not only study, but also socialize, play sports, run extracurricular activities with the same passion they do their study. Is everyone really anti-social? And how much are the extra-curricular activities hampered by such a hard core? I want the whole package with emphasis on studying, not library hogging zombies (sorry lol, just a little joke).</p>

<p>Extra-curriculars are hampered by the core. Lots of people are involved in lots of activities (sports, mock trial, MUNUC, music groups, jobs, political activism groups), but it's definitely harder to get very involved with a large number of activities when you're at a demanding school. The work takes time, so you may not always have many spare hours every evening. You can certainly be involved, but you can't come in preparing to do a lot of time consuming activities and keep a 3.8. </p>

<p>As I and others have said, there are people who prefer their work to people. The majority of people, though, are normal and friendly. They like to party, hang out, play sports, go into the city, do their extra-curriculars, watch movies, and whatever else you can think of.</p>

<p>god! You U of C people love to scare people! I know the classes are mad hard, but i mean, damnit! Look at this, it really is true, you become a grind no matter what at the U of C... my biggest fear, esp. because i don't attribute any of my grades to being smart, but just working a little harder than others.... seems like even if I work hard here at U of C, ill just get crappy grades... don't you hate that feeling of working hard on something knowing you'll just end up with a B? Thats AP Chem for me lol</p>

<p>I mean, my idea of college, is you should have enough time throughout the day to go to class, and get your work done so you can go to bed at a reasonable time, like 12 maybe or around then. I thought all nighters were only for finals time... this is a very uninformed impression. I'm telling you, as much as people tell me the education here is truly amazing (I think they might be right), its not worth being a miserable zombie who eats and works, and doesn't sleep. Part of being young is living a little, I want to know the honest truth if people live a little at the U of C, or if its just a constant amount of work, memorizing, writing, studying? The work would especially be a problem for me, who used to think I was smart, but have realized im not too bright at all despite grades and getting accepted...</p>

<p>Yes the coursework is challenging, but S tells me he has a very good time and an active social life, frequent parties, sports club president, volunteer service, plenty of female companionship, and hanging out in various places in Chicago (has a car, which makes that easier), GPA is good, is premed and a humanities major. He loves to argue, loves his discussion classes, and gets a kick out of o-chem. His blood runs maroon. So don't despair, it is possible to have a great college experience at Chicago, but a big part of the fun IS the challenge, the work, and the continual intellectual challenge, in and out of the classroom.</p>

<p>
[quote]
my biggest fear, esp. because i don't attribute any of my grades to being smart, but just working a little harder than others.... seems like even if I work hard here at U of C, ill just get crappy grades... don't you hate that feeling of working hard on something knowing you'll just end up with a B?

[/quote]
If you think a B is a "crappy" grade, and you expect to continue to hold that view, you will not find success or happiness here. Your life at the U of C can involve both studying and fun--it does for most, but until you are OK with getting Bs you will be the one most likely to become a "miserable zombie who eats and works." I work, but I also spend a lot of time hanging out, procrastinating, and partying; my grades and stress level are both good. I have to say, though, that even in high school I never viewed a B as a "crappy" grade unless I felt I deserved an A. Your attitude can determine a lot.</p>

<p>"I mean, my idea of college, is you should have enough time throughout the day to go to class, and get your work done so you can go to bed at a reasonable time, like 12 maybe or around then. "</p>

<p>I think that it's important to remember that you are likely to be doing a fair amount of work with your classmates - which is a lot more exhilirating than in your room in your parent's home. One of the things that my son misses when he comes to our home for break (and he considers Chicago his home now) is the plethora of interesting people to talk to at every hours of the day or night. </p>

<p>Have you been inside the Reg yet? Lots of students ... working hard ... but there is an energy in there that is almost palpable.</p>

<p>ohio_mom is right. S isn't home for long before he is talking, IM'ing, emailing, or skyping U of C pals. High school pals have all but disappeared.</p>

<p>i heard once about harvard and mit i think that of sleep, social life, and good grades, you could only have 2. well its pretty much true here, too. i choose the former 2.</p>

<p>I'm taking four classes and I manage my time well and it's fine. Not impossible in the slightest.</p>

<p>I honestly cannot relate to what a lot of kids on this thread have been talking about. Many people I know - and myself included - did very well last quarter, took four classes, went downtown many, many, many times, partied, studied hard, played IMs and club sports.... its all extremely do-able. I hope no one here gets the impression that students at this school are a grind. The average UofC student will indeed be very studious, but I was actually surprised at how balanced kids seem to be. The classes in it of themselves are indeed very demanding, but with just basic time management you can do all your reading and still have time for plenty of fun (that is, assuming that your class reading isn't "fun" for you) and extracurriculars.</p>

<p>It definitely depends on your schedule, too. There's a first year taking Honors Physics, Honors O-Chem, Honors Analysis, and hume; his schedule's going to be tougher to handle than the schedule of someone taking Media Aesthetics, Math 112, and Spanish 101. As I've said, I had a lot of free time, partied hard, and got good grades with a pretty demanding schedule, but it's still ridiculous to come into the U of C focused on getting all As and being highly involved with lots of activities. The students I know with harder schedules who won't accept anything but As have limited involvement in things outside academics and are always very stressed.</p>

<p>"and hume." --> Let's be sure to write HUM, since people will start thinking that the college offers a 3-quarter sequence on David Hume!!!</p>

<p>... and I agree, some schedules are indeed very intense...</p>

<p>What's funny is that I think that is the first time I have ever written "hume" instead of "hum." I tend to go with hum and sosc, but sometimes I feel impulsive and write hume and soc--just to keep it interesting. :)</p>

<p>Here is an address to the majority of the questions about social life.</p>

<p>I run varsity track, participated in IM football and IM volleyball, I'm a member of the Ping-Pong Club and I'm taking four clasees this quarter (three of which are intense writing and reading courses) and I have a significant other that i regularly spend time with. Not to mention that I go to the reasearch lab every now and then to make some extra money. I'm managing to use my time most effectively, I think. I'm definitely happy here. The purpose of me listing these "activities" is to show that fun does not come here to DIE! Some students come here with a notion of what a good grade is and they kill fun within themselves. That does not represent the mass of the social body.</p>

<p>Likely, if you're accepted to come to this school, you have the confidence that you can virtually handle any courseload that the school could offer. The courseload is not a major issue for most students here. The classes are tough, unusually tough, but academic confidence and academic momentum gets all of the willing students through. If I have time to do all that stuff I listened, any student can equally fill-up his day if he wants to. It's just a matter of how he wants to spend his time, whether with RSO's or Friends or naps (naps are huge for students on campus btw) or varsity sport....whatever. </p>

<p>I've noticed since being here that I can do what the hell I want! Finally, a time when I can structure my day in its entirety. You'll have plenty of time to socialize. Here is a list of Yes's:</p>

<p>-Yes, we do have parties. (though they're not quite my taste, but I go with friends sometimes anyways)
-Yes, we do kick ass in the classroom.
-Yes, we do have some school spirit.<br>
-Yes, fun does die here....if you choose to kill it.
-Yes, there is a sever lack of A's given here. (but when you get one, damn it feels good).
-Yes, the core is much more than just a core; that **** is intense.
-Yes, you will likely pull a few all-nighters a quarter if you are a professional procrastinator, like me :-)
-Yes, you can have fun and get "good" grades
-Yes, the pre-med students here are crazy....lol joking
-Yes, the econ majors are crazier...joking again
-Yes, econ majors that the game of monopoly to the heart....not joking :)
-Yes, fun is alive here.
-Yes, the school is waiting for you to love it like I do.</p>

<p>later</p>

<p>okay sorry for saying "crappy grade is a B" im not one of those high school kids who won't accept anything but As, trust me, my transcript is not spotless. Really what I meant, is that the drift I got (esp. being premed as I plan to be) is that gpa matters a whole bunch in college (I don't go to a school with one so im unfamiliar with how it works really). What I meant is that I believed that the classes at Chicago would be so hard that despite studying hard and working hard in them, the best possible grade I could pull would be a B. I meant that as in "I will never get above a B in my history at the school which equals a bad gpa which is bad for me in the end." The point of that post was just to say that it seems like to be successful (on paper at least) you needed to become a grind at the U of C, and I don't want that to be successful in college. </p>

<p>Oh, and being premed, can anyone shed any light on that? I know it entails maybe more stress or work than the average student, but how much more? What does it mean to be premed aside from taking science classes and taking the mcatz and hospital work?</p>

<p>Smirkus -
here is a link to the pre-med student group's website:</p>

<p><a href="http://pre-med.uchicago.edu/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://pre-med.uchicago.edu/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>They seem to have a lot of activities going on. </p>

<p>On a practical level, if you wish to enter medicine, there are specific course you will want to take. You will need to see how they fall in with the core and your major. When you choose your schedule, you may want to be a little conservative your first quarter. For example, if you received a 5 in AP chemistry (or took the placement test), you could skip general or honors chemsitry, and go straight into O-Chem. My son did this - and it was a bit of a struggle starting out. He's not a premed, so its fine. But if he had been, I think he would not have made this decision. </p>

<p>Regarding B's ... my son went to his intermediate O-chem prof for a letter of recommendation. They talked for almost an hour, and the prof mentioned that since he "did well" in his class, he would be glad to write a good rec.</p>

<p>One of the other factors you need to remember concerning med school is money: its really expensive, aid is rare. If money is going to be tight, and you are sure you want to be an MD, attending a good public or private (with large scholarship) may be viable options. That said, change majors or directions in life is very common in college. Chicago's core and major requirements mean that you don't have to declare until around the end of your second year ... not a bad thing, IMO.</p>

<p>My S is premed and has a challenging humanities concentration (major). Many premeds do not (as ohio<em>mom correctly suggests) take the most difficult sequences even if they qualify for them. For example, many take the Physics 121 series rather than a higher one. My S did take the highest sequences, but it was a concern. Premeds take a year (3 quarters) of calc (many the 130's sequence), a year of chemistry, a year of o-chem, a year of bio, a year of humanities, a year of social sciences, and typical electives such as biochem and genetics, etc. The humanities, social sciences, math & science fulfill core requirements. S is a second year who will have all his premed and major requirements finished at the end of next year. He still finds time for a very full social life and is an active member of one of the premed groups on campus (there are two, I believe). Ohio</em>mom is also correct that med school can be very expensive. I believe U of C med school is $55,000 per year the first two years and $75,000 per year the last two.</p>