<p>I used to hang out a lot, meaning I spend more time outside than at home including sleeping eating. However, I am in a small town where most people don't go to college. I did bad and illegal things for "fun" and the more I do it, the more crappy I felt about my self-worth. Now, I stay away from them and haven't really done anything wild or fun for a while. Its a little boring for me at this moment but I hope I can pick it up at college because even wild people at the University of Chicago are not losers. Being wild and having fun of smart and ambitious people will definiting not make me a loser like when I used to hang out with drug dealers, punks, and thugs. Anybody else on the same page as me?</p>
<p>I recommend that those asking themselves why Chicago read this:</p>
<p>oh, god, you evil man. why did you make me read this insanely good speech so now if they reject me, i will be depressed.</p>
<p>I wrote this on another board to an applicant I wasnt sure was a good fit (sorry for double posting). I think Chicago is a great school, just not for the typical college student...</p>
<p>Make sure you like Chicago! Last weekend a friend who went there from high school visited me (I now go to Columbia MBA in new york). This weekend I spent all weekend skiing at Dartmouth with a friend from B-School who went to Chicago. His and my experiences (at Dartmouth) were so different. 80% of alums come back to the Dartmouth reunions, he said barely anyone comes back to Chicago's. I literally would be on the ski lift with random alums from the 70's who knew people in my class! We all just love the school so much that we all love to come back. As for my Chicago friends, they said it really was about studying 24-7, vs the bonding that goes on other places. Also they said the "most famous" professors barely spent anytime with undergrads. </p>
<p>Many undergrad intellectual converations occur in community environments. Other places offer great academic environments but have cohesive, community oriented campuses to boot. Plus at Chicago, there are only two bars on campus and the place is deserted on weekends. You are a top candidate at most Ivies. Seriously consider them if you are a social person. </p>
<p>Sorry Chicago fans, I hate to come on your board and tell an individual to look at other schools also. A girl from my high school went there and loved it, its just that I have noticed the more outgoing students find it not nearly as nurturing a community as some other places.</p>
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<p>Guys, Chicago is an intense experience. The Ivies in general are much more "collegiate," and yet offer many of the same resources to the top student. Sure maybe one can argue all day about contact with the top Professors (that is what Chicago is known for, perhaps those two friends have unique experiences), but know that Chicago may be stifling for a socially minded person.</p>
<p>I'm well aware, and that is one of my concerns about going there (if I am accepted)...</p>
<p>However, if I truly don't like it, I can just work my ass off freshman year, hope for a 3.4+, and apply for a transfer somewhere like Penn or NYU.</p>
<p>Did you apply to places like Penn, Columbia, Northwestern, etc?</p>
<p>Slipper, your anecdotal impressions are not really helpful since you didn't go to Chicago and your range of acquaintance does not seem extensive. Remember that most on this board specifically chose Chicago for EA because of it's reputation. And a number are looking forward to RD decisions, so Chicago is already on the top of their lists. At this time, then, current student or recent alum comments are the most valuable.</p>
<p>They did not necessarily apply to Dartmouth, so acceptance there will be unlikely.</p>
<p>I am sure that dd is not the only one who carefully assessed top U's including each ivy and deliberately decided not to apply to some of them. For dd, these would include the ones who attract the rah-rah school types.</p>
<p>I just want to let people know what I have heard from multiple sources. The thread is called "Chicago Atmosphere." Anyway, I think its a great school, but I also think social life concerns are real.</p>
<p>Of course someone like slipper would be concerned about the social atmosphere at Chicago. After all, what do you think drives someone to choose a place like Dartmouth? Anyone see the movie "animal house"? It was written by a Dartmouth grad. </p>
<p>I'm always amazed by folks who (1) have no direct knowledge about a place (2) are "experts" because they have a friend who heard from another friend about something and (3) went to someplace COMPLETELY different, and then these same folks question the judgement of people who don't do the same as they did.</p>
<p>Chicago is not Dartmouth. Dartmouth is not Chicago. Most adults know better than to pass on rumors, hearsay and second hand information. Slipper, as an MBA candidate, should know better.</p>
<p>I attended graduate school, then performed research and teaching activities at U of C from 1979 through 1994. I knew many undergraduates as I was a TA and supervised them in our lab. As a graduate student, many undergrads were in my classes as well. I have a few observations I would like to share.</p>
<p>First, the course work at Chicago is not all that different than elsewhere. It is just that students must take courses they would otherwise not encounter and therefore are little more apprehensive. One quickly comes to understand that good note taking and understanding the lectures (and discussions) is key, particularly in the sciences (social, natural, and physical). The text book and readings are supplemental. Rule: lectures trump texts and articles, unless the paper is by the professor. One can get by with B's on remarkably little studying if one concentrates on the lectures. However, students at Chicago enjoy debate and discussion and are committed to being well educated. They just don't want to pass a course, they want command of the material as an expert in the discipline might. This is what separates Chicago students from the rest. They work hard and push themselves not because they have to, but because they want to. </p>
<p>Students were very active in intramural sports. There were many parties, (I'm talking undergraduates too) and many went to clubs in Chicago. Social life at Chicago is an individual thing, one can have as much or as little as one likes. The main socializing forum for undergrads, however, was (is) the library. While spending hours in the library may be necessary to meet school requirements, it is also the place where relationships are formed, which is another reason why so much time is spent there. One must also not forget the museums and other cultural attractions. Right on campus is the Oriental Institute (I loved that place and spent many hours there studying the exhibits and attending lectures and other programs), the Smart Gallery, and a few block away from campus is the Museum of Science and Industry. And, don't forget the lake. Weekends spent at the "Point" were heaven (in good weather).</p>
<p>As for safety, it is an issue, but no more so than any urban environment in America. Let's not paint too rosy a picture, I knew students who were robbed and raped. I also knew families raising their kids in Hyde Park, and who would never think of living anywhere else. One must understand this and take precautions, no matter what area of the city one lives in, including Evanston (the home of Northwestern). There was (is) a great deal of hardcore drug use and dealing near Northwestern. Near UChicago, are people in poverty and so robbery is not uncommon (see <a href="http://maroon.uchicago.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://maroon.uchicago.edu/</a> and <a href="http://www.hpherald.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.hpherald.com/</a>). In essence it is a city.</p>
<p>The academics, the city life, the cultural opportunities are what make UChicago, well, Chicago. I would not have traded my time there for anything. I loved the place. I have had the opportunity to be involved in various ways with many of the top tier Ivies, none I found compared to the rigor, commitment, and challenge that is The University of Chicago. Other's may be better known or more prestigious, but Chicago is America's one truly great University.</p>
<p>Lets just say UChicago MBA program kicks the pride out of dartmouth</p>
<p>BTW- guys, I am only using Dartmouth as an example of my experience. I am not saying Chicago kids should go to Dartmouth, I am just pointing out an anecdotal experience I had. Also, Newmassdad you make some assumptions yourself. Dartmouth and Chicago have much in common, especially their focus on undergraduate education. I chose Dartmouth for the community, yes, but also because of the intimate setting and access to Professors. All I am pointing out is that Chicago isn't a typical college experience. For the right student its perfect, but its not for everyone. Just as I tell a certain type of student to avoid Dartmouth. </p>
<p>Also j10, I totally agree. I would never go to Dartmouth for grad school.</p>