U Chicago: freshmen orientation week report

Parents Forum
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<p>S1 is finally off to college: U Chicago with a quarter system starts late. In fact, I don't know of any other university that starts as late as U Chicago. Move in day was this past sunday, and monday was the start of the orientation week. </p>

<p>So, I finally finished the journey that most of other parents were done with a month ago. </p>

<p>U Chicago provides full day worth of activities for parents on the move in day and on the first day of the orientation week. Since I learned so much by reading campus visit reports various parents posted on this board, I decided to do my share and provide a report based on the freshman orientation week observation. This is a different angle than the HS senior campus visit, and perhaps may be useful for those who might consider U Chicago. </p>

<p>U Chicago has a very nice tradition of ushering in the freshmen and giving a final closure to the parents – after a ceremony presided over by the President of the school in the main chapel, the students are going through the gate to the main quad with cheering upper classmen on both side of the passage, while parents, after a tearful hug and a kiss, release the kids so that they walk alone through the gate into the next phase of their life as an adult. There were orientation week student volunteers handing out tissue papers to parents.</p>

<p>It was very moving and very well done.</p>

<p>Right after S1 walked through the gate, I turned to H and said “Well, it could have been worse. We could be parents saying good bye to a kid who is boarding a bus in chains and handcuffs to a federal prison”. It completely ruined the tender sentiment he was nursing. What can I say, I am one of a kind. </p>

<p>On a more practical side, the school provided a plenty of formal and informal opportunities in various parent receptions for us to interact with faculty members and other administrative staff. We talked to several faculty members, academic advisors, pretty senior members of the office of the president, and a new dean of admission and financial aid.</p>

<p>Overall, we were very impressed. One particular thing that pleased me to no end is the amount of energy the school seems to pour in for hand holding, support, advising, and nurturing of the undergrad students. They have full time academic advisors whose sole job is to work with each student s/he is in charge of through the whole process of U Chicago education all four years, in addition to the faculty advisors with open door policies, and career advisors. One upperclass man/woman residential assistant per 20 kids, married graduate student living in an apartment in the same dorm in charge of 80-90 kids, and a full time married faculty living in an apartment in each dorm with an open door policy for any kind of discussion. </p>

<p>They have an upperclass student in the dorm who is in charge of activities for kids ranging from a visit to a nearby Target in a rented bus to pick up all the missing supplies to Shakespeare plays and Opera nights in downtown Chicago (all for $5 each performance: amazing bargain). He explained to me that the whole purpose of these activities is to ensure that nobody is left alone due to a lack of social skills or because s/he may be the only one from his/her state (town) to come to this big, "foreign" city. </p>

<p>S1 called today and said he took a placement test for the math class sequence (required for the econ majors), and was able to consult with a math faculty based on the results of the test, who advised him to be placed in the honor sequence. When one girl mentioned that she always liked the applied aspect of the math better than the theoretical side, the faculty gently told her "it's because you have not been taught properly till now". He has the first appointment tomorrow with the academic advisor assigned to him: the advisor will work with him for the final course selection for this fall quarter and beyond. S1 is a die hard Wall Street hopeful, and in order to boost his chances for getting a Wall Street internship next summer, he wants to take econ classes from the first quarter on (which is not a normal sequence given the those econ classes are for econ majors and for sophomore/junior and up). Looks like they are going to let him do it - so he is pretty excited about it).</p>

<p>S1 was placed in the new dorm that just opened. Very state of the art! Great place and environment. During the two days we were there, we were able to eat at the dorm dining facilities free of charge. The food was very good, and I was wondering whether it's really a "show" put together for the parents. I asked that question today when S1 called. He said, the food was still very good after all the parents left town, but, was told that the shrimps were only for the parents, and they are not likely to have many more of such fares during the regular months :)</p>

<p>As a mother of a son, I also checked out the girls because I was curious about what kind of girls he will be surrounded with. I am happy to report that as a mother, I would be happy if my son brings home any one of them. No air headed bimbo type, if you know what I mean. At this stage of life, my son may have different preferences. I have to wonder whether one's taste in attributes of opposite sex is a matter of Tabula Rasa or sociobiology. I hope he will in time develop a fine tastes for what's important, and if necessary, overcome his sociobiological imperatives, which are, in the technological advanced society, no longer a factor with evolutionary advantage for survival and propagation of the involved genes. </p>

<p>Overall, S1's cohorts all seem to be pleasant kids. May be a little dorky and nerdy - some kids are. I much like them better than the swaggering, bombastic types any way. Kids from all 50 states and 43 countries. Within a couple of days, S1 already found 3-4 kids he likes very much (all from far away states), and seem to spend a lot of time together. </p>

<p>Notably absent is any overt school spirit based on sports and other extra curricular brouhaha. Very muted, impossible to detect Greek glory. Those students for whom these are important will be a total mismatch for the school. </p>

<p>All in all, I am very impressed. However, whether this is just initial impression manipulated by the school authorities, time will tell. I do have the feeling though that this was not some kind of scam :) I felt the vibes from faculties, students, and the overall gestalt is: </p>

<p>*****<strong><em>It's a very caring and nurturing environment for serious students who care a lot about the education they are getting *</em></strong>********</p>

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<p>Wow, this was a great post for me, the parent of a nerdish/quirky/laid back son who will be applying to Chicago EA. (Very much a reach!) Your perspective on the supportive environment and the overall vibe on campus is invaluable, and I hope you will continue posting about your S’s experiences there.</p>

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<p>Thanks for sharing!</p>

<p>I have maintained that UChicago seemed to be my son’s intellectual home. And what did the acceptance packet say? “Welcome Home” </p>

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<p>I can just picture this!</p>

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<p>Our experience was similar to hyeonjlee’s. We loved the Opening Convocation where the President and the Dean spoke of the proud history at UChicago and the many firsts in the areas of diversity and acceptance. The overall attitude of the staff seemed to be to provide the first years and their parents with support and encouragement. Our D is also in the newest dorm, which with its terrific highrise office building look stands in stark contrast to most of the other beautiful gothic ivy-laden buildings on campus. Move in day went smoothly. Our DD and her roommate are athletes and have completely filled their room with sports and girl “stuff”. </p>

<p>O-Week activities last an entire week and the days are jammed packed. There is a PE requirement (3 classes), but the students can test out of the swimming and physical fitness requirement during this weeks activities. </p>

<p>The late start (classes don’t start until Tuesday, 9/29) (I believe Brown starts later), means that D won’t start her summer until mid June. Something to keep in mind for potential students who hope to return home for summer jobs.</p>

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<p>It’s never been a problem for me to get an internship-- if anything, the fact that I can stay into mid-September is a plus. Chicago is also not the only school on this calendar-- other notable quarter system schools include Northwestern, Stanford, and Dartmouth. The students who do an internship with a set training and start date (i.e. JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs) arrange to take their final exams a few days earlier and set out for training towards the end of finals week.</p>

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<p>And, my parents’ experience of Chicago (I am the first in my immediate family to attend Chicago, but they attended other elite schools) has been very similar.</p>

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<p>hyeonjlee gives a wonderful description of University of Chicago’s opening convocation for entering students.</p>

<p>Two grace notes: EVERYONE has to take the math placement test, not just prospective econ majors. (One’s intended major is unofficial and barely relevant to first-year course selection.) </p>

<p>Based on my experience observing my son, his taste in women seems to revolve around the criterion “resembles his mother”. (Always personality-wise, sometimes in appearance, too.) Shocker!</p>

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<p>Had an interesting discussion with the new dean of admission and fin aid. I knew about this new gentleman they hired, and have wondered what that means for the recruitment, admission, and enrollment policies.</p>

<p>U Chicago has seen a very significant rise in application numbers and corresponding lowering in the acceptance rate last year years, and it so happens that during the same period, its ranking on USNWR has gone up too (what a surprise :slight_smile: ). The general consensus is, Chicago is finally catching up with its peers in terms of admission and ranking games (a controversial subject matter!). If they do want to go up in ranking, they have the academic part down pad, and the remaining factor under their control is the vanity factor (the appearance of selectivity: acceptance rate and yield), and as such, they will “work” on that. Note that while academic standing will take a generation to fix (both the quality and quantity of the faculty and other “academic” infrastructure), the selectivity perception is comparably easy to “fix”, and I believe if they decide to work on it, they can climb up the ranking tree much easier than schools which need to fix academic part of their standing. </p>

<p>Most of us who are discussing this issue on the U Chicago forum on CC believe that this year, the acceptance rate will further go down (maybe even by a significant margin). Last year, it was about 27%. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it goes down as low as ~20% for two reasons: this new dean is very serious about applicant outreach (read: more applicants) and this is the second year they are doing common app, and data from other schools show that the significant effect of the common app on the number of applications kicks in in the second year (not the first) (e.g., Stanford’s application went up by less than 4% the first year of common app, but jumped by 22% in the second year). </p>

<p>I remember the EA acceptance rate was about 35% I don’t know whether the EA acceptance rate will remain a bit higher this year also, but my guess is, it will be higher: by how much, is a different story. Chicago EA is completely unrestricted, as such, it does not limit the kid’s flexibility what so ever unless s/he is applying to the SCEA by some school (that’s the restriction imposed by the school practicing SCEA, not Chicago). So, anybody who is seriously interested in Chicago should apply to EA, in my mind.</p>

<p>My son was accepted in the EA round, and that allowed him to cut out all the safeties from the RD round.</p>

<p>PS: regarding the math placement for econ, I meant that the math sequence is required for the econ major (3 math courses), NOT that math placement test is required only for the econ major. Everybody should take the placement test. Sorry for the confusion and thanks JHS for correcting this.</p>

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<p>by the way, those of you who are interested in applying to U Chicago, I highly recommend that you check the posts periodically on the U Chicago forum on CC.</p>

<p>Unlike other college specific forums, the CC discussion forum has a significant discussion among several alumni and parents on all matters related to U Chicago. These are highly sophisticated, extremely well informed individuals with significant intellectual fire power that lead very interesting discussions here and there about Chicago and it has given me a lot of interesting insights on Chicago as an institution and convinced me that not knowing much about the school at all (we have done no research on this school before applying), my kid hit a jack pot! I read parent forum discussion for practical matters that will help my S2 (HS junior). I read some posts on the Chicago forum for “refined” entertainment and education. </p>

<p>Reading posts on U Chicago forum will give you a plenty of “ammunition” for “why chicago” essay.</p>

<p>In a way, it is interesting that “the life of the mind” mantra is evident even on the forum and the kind of people who are posting there. Dorky, nerdy, and serious student body, and dorky, nerdy and serious parents!!! :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :)</p>

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<p>God, I am tearing up just reading that. Chicago is my son’s dream school, and if this day ever comes for him, I’m going to be bawling.</p>

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<p>hyeonjlee - thanks for your excellent account of the opening convocation. As you already know from another thread, my DS will be applying to this great school. I’ll be checking the U Chicago forum as you suggested.</p>

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<p>Mantori and PCP,</p>

<p>Having read your posts on the other thread I track, I feel like I almost know your kids.</p>

<p>I hope they become the newest addition to Chicago next year. Good luck to both of you and your kids!</p>

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<p>as the parent of a second year, I would say that most of what a parent experiences during and after O week begins to trail off. My impression is that historically the folks at UChicago have raised the life of the mind - all else is unimportant - to a zen like thing. What I mean by this is that there is a kind of culture of suffering through the crappy food, the crappy dorms, the poor student services in exchange for the intellectual purity of the ivory tower. My interaction with housing and finacial aid have not been good experiences, a kind of bait and switch. My recent discussion with a house master at the new south campus dorm confirmed my impressions.( He has taught there 30 years) The folks at UChicago are trying to change the culture a bit but there is much resistance from the faculty. There is no reason why, beyond O Week, there can’t be better and more humane student services and more activities. There can be intellectual rigor AND fun and they have gotten that message but changes will come slowly. They very much need to spend more of their endowment on financial aid like their intellectual rivals (HPY). Every university has limited resources and sometimes rigid rules but at UChicago, its the way they say NO! that stings. There is no reason for this attitude.</p>

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<p>mantori, the very nice O-Week aides are posted at the gate with boxes of tissues for the sniffling parents (and students). I took pictures of them last year. Oh, did we mention the drum and bagpipe corp that leads the procession to the gate?</p>

<p>S1’s dorm is off the beaten track and seems to have developed an active and quirky social life of its own. He is extremely happy there and has no complaints. The building is in desperate need of upgrades, esp. to the bathrooms, but hey, I’m not living there, and he doesn’t care. The meal plan irks me, though. We had expected S1 to be able to go on Minimum this year as that is more reflective of his actual food intake. No such luck. An extra $2k out of our pocket. </p>

<p>S1 is totally into the Life of the Mind and the traditional mindset, and has been able to find those folks and faculty on campus. He’s a throwback that way. ;)</p>

<p>I do agree that the FA needs some significant overhaul. I know there are some folks here who get a great package, but those seem few and far between. It’s more the tone and attitude that bother me, too. Needless to say, we are pretty concerned about what Chicago will have to say re: FA when we have two in college next year.</p>

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<p>to be more specific regarding fin aid, whereas our first year they were more holistic in their judgement of our financial need, for second year they were straight by the book, looking only at one line of my form 1040. That is what I mean by bait and switch. The $10k of unanticpated expenses didn’t fit into a tax deduction criterion for the IRS so it was discounted and dismissed by the folks at finacial aid. An email to the new dean of admissions/financial aid was justed passed down the chain of command to the director of fin aid. Kids love the like of the mind stuff - not so much for parents like me who has to pay for it!</p>

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<p>Counting Down I have two kids at Chicago and pay full freight for both. Yes it’s painful. But I do have to admit the university has a lot of opportunities for the students that can help offset the cost. My third year is a docent at the Smart and earned a grant to study in Russia over the past summer. He could have also done more than his O leader position this year where he would have been paid. All told he’s probably earned back more than a few thousand. My other son will hopefully find a job in a physics lab and a friend’s son easily got a very cool job in one of the departments. None will be part of ‘work study’…just plentiful opportunity for kids that want it, I think. But all of these opportunities IMO help ‘polish’ the students, makes them interesting for whatever will happen after undergrad.</p>

<p>I love the fact that the school(the whole school) takes an interest in their first years. It’s a lovely curiosity that’s parts warming welcome and part frosty wanting to keep the life of the mind going. And it’s not just the kids on the orientation teams, it’s like every year the whole school gets eager to meet the new first years.(But it seems like first years don’t become fully integrated until winter quarter. I’ve heard this over and over from many students…I’ve heard it often enough to believe it’s another ‘tradition’) </p>

<p>My friend’s daughter just graduated last spring and told me that the first ceremony is a powerful bookend to graduation. You’ll never forget it, they’ll never forget it. And yes, I bawled reading Hyeonjlee’s beautiful report. The school does leave it’s mark:)</p>

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<p>For a nice video tour of the new UChicago dorm see: [New</a> dorm deepens community feel on South Campus | The University of Chicago](<a href=“http://www.uchicago.edu/features/20090928_south_dorm.shtml]New”>http://www.uchicago.edu/features/20090928_south_dorm.shtml)</p>

<p>S1 is a 4th year at Chicago. He meets with his advisor at least 3 times a quarter, sometimes more. He changed his major, took a year off after his 2nd year, and is happily planning for grad school, all with very good support from the school. His GF, a UChicago grad who was recruited into a great finance job, has decided she prefers the academy and will be returning to grad school. She says she misses the theory and “life of the mind” so much it hurts. Looks like they “taught her properly.”</p>

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<p>Hekau,
S1 definitely helps pay for this exercise! He’s had no problem getting non-work study jobs on campus – in fact, he has lined things up before school started both years and then other opportunities have also come along. He will be a junior tutor for a Calc section this year and is contemplating a second gig. Folks with programming skills are in good demand on campus.</p>

<p>His general advisor has been fairly hands-off (I was disappointed that the advisor kind of blew off a significant issue last year), but the departmental advisors in math and CS have been terrific, and that’s where S gets most of his support and answers.</p>

<p>My sense is that Chicago has a lot of supports in place, but it’s up to the student to seek out those resouces. Noone will come looking for you if you don’t go to class.</p>

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<p>My favorite letter from the College was one that said something like “This may be the first time your son or daughter will have ever received a C. Please help them understand that this to be expected at times and not to worry about it if it does occur.” Priceless.</p>

<p>S1 has a job directly related to his major and loves it. He got it largely based on being a UofC student.</p>

20

<p>Make that two jobs, he just called with another consulting gig. Hope these don’t interfere with his studies. Can’t believe I’m saying that after all these years.</p>