<p>Hey. To start off, I think that U Chicago is the best place for me. But, I've heard some bad things about this school, mainly the workload. I've heard that it is almost as bad as MIT or Caltech...is that true?? Thanks.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to do work, don’t come here.</p>
<p>The workload ranges from not easy to as hard as you’d like it to be</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say that the workload is too intense. I’m currently balancing a part-time job, three extra-curricular clubs, and four classes (a full-load of courses), and sleeping at night! It really depends on the kind of person you are - I know students who work hard all week, and don’t have to do anything on the weekend. I also know people, like myself, who leave everything to Sunday night :)</p>
<p>The best thing about UChicago is that they offer you support for when things get a little difficult. All students in Core classes have access to Harper Tutors, a one-on-one peer based tutoring program, where you get academic support almost every night of the week. Writing tutors are students in graduate or professional programs at UChicago, and tutors in maths, science and economics are graduate students or upperclassmen in the college. They’re really helpful. </p>
<p>Also, most UChicago students work in groups. In all of my classes, I know that I can go to people for support, or to freak out about a problem set (and then eventually chill out and do it). If you work pretty hard in high school, you won’t find it hard here.</p>
<p>alright that sounds awesome. Would you say you study more with friends or by yourself?</p>
<p>Just to put this out there, I probably spend about 15-20 hours on classes per week (including going to them…when I actually do that) and have maintained a rather decent GPA (~3.7)…in math which is supposedly a ‘difficult’ major. The workload here is what you make it. You can take 3-4 honors level courses and kill yourself with work (done it, don’t recommend for those who aren’t absolutely in love with school) or take three easier classes (what I’m doing now more or less) and spend 50+ hours in extracurricular activities (or, you know…like most, you can spend ~30-40 hours on school and 10 hours on extracurricular activities). Will you be extremely stressed at times when you have three papers due or a couple midterms in the period of a couple days? Yes, but you are going to get that anywhere. Is there a sigh of reliefs when you are done with finals? Most certainty, but again, you are going to get that anywhere.</p>
<p>I balance ‘solo’ studying and group studying. Sometimes it’s nice to lock yourself in a cubicle and write an essay, but I always have a couple of people read it over - and sometimes it helps to brainstorm with someone else. The great thing about the Core is that it means that most of us have read the same original texts. So, I can pick the third-year in my Human Rights class about Marx, for an essay for the Social Sciences. We’ve both thought through the same ideas.
For finals, too, most people will book a huge study room for people from their class, and work together.</p>
<p>What is the grade deflation like? If you’re trying to get into grad school should you be committed to 24/7 studying? I work hard now, and, while my time management admittedly could use some improvement, I pull all-nighters about once a week with 6 APs. But would an econ and poli sci double major make it difficult to get good enough grades to get into a good grad school?</p>
<p>my workload so far is workable (pun intended). it depends on how much you want to take. taking a higher level math class or physics and the like can really weigh you down. but taking huma or socs classes aren’t so much bad.</p>
<p>If you don’t enjoy work, then don’t come here. Seriously. You’ll be miserable unless you actually can take some enjoyment out doing academic work. I don’t mean that you have to love reading Marx and Plato, but you need to enjoy at least some of your classes, and also enjoy just the learning process (even if it’s in a subject that doesn’t particularly interest you). </p>
<p>That being said…
With the core, there are a lot of “cop out” options. For your humanities class, you can take a class like Philosophical Perspectives where you’ll have around 100 pages of reading for class, 3 essays a quarter, etc., or you can take a class called Media Aesthetics where you look at pictures and write what you think (over generalization). Same with PhySci - a class on astrophysics or a really really easy class on Global Warming?
My personal approach is to take the class that I will get the most out of… which is usually the hardest/most work intensive. </p>
<p>The workload also depends on how smart you are and how efficiently you work… (being on CC doesn’t help hahah)</p>
<p>I refrained from reading any of the responses so as to minimize any sort of bias in my response. I will respond to the poster’s concern though. This University is rated as the #1 Undergraduate school in the country. We are known to have the “If I wanted an A I would have gone to Harvard” shirt. People study a lot here because it’s HARD to get good grades. I remember my Intro to Chem professor said this prior to our first midterm “I know all of you guys were either 1st or 2nd in your graduating classes with near perfect SAT scores and great credentials… but your not all going to get As here.” Don’t be intimidated with me saying this, because I’m not trying to do so. I’m just trying to show that students here really do care about their academic experience and we definitely have a work hard, play hard mentality. The workload isn’t hard. You just have to learn to manage your time and dedicate time to homework and studying. Studying itself isn’t hard; anyone somewhat smart can do it. What I just mentioned isn’t something unique to UChicago, it’s college in general… UChicago is just more challenging than most other universities.</p>
<p>Just quick add-on
Astrophysics is actually pretty easy. its like, one step above global warming in difficulty. Nowhere NEAR chemistry or physics.</p>
<p>And I’ll add that I heard the Global Warming prof give a talk that supposedly represented one of the lectures from that class, and it was brilliant and entertaining. The class may be easy, but it may also be interesting and intellectual as well.</p>
<p>The workload is what you make it. I’m also a math major, and I’m dying slowly because I’ve made the questionable decision to take Honors Algebra. I spend all my time studying or doing p-sets these days, whereas if I were taking regular, I would have almost no work and volunteer/code recreationally/party hard/etc. to pass the time.</p>
<p>When applying to medical school, would they understand if pre-meds at U of C had a lower GPA than people at other schools?</p>
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<p>Yes, but UChicago students do not get that much leeway. The national GPA for those accepted to medical school is about 3.5. The average GPA for successful pre-meds at UChicago is about 3.4. You only get a 0.1 boost.</p>