<p>Don’t make any judgments before the end of spring quarter. Winter always feels intense.</p>
<p>I just don’t know where “little room for creativity or off-campus pursuits” comes from, though. That’s completely not what my kids and their friends have experienced.</p>
<p>I second JHS’ recommendation to wait for those bright spring days. Winter quarter is the worst (spoken as a dad of a current student and as former Chicago grad student). S1 has found many friends (and activities) at Chicago, and spent spring break in Mexico with three of them. Chicago kids can have fun.</p>
<p>There are other things to work out as well-- for me and for many others, first year was the time to realize that the major we thought we were going to have and the career path we thought we were set on aren’t exactly going to work out. Most of us got into Chicago because we were among the best at what we did in our high schools and communities… and most of us probably had a lot of positive support from our parents, who told us (helpfully, naively, or otherwise) that we could do anything we put our minds to. That’s how we got IN in the first place.</p>
<p>Then college comes… and we realize we’re not quite as good at the things we thought we were good at, and that there will always be students who outpace us. If I were to travel back in time and tell myself one thing, it would be not to compare myself to the smartest kid in the class. I think I spent more time than one should thinking, “Hey, I’m no good at this subject, because I look at Sally and Jane and how AWESOME they are in comparison to me.” </p>
<p>Sometime in my third year I realized that Sally and Jane and Sue and Bob… all the kids I thought of as brilliantly wacked-out smart, were all Phi Beta Kappa. In other words, I didn’t think about all of the people who were <em>not</em> at their level, and how it was okay to not be at that level.</p>
<p>What was helpful to me in these situations was, believe it or not, talking to my family. Everybody in my immediate family has hit a professional wall at some point, and they all look back at that wall and say, “Had I not backed off, I wouldn’t have found XYZ.” Two of the members of my immediate family hit the <em>same</em> professional wall, and it’s the same wall that my cousin, a college freshman at another elite college, just hit. I reminded her that our family has a history ;-)</p>
<p>However, I’m <em>so</em> happy my original plans didn’t work out. Instead of placing myself in more debt in an extravagantly competitive and stressful field, I’ve found career paths and opportunities that very much suit me and my academic/non-academic interests.</p>
<p>So my general advice to anybody in the icky first-year situation is not to be afraid of changes. It gets better. And you’ll look back and ask yourself why you allowed for so much misery!</p>
<p>UofCParent - my son had a meltdown when he came home for Spring break last year. Part of it was the dreary winter, part of it was adjusting to the university and its demands and part of it was just left over unexpressed adolescent stuff. Spring quarter was much better and it went by really quickly so before long he’ll be finished with his first year. This year was much better for my son. Most students seek out off campus housing north of campus which is safe. My previous post referred to the area south of the Midway which is relatively less safe.</p>
<p>I want to really thank everyone that’s been replying to my posts. Each response has been helpful and it’s always nice to know others are going through or have gone through similar stories. Another loss that seem to happen over winter was the hs friendships he thought would last “forever” didn’t. It was a five car pileup. The breaks are too short. The good and bad of a quarter system.
He’ll figure it out. Good Luck to Everyone. Thank you all!</p>
<p>Hi, my s did an IB in History, English and Biology. He is finding he math and science really intense. His mistake was to take higher levels of m&s at UofCh in the first semester. If I could offer some advice it would be to take it slow the first two semesters. It seems easier to go up in levels then to go down. Also, learn quickly in the first two weeks whether the class is at the right level and adjust course quickly. It’s all very hard in the beginning, there are just so many new things to adapt to and one can’t forget all the losses of high school life.
My husband and I love UofC. We have found it to be a thoughtful, caring place as well as an academically rich environment. There is a lot of academic support for my son and resources and communications both for students and parents are excellent.
It’s a great place. While my son would not say he’s having a blast, he wouldn’t want to be any place else.</p>
<p>I second Unalove’s observations.</p>
<p>There are some kids that will excel. Someone will be at the top of any group. That’s just a byproduct of rankings. The key is to not fall into the trap of trying to keep up with these kids. </p>
<p>And there’s a curious aspect of these kids at the very top. They don’t spend any time or mental effort looking at their peers. They’re single mindedly focused on meeting their own internal standards. If you don’t come to UofC with that drive (most don’t!), don’t try to emulate those that do, and don’t worry. Life has many paths to success. Perhaps the most difficult is to use academic excellence as your unique marker. It can be done, but there are easier ways to get ahead, IMHO, for most folks. Just remember that the happiest grads are not necessarily the ones that went on to the most prestigious post grad opportunities, be it job or college, and not necessarily the ones that make the highest income. </p>
<p>Instead, view college as a chance to take some risks. Love Bio going in? Try a social science for a quarter or two. Humanities lover? Look at the sciences too. And so forth. The worst that happens is that you get an OK grade in a course outside your major, or do a drop. The best is that you find other academic loves.</p>
<p>Your son should consider talking to his academic adviser. If he doesn’t like his adviser, I believe he can switch to another one after the 2nd quarter. My S switched and it helped him greatly. There is help available, however, the student must take the initiative. My son was at first reluctant to speak to his adviser or even the TAs for a course. Eventually he learned that it was ok to get help and that it actually enhanced his learning experience.</p>