<p>It’s very clear now. Thanks a lot, sa0209!</p>
<p>Any other questions?</p>
<p>Have you yourself (or anyone you know) experienced anything about the study-abroad programs at UChicago? Any information regarding its quality/depth/etc would be very useful. I know that usually the programs are either a year or one quarter long, and the cost is a few thousand dollars and then just the normal cost of attending school in Chicago.</p>
<p>I do know a few people who have studied abroad and who loved it. Chicago has a very unique system for study abroad, really focusing on the study side of it. Programs are centered around a civilization class or a thematic program, but to me they don’t seem as flexible as I’d like. Also the amount of classes and research I plan on taking on will likely mean I won’t be able to study abroad, though I am hopefully applying for a summer abroad or full-year partner school program.</p>
<p>^ The rigor of study abroad depends heavily on the individual program. While some are quite rigorous, others aren’t - I know people who have relayed that the program in Germany, for instance, left them with no homework outside of class (and, incidentally, plenty of time to enjoy Oktoberfest).</p>
<p>Hello guys!</p>
<p>I have a few questions about the Core classes: So on average, how many pages are you required to read for a week? How are the assignments like? Do you not take timed-exams but write a 3-5 pages essay and turn it in and this counts as a midterm exam? Other than midterms and finals, do you have other assignments throughout the term? And I read somewhere that 20-25% of your grade comes as an oral grade, mainly participation. How exactly does a professor grade your participation? Have you ever felt that there is a bias towards certain students?
Thank you guys for the valuable information you give here. I am a deferred candidate and I really want to hear good news in late March. Hopefully, we can see each other next year around the campus although we won’t recognize each other from our faces:)</p>
<p>For my humanities class, I read about 200 pages a week. It’s actually not that bad! For my hum class, 25% was participation, 20% each for 2 papers, and 35% for the final paper. Never did we have quizzes or timed writing. This is good because it gauges our deep understanding of the texts and not our ability to memorize useless details. Participation is graded mostly on attendance, paying attention, turning in assignments on time (we had short weekly responses that weren’t for a grade but we still got feedback on our writing), and a bit of how much you speak up in class. I have not felt any bias. My hum papers were around 5-6 pages. Papers are typically every 3 weeks. Also participation is not marked by the professor tallying the number of times you speak. It’s a holistic thing and people rarely get bad grades for participation unless they skip class/sleep/don’t turn in assignments.</p>
<p>The arts classes are more variable and more up to the instructor. The music class I took had several smaller assignments like two concert critiques, an analysis of a Mozart opera, and analysis of a song cycle by Schubert, two in depth mini papers per week, 3 “mini midterms”, among other things. Participation was also 25% of our grade. We read about 40 pages a week (although I didn’t read all of it…shh!).</p>
<p>BTW, if you’re worried about that 200 pages thing: I’m taking hum as well as 3 other courses (two of which are really challenging), but I’m involved in 4 RSO’s and 10 hours of research a week and I still have time to hang out, go downtown, etc. So don’t worry! (No I don’t have a 2.0 haha, if you have questions about the workload, message me)</p>
<p>How accessible is research at the Medical School as an undergraduate?</p>
<p>Personally, I don’t do my research at the medical school although I know many first years who do. Overall, research positions are pretty easy to come by here. You probably might not be able to start your own individual research project until you’ve established some credibility as a research assistant at the lab or if you did individual research previously. But getting in a lab is easy.</p>
<p>how much does the interview count? i just had mine and i don’t think it was terrible. however, it definitely wasn’t good.</p>
<p>None of us can really say unless we’ve talked to someone in admissions about it, which I haven’t. I’ve heard from people that the interview doesn’t hold much weight but it is another piece of the puzzle. It usually won’t break you, but it can help make you.</p>
<p>wow no new questions yet? :)</p>
<p>Can you talk about the attractiveness of the student body? Guys, especially?</p>
<p>In my opinion, the student body is below the average of other colleges, but there are still attractive people, alot of hipsters/artisticfolk and people dress well. Not often do you see people in sweats, etc.</p>
<p>So, so so so so so, I am curious, and that is the question to the both of you, PAGRok and sa0209, but, the last 7-8 days before your admissions decision, what was that time like for you, how confident were you about your chances, as in, how you felt you performed in HS and on SAT’s and all the other stuff, and most importantly, what was the first thing in your brain when you found out you are getting into UChicago? :)</p>
<p>I was simply nervous, but I wasnt much concerned with UChicago, I wasn’t very interested before. It was a school I added that seemed like an awesome school but I didn’t have a particular interest because it was overshadowed by my interest in Yale, Brown, and Swarthmore, none of which I was admitted to. I knew my high school record and scores were pretty strong, but I didn’t know how well my essays stood out nor if my EC’s were strong enough. I had a highly unique EC that I excelled at and won at a national level, but its not well known. So I knew my chances were up in the air. I was astounded I got in! It was so relieving knowing I got into a top school that I could afford and that fit me well. I got into schools where my applications there were very unique and strongly reflected who I was, and where the schools fit me the best. This included Vassar (super strange app), Wesleyan (good interview), and UChicago.</p>
<p>Few questions:
Heard of any Econ seniors that already have jobs lined up? Where? Salary?
Dorm beds have boxspring? (need bedskirt?)
Do they let you raise the beds on risers?
Is it better to rent or buy frig? microwave?
Is there a size limit for the 5 boxes they let you store over the summer?
Do most students keep ID in wallet? On lanyards?
Heard they are stopping the CTA bus that runs in front of BJ?
Where exactly are the laundry rooms in BJ?
How long does it take to get downtown on train vs. bus?</p>
<p>(reply to ClassyColleges)- my son will play football at UofC and current players told him they go downtown to DePaul University parties to meet girls…</p>
<p>ID in wallet
CTA busses that run in hyde park to campus will be no more. The university will have private busses or something that will be running almost the same route as before.
30 min to get downtown by 6 bus.</p>
<p>The Metra trains are faster than the bus, but cost more, run less frequently, and stop fewer places. I paid for my kids’ CTA passes, so they tended to ride the bus a lot more than the Metra, except for one summer when my daughter was working three blocks from the Metra terminal.</p>
<p>As for getmore’s other questions: I don’t remember seeing any boxsprings, and I think lofting rules vary dorm to dorm. Whether or not there’s a boxspring, your football-playing son does NOT “need” a bedskirt – that’s kind of the definition of “excess to requirements.” </p>
<p>I am certain microwaves are theoretically forbidden (although I am equally sure some kids have them). In any event, my kids did not have refrigerators or microwaves when they were in their dorms, and neither missed them. All of the houses have kitchen facilities the kids can uses, including refrigerators and microwaves.</p>
<p>There are hundreds of senior econ majors, and by now many of them, maybe most will have jobs (or grad school) lined up, ranging from six-figure consulting or investment banking gigs to $30-40,000 jobs in the public sector to lower-paid research fellowships, with lots in between. Econ majors aren’t monolithic in what they want to do.</p>
<p>I’m trying to decide between BJ and Max on my housing form. I prefer the aesthetics of BJ but the social reputation of Max (I’m also an international student from Ireland)… I know this has been asked loads before but is there that much of a difference in terms of social life such as parties etc? Would you opt for the aesthetically pleasing one or the more social one? Thanks :)</p>