<p>Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong and please don't take any offense because I'm just a prospective high schooler speaking from what I've heard. UChicago is mainly for the nerdier types and those who spend tons of time in the library. Is this accurate?</p>
<p>Honestly, I can't decide how much this is me. I am interested in the school but I don't know how I would thrive with so many geniuses around me. Realistically I don't know much about politics and other intellectual things, and I have heard that students get together to have intense conversations about issues at the school during their spare time. Is that true? If I can't do that would I probably feel out of place?</p>
<p>I'm just trying to figure out how much of a match UChicago would be for me. I love the location, I like the campus (have not visited yet, seen pictures) and I am intrigued by the reputation and whatnot. </p>
<p>Also how is the party scene? Is there one? I'm not a partier but I hope to be somewhat in college. I have not partied at all in high school and I would like to become a more social in college. I'm not looking for a state school, but is it possible UChicago is too far on the no party side for me?</p>
<p>“Realistically I don’t know much about politics and other intellectual things, and I have heard that students get together to have intense conversations about issues at the school during their spare time. Is that true? If I can’t do that would I probably feel out of place?”</p>
<p>Yes. All 1500 students are incredibly homogeneous in their extreme and singular devotion to everything academic. Nothing happens on campus which might not be mentioned in history books later. People who want to have fun or play video games are generally ostracized and almost inevitably transfer to Northwestern.</p>
<p>“Also how is the party scene? Is there one?”</p>
<p>No. Parties are strictly prohibited by the UCPD. Partiers - or “nothings”, as Chicago students call them - have an extremely bad reputation on campus. People caught having fun with a large group of people are punished, usually by withdrawing financial aid.</p>
<p>In short, it seems you might belong at a school with a bigger party scene. Like Shimer.</p>
<p>Thanks jerks. Anyone with genuine responses I’d appreciate. I’m truly looking for insight and am not trying to come off rude at all, so sorry if I sound ignorant. But seriously, you two have to grow a pair. </p>
<p>And not once did I say I know I am in U of C. Trust me, it will be a hell of a reach for me and I know that…</p>
<p>Sorry about those guys. Uchicago is really chill. It’s what you want it to be. I would say there are more heated discussions about BSG and pokemon in my house than there are about politics. The people who are always in the library are in the way minority. We have a lot of fun. I’ve loved my first year here. Partying happens a lot. Drinking happens a lot. I’m in BJ (one of the more “nerdy” dorms) and we have parties all the time in our house, it’s great.</p>
<p>Texas nothing what I said makes the assumption I think I am in seriously. I’m trying to figure out how well a match a college would be for me. That will help me decide if I want to pursue interest in further researching the college and taking a visit. Nothing about that statement shows I am assuming I am in the school. Which if it bothers you that much, I am NOT assuming I am in AT ALL anyways.</p>
<p>Thanks reversepsych. Are the academics cutthroat though? Very competitive? I will definitely think I would feel challenged and pretty pressured all of the time being surrounded by geniuses!</p>
<p>Collegekang - It is a pretty serious academic school with a lot of Nobel prize winners (professors, alumni or some how associated with them). If you have nt heard, there is a quote somewhere saying it is where fun goes to die.</p>
<p>As for academics, it’s also really what you make of it. No one is going to force you to take hard classes, but you definitely should challenge yourself as much as you feel you can take. We’re at college to have fun, but also to learn. I wish I had taken harder classes this year (I took one honors science). I’ll probably have somewhere between a 3.85 and 3.95 for the year (final grades not in). Most of my friends have decent (3.5+) if not good grades. I’ve never felt a cutthroat element from my classes at all. All my friends in math/science work on stuff together.
Also, we have all sorts of fun My house is the home of the annual lingerie party, for instance.</p>
<p>collegekang,
Perhaps the reason you are getting sarcastic responses is that the questions you ask have already been addressed many, many times already in this forum. Try looking in some of the older threads.</p>
<p>A) If you want to be around people like texaspg and Oxalis, apply to U of C. Perhaps generalizations are sometimes unfair, but in the case of UChicago, my personal contact with students shows that a sarcastic/“we’re better than everyone else” attitude really is quite prevalent.
B) Videogames are so much more of a UChicago thing than a Northwestern thing. Read: dungeons and dragons “parties”.
C) UChicago is NOT a reach for everyone.</p>
<p>1) Can’t really argue with the sarcasm. Just gotta love it xD.
2) While UChicago students might hold a high opinion of themselves, at the same time I’ve found them to be all the more willing to actually <em>listen</em> and try to <em>understand</em> you, than dismiss you outright.
3) It makes me sad that I don’t get to be included. I’m a proper UChicago student too! <em>bawls</em> ;P</p>
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<p><em>Anecdotal evidence alert!</em> I live in the nerdiest dorm at Chicago (Snell-Hitchcock). The number of parties in the dorm I have witnessed, attended, and enjoyed (many) far outnumbers the number of games of D&D I have ever seen being played (1). <em>end anecdotal evidence</em></p>
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<p>UChicago admissions has a history of being idiosyncratic. It’s about the LOVE. <3</p>
<p>Rny2 - Please do accept my spot since I was never ever a student of U of C and don’t expect to be there either. I just know it is a great university and only felt that OP was nt giving the school the due respect. He did admit what he meant and that he did nt expect to be automatically in.</p>
<p>Of course U Chicago admits a bunch of people automatically right? it is NOT a reach for everyone? As a top 10 school in the nation it must admit a bunch of people for the heck of it?</p>
<p>there is a difference between a school admitting people “automatically” or “for the heck of it” and my claim that it is not a reach for everyone (there are simply some people, at least in my school, who knew they would get into U of C just like others knew they’d get into say Notre Dame. Meanwhile, nobody could claim that they <em>know</em> they’re going to get into HYPSM, for even perfect SATs and GPAs don’t guarantee that). </p>
<p>Take a look at the UChicago admissions decisions for the Class of 2015 and you’ll realize that many, many candidates with tippy top scores, GPAs, etc., were not accepted.</p>
<p>More than most other schools, UChicago looks for a particular type of student and often relies on the application essays to determine what sort of fit a student would make for the college. If this means turning down a “perfect” on-paper candidate for one less accomplished but perhaps with more potential, UChicago will do this.</p>
<p>If your friends “knew” that they were going to get into UChicago, they should consider themselves more lucky than entitled.</p>
<p>Honestly, no one can make this decision for you, we don’t know you. I understand what you are asking but you need to do some research yourself. Read through established threads on student life/the university atmosphere and go to The Uchicago website. I hope this helps you because it definitely helped me. :)</p>
My house is the home of the annual lingerie party, for instance.</p>