I got in on provisional acceptance to UChicago, and up until this acceptance I was set on attending ASU (huge difference). My personality is super extroverted and I want to be able to go out all the time in college, as well as join a sorority (this doesn’t mean I’m uninterested in academia, clearly my studies are most important to me, otherwise I wouldn’t have even applied to UChicago). Are sororities participated in? And do people party on campus? Also, is it common to go downtown a lot? I am just scared of committing to here because of its “where fun goes to die” reputation.
Questions in order:
Yes
Yes, from my son, yes some too much (not ASU level though, aren’t they consistently ranked #1 Party school in the universe?)
Yes, smartly
It is “Where fun COMES to die.” My son is a first year, and he tells me he’s having a blast. Of course his definition of fun includes learning from class, pushing himself athletically, having intense debate, and occasionally doing “fun” stuff with friends.
Now if I was down to ASU or UChicago and partying was important, maybe not as important as my education but still a big factor to consider. I’d say go to ASU. 'cause fun for four years!!! If I wanted to set myself up for life after college and still manage to enjoy my time at school and I could afford both? ASWHO? That is the easiest decision you could ever make in my opinion.
@BrianBoiler I can afford both, although ASU is definitely cheaper. I really want to choose UChicago because setting myself up for the future is the most important factor for my decision, but I am just terrified of feeling like I don’t have a good outlet to socialize. I’ve always been ostracized in my AP classes by the other smart kids, since I socialize very differently from them, and I don’t want this to be a reality at UChicago as well.
@BrianBoiler My brother is a sophomore at UChicago and loves it, but he and I are polar opposites, again scaring me!
Just some thoughts from a mom- my son is going to UC next year. He’s not a real partier but is very social and “parties” in small groups. My daughter (2 yrs younger) is much more outgoing and parties prob more than I know! First- if you can attend admitted students day, you def should bc I think you’ll get a real sense. Second, to another point made already, no matter how much partying goes on at UC, the whole vibe is different at ASU. Period. My daughter would hate u chicago no matter what. The overall vibes are so different. If you spend a night or two at each, that would be totally worth it, good luck wherever you go!!
tiredstudent1 - have you visited? Spending a day or two would help you decide.
@kaukauna yea i visited 2 yrs ago when my brother got admitted so i didn’t really get the full experience 
@tiredstudent1 My D is a first year and a fellow extrovert who is loving her UChicago experience. Chicago won’t ever be confused with a party school in the same vein as schools like ASU, but she has had no problem finding outlets for her social side. Certainly there are more social events available than she can possibly partake in, and the academics are demanding so most everyone has to find a balance.
Outside of classes, she says there are many social opportunities whether through her House activities, RSOs (clubs), teams (if you are an athlete) and Greek life. She’s been pleasantly surprised by some fun UChicago traditions and she is looking forward to her first Scav which is an epic scavenger hunt like no other. In a matter of less than 6 months, she’s formed many friendships across campus. She rushed a sorority in the fall and it has become a nexus of campus life outside of her classes w/regular mixers and events (and yes, parties) many co-sponsored with fraternities. I believe there are 4 sororities and maybe twice that many fraternities plus a business fraternity. There are all types among the UChicago student body which may be different from times past–some who seemingly party every night and others who seem to never leave their dorm. She is struck by the talents and intellectual horsepower of almost everyone she meets. She’s also told us several times that UChicago has become her second home.
My own DD has a lot of socialization but probably different then what you would get at ASU. One of her suite mates goes to a ton of frat parties, and their dorm suite has a “pre game” party before sports events. However, she tells me that none of them actually make it the sporting event they are having the “pre game” party for. Now she has a fairly serious boyfriend so she doesn’t attend many of her own suites “pre game” parties which I guess is to be expected.
This question is a little silly, although it’s not the OPs fault. Any time you have several thousand people age 18-24 in a single neighborhood, and they interact with one another all the time, there are going to be parties and party-like behavior. That’s just the way societies and hormones work.
In many high schools, a sort of Manichean duality develops, at least in the minds of the “successful” kids: People who drink and party are dumb losers; people who are smart work all the time and don’t party. You may even get something of the same dynamic at ASU, which educates a really wide range of kids. Chicago doesn’t have such a wide range; everyone is really smart and knows what academic success looks and feels like. No one calls them losers, at least not en masse. So there isn’t the kind of social pressure you are imagining not to party. Or vice versa, for that matter. There’s not much social pressure TO party, either. It’s cool either way, whatever you want to do.
That’s not to say that the volume and quality of party behavior is the same everywhere. When my second kid was deciding whether to go to Chicago or an excellent state university, we had the following dialogue:
“You know I like to party. I’m a little afraid that if I go to [State U], I could fall into a bottomless pit, like Sarah’s cousin who almost drank himself out of college there. At Chicago, I’ve seen the bottom of the pit. It’s [my sister] and her friends.”
“[Your sister] and her friends are the bottom of the pit at Chicago? It must be an awfully shallow pit!”
“It is. It’s a very shallow pit.”
Both kids had plenty of fun there, although the younger one learned that he didn’t actually like to party as much as he thought he did; there were other things he enjoyed more. The older one did indeed like to party, and she never complained about a lack of parties or of friends. She and her friends went all over the city, too. She didn’t particularly like the sororities, but you didn’t have to be in a sorority to have a fun social life.
This is what my son has experienced. And yes, he says UChicago is a very fun place, with many activities that he can partake in. As other people have said here, which I’ll parrot, there are house activities, rso (student clubs), trips outside of campus, UChicago traditions, fraternity parties, etc… But the best way is for you to visit both schools and see which one you feel better at, although it would be tough to decline a school like UChicago.
My son is a first-year at UChicago - he’ll be the first to tell you that when he comes home and visits his friends at CU he wishes he was with them b/c it is so much more “fun”. He is currently a pledge at a fraternity - decided to wait until second quarter, which was good since he had three that he liked for different reasons. He has made great friends in many different groups although he isn’t as involved in the “house culture” as others. He goes out A LOT - whether to parties, playing poker with friends, into the city for dinner/shopping, and is still able to hold his own with a tough schedule.
ASU is known as a party school, UChicago is no comparison, but you will find a social scene and you’ll find “your people” - it just might be a smaller group than you’d find at ASU.
We told our son that if he hated it after the first year he could look to transfer - much easier to transfer “down” than to move “up”. He’s happy and isn’t looking to transfer. You should come to an accepted student weekend if you can and get a better feel for campus and the people. My son enjoyed his weekend and made some great connections that helped in the fall.
Good luck with your decision!