The contributors to this discussion have pretty well reached a consensus, one that would include me, a former student of some years past - that while the U. of C. offers abundant extracurricular and social opportunities, academic work is the essential mission and perhaps passion of most of its students. I thought about this as I was reading a piece by Steven Pinker in the New Republic (September 4, 2014) called “The Trouble With Harvard”. Pinker, a famously charismatic and entertaining lecturer, described how “a few weeks into every semester I face a lecture hall that is half empty.” Such a thing could never be said about a U. of C. lecture hall, and certainly not about the small classes that are the norm for most courses. Pinker goes on to say that his students are not lazy. Their priorities simply tend to be elsewhere. “What could they be doing that is more important than learning in class? The answer is that they are consumed by the same kinds of extracurricular activities that got them here in the first place.” Why is that bad? Because they are missing out on so much that only elite universities can really give them - the exposure to first-rate minds pondering and presenting the best that has been thought and said. This time will not come again in most lives, the few precious years when we are free of the constraints of earning a living and domestic responsibilities. There is so much to learn and so little time to do it. And of course it’s not a matter of simply consuming knowledge but of acquiring ways of thinking, reasoning and feeling that only a great education can bring. Put more bluntly, most extracurricular activities could more effectively and less expensively be pursued at non-elite institutions. Of course there is the glamour and undoubted selling power of having a degree with a seal containing the word Veritas on it, but that’s another matter.
As a current undergraduate, there are moments where support can be lacking at times. However, I have come to understand that it’s not necessarily a lack of resources as much as these resources are poorly advertised or that students themselves do not feel confident in seeking them out. As for undergraduate teaching, I’ve had numerous grad students that were fantastic and understanding of our situations as students. In the same vein, faculty are easily approachable as long as you’re genuine about the help you are looking. I have also personally heard my professors comment on how they love teaching at the university because of how engaged students are in the material.
The simple fact is that it’s hard here. Everyone is bright, exceedingly bright, but it’s all the more rewarding that way. The resources are aplenty, though. You just have to reach out for them.
Being pre-med is rough here, but you get an amazing education and college experience. I turned down Princeton and other ‘highly prestigious’ institutions to come here. Never have I regretted my decision.
The topic of this thread is exactly what is most on my mind as my D considers whether or not to enroll at Univ of Chicago. Thank you to all the contributors, you’ve provided some useful insights.
@harukikara you mention that student support resources are available, but poorly advertised or students aren’t confident seeking them out? What are these resources? Have you found them to be (or do they have the reputation of being) actually helpful? Why are students not confident seeking them out - personal pride/inexperience, stigma attached to using them, resources aren’t well regarded?
To current students: what are you opinions on the undergrad advising system at Uof C? I’ve read elsewhere that advising is not a strength and statements in this thread hint to that.
The rigorous grading at U of C concerns me as my D is interested in a career in the sciences, so it is likely that she’ll compete for PhD programs with those from elite universities where grades tend to be higher. Can anyone suggest where to find information or data to explore this? I may contact U of C to ask for stats on their graduates, but it would be great to see a comparison against other schools.
Thanks!
Admission to PhD programs is more about whom you’ve worked with and what they say about you than about GPA. And, to the limited extent that grades matter, it wouldn’t be overall GPA but courses in fields related to the grad program. There may be other contexts (eg university-wide scholarships like the UC Regents’, internships) where GPA plays a greater role wrt shaping the opportunities available to grad students, but not admissions.
FWIW, my D has interests/aspirations that seem similar to your D’s and I think UofC is an excellent fit for “future grad student”-type kids.
Re Support
As a STEM major (physics) I feel that I can speak to the amount of support needed and available to undergrads. I’ve found that support it always available if you’re willing to go and look for it. No one is standing over our shoulders asking us if we are doing OK and if we need any help, but help is always there should we need it. My professors have been great at supporting me; they’re always willing to schedule a meeting to go over something that I may be struggling with and they love helping undergrads find research opportunities at the university. All of my classes have been taught be professors, and the teaching assistants I have for discussion and lab have also been very helpful. The key, though, is going to your professors/teaching assistants and asking them for help. Students cannot expect help to come to them. Along that line, there are a myriad of tutoring services on campus that some students may not be well aware of because they’re not heavily advertised. Again, a student has to be able to take charge of their own learning process and seek out these tutoring services in order to succeed. I think this is actually a better way of doing things because coddling students doesn’t really prepare them all that well for the real world. I certainly do not want to be coddled, which is part of why I chose this university.
Also, I will add that I have not needed to seek out help for my classes very frequently simply because there are enough tools posted in class pages and questions are answered well enough in discussion sessions that I can usually sort through confusions with those resources alone.