<p>hey so i'm an international that is interested in studying at a great books college.
tell me all about Shimer pros cons people dorms food teachers etc</p>
<p>anyone…</p>
<p>Late, but all I can say about Shimer is “Yikes - stay away.” I visited last spring, and found a campus consisting of 1 floor of a run-down building on the IIT campus (which is a pretty rough place as it is), and an educational atmosphere that essentially consisted of substance abuse and a very young student body running around Chicago at will. The educational quality seemed lacking at best, and many professors teach in subject areas in which they have essentially no background. Avoid.</p>
<p>Yikes is right! My son has a friend that graduated early to go there this past fall. He likes it and he’s VERY smart with AWESOME stats. A “books college” is certainly not for everyone, but…are you sure your talking about Shimer???</p>
<p>I’m sure. I know what schools I visited.</p>
<p>I guess no one can respond to this the same way I can because I graduated from Shimer a few years ago. First, Shimer is a very different type of college for people who see the world differently than most. Shimer is for and produces … Philosphers. Shimerians study everything from a philosophical viewpoint. Books? We don’t just read them, we dissect them. Imagine 12 students and a “discussion facilitator” (Shimer’s equivalent of a professor) sitting around an octagonal table reading Euclid, Sophocles, Sappho, Marx, Gibbons, Benedict, Darwin, Saint Augustine, The Bible, just to name a few. A recent trip to Shimer confirmed that the books being read now have not changed essentially.<br>
None of the professors (and at Shimer no one really calls them that) teach in their own areas because Shimer requires all faculty members to be able to facilitate discussions in all areas. So you may have a Chemistry prof (a former nuclear physicist with patents on several valves in current usage in international atomic facilities who is also an Episcopal priest) facilitating a Humanities course. You might also have a radical Jewish feminist (yes, this is a contradicton of terms) leading a social studies requirement.<br>
Shimer is a paradox. It’s ultra-small, very unusual and totally for those who love to learn – for learning’s sake. Shimer sends a very high percentage of its graduates to graduate school because Shimer prepares one for it. Can you write? Part of the senior year curriculum (along with a Capstone course that requires reading/discussing/writing papers on 30+ books) is a Senior Thesis similar to a Master’s level thesis. It must be approved by 2 readers and edited by a third in its final form. Tests? Very few. The tests are Master’s type Comprehensives with written emphasis but verbal and discussion skills are an integral part also. If you want something mainstream, then go somewhere else. If you really want to learn according to a lifetime learning model, then consider Shimer. It really is an intellectual challenge.</p>
<p>I guess no one can respond to this the same way I can because I graduated from Shimer a few years ago. First, Shimer is a very different type of college for people who see the world differently than most. Shimer is for and produces … Philosphers. Shimerians study everything from a philosophical viewpoint. Books? We don’t just read them, we dissect them. Imagine 12 students and a “discussion facilitator” (Shimer’s equivalent of a professor) sitting around an octagonal table reading Euclid, Sophocles, Sappho, Marx, Gibbons, Benedict, Darwin, Saint Augustine, The Bible, just to name a few. A recent trip to Shimer confirmed that the books being read now have not changed essentially.<br>
None of the professors (and at Shimer no one really calls them that) teach in their own areas because Shimer requires all faculty members to be able to facilitate discussions in all areas. So you may have a Chemistry prof (a former nuclear physicist with patents on several valves in current usage in international atomic facilities who is also an Episcopal priest) facilitating a Humanities course. You might also have a radical Jewish feminist (yes, this is a contradicton of terms) leading a social studies requirement.<br>
Shimer is a paradox. It’s ultra-small, very unusual and totally for those who love to learn – for learning’s sake. Shimer sends a very high percentage of its graduates to graduate school because Shimer prepares one for it. Can you write? Part of the senior year curriculum (along with a Capstone course that requires reading/discussing/writing papers on 30+ books) is a Senior Thesis similar to a Master’s level thesis. It must be approved by 2 readers and edited by a third in its final form. Tests? Very few. The tests are Master’s type Comprehensives with written emphasis but verbal and discussion skills are an integral part also. If you want something mainstream, then go somewhere else. If you really want to learn according to a lifetime learning model, then consider Shimer. It really is an intellectual challenge.</p>
<p>1) Find me one school where people don’t drink, smoke pot, and occasionally take other drugs. “Substance abuse” is such a ridiculous thing to say about a college, especially one that is small enough where everyone would know if someone is seriously abusing a harmful substance. Stuff like that gets around. In some ways it’s safer to be a small school because if someone realizes you’re abusing, they can easily tell a faculty or staff member who can get you help. That being said, I can’t think of anyone who has/is abusing substances in any way outside of the societal norms.</p>
<p>2) Shimer is not at all “very young.” Yes, there’s an early entrant program, but there’s also non-traditional older students. Not to mention the weekend college program which is almost all working adults. Obviously, the majority is of average college age (though that majority is small.) A common occurrence at Shimer is for people to take breaks, go off and explore the world, and come back. This causes classes to be filled with a lot of differing view points, experiences, and ages. In my experience, Shimer is older than many other schools - mentally and physically.</p>
<p>3) What’s wrong with “running around Chicago at will?” That’s how you grow up, experience life, gain experience, and well, have fun. Growing up in this area, I was “running around Chicago at will” since I was 13. I’m still alive. I know where not to go, where to go, I know the CTA and the grid system like the back of my hand, I know where to find the cheapest anything, and I know the best spots for photo ops. I have gotten involved with things most people don’t even know exist, and I’ve volunteered for all sorts of interesting groups. I’ve been to every type of concert imaginable, every event, every type of party, and I’ve met many types of person. Chicago is an incredible place to be able to explore while you’re at college. It’s especially great when you’re at a school of 100. Your social circle can be as small or large as you please, and there’s always something to do and a way to get involved with something you care about.</p>
<p>4) Right now, the academics are whats keeping me here. I love my classes. I love what I read, who I talk about the reading with, I love that I’m sitting next to and talking to someone who could have a big fancy professor job at U of C of any of the big name schools. I love talking to them about something they’ve translated themselves, or a theory they’re currently working on and presenting to big fancy science types. There’s not many other places you can do that.</p>