<p>I have been reading a lot about this school for my son, who is a junior in a small rural school. He has good standardized scores, probably about 1400 to 1450 SATs (without the writing) avg in HS was, from 9th to 11th, 94, 92, 90 in major subjects, with APs and honors courses. We have had to design a curriculum for him, taking courses ahead of time, and now, as a junior, taking a college course. He is out of almost every subject we offer next year, so he is applying for a special program.
He is very social, participates in 3 varsity sports, plus is on a ski team every weekend and vacations, academic quiz bowl (going to the Nationals for the second year in a row) he loves his friends, loves to socialize, but I think he is bored with many of his subjects (the curriculum is not very rigorous here and, as I said, he is finished with most of the courses school offers) and a lot of the conversation that goes on in a normal high school. He has always loved learning, will read about anything, loves to talk about politics, science, any topic, is not really a normal kid, although he has spent his life trying to be normal. So I come to my question: is this the type of school for a kid like this, who does love to socialize, but also loves to learn for the pure love of learning? When I hear this is rigorous, what does that mean? Do the students study 5 hours a day, or more or less? What about social life? Do the talk about interesting things, or are the more interested in partying? </p>
<p>Any information about what this school, and the students there, are like would be greatly appreciated by this mother trying to help her 11th grader decide what is a good fit for him - thanks!!!</p>
<p>His team is going to Texas this year - last year he went to DC. We are going to have to take a special trip for this school. What are the 4 academic quarters? Do the students go to school year round??</p>
<p>It sounds as if he could really like it here. I think that you and your son should try to visit sometime when school is in session, either this Spring or next Fall. </p>
<p>Chicago is considered a very rigorous school. There are several factors, I think, that contribute to this distinction: students overall really love to learn, so they work very hard in their classes and take difficult course loads; the quarter system creates a very intense and fast-paced environment; and the professors expect a lot out of the students, so the classes are very challenging. I do think that Chicago tends to have a more intense academic environment and more challenging classes. </p>
<p>It's very hard to generalize about how many hours a day students study. It depends on the classes the student is in, the number of classes, the student's strengths and weaknesses, the student's goalds, and the student's study habits. I'd say Sunday-Thursday most students spend most of their time in classes or studying; however, this does not mean all of the time is spent silent in the library. Many students study in their rooms, and they spend a lot of time on the internet or talking with friends while getting work done. Studying is a part of life here--it's not wholly separate from "down time." Students have nights where they do no work, and they have nights where they stay up all night working on a paper or a problem set. </p>
<p>Social life is what you make of it. Some people go out to frats and party, other students go into the city, some stay in and watch movies or hang out, and others will stay in the library. Conversation here definitely has an intellectual bent that I haven't seen in many other places.</p>
<p>Hi,
Thanks for all of the information. The academic quarters you have - how many classes are taken each quarter? I tried to figure this out on the website, but I couldn't get an idea of what they are like. Thank you again,</p>
<p>The quarter system isn't all that uncommon, and it's sometimes called the trimester system. Students take three terms of classes starting in September and ending in June; the fourth is summer term. The option to take summer classes exists at many top schools, but it is certainly not required or expected. Students at Chicago take three or four classes a quarter: both are considered a full course load. (Many quarter schools operate on three classes a quarter, which is another reason why the U of C is sometimes seen as more rigorous.) Our academic schedule a little off that of semester schools, but it's not entirely unique. I know Dartmouth has an almost identical schedule, and many schools on the West Coast are also on quarter systems. Classes here start late, this year on September 25. The first term ends with exams right before Winter Break, which is about three weeks long. The second term goes from right after the New Year until Spring Break, which is a week long. The third quarter ends in early June. It's nice that there are exams before every vacation; at semester schools, students often have a lot of work during breaks. Quarters are ten weeks long with an eleventh week for exams. Many students' exams are finished early, in which case they get a few extra days in vacation.</p>
<p>It seems like UChicago spends a lot of time analyzing intellectualism, learning, and education, in a sort of meta-discussion. I'm a roll-up-your-shirtsleeves, go-with-the-flow learner, so it strikes me :)</p>
<p>
[quote]
So they think about how they think - that is interesting on its own, but it seems like they think about everything else too, is that right?
[/quote]
Haha, yeah, I guess. I don't know if this is true at other colleges, but it's as if they need to teach you how to think about a particular subject before you can think about it. That's a lot of what the Core does.</p>
<p>corranged, you said that some school on the quarter system consider 3 courses per quarter to be a full load. Which schools are these?
I'm just wondering since the only quarter-system schools I can think of are UChicago, NU, and the UC's (save Berkeley and Merced), and for all, I think that 4 classes is pretty standard.
Also, how common, or even feasible, is it for students to take 5 classes per quarter at Chicago?</p>
<p>My sister is at Dartmouth, and they take three classes a quarter. Students are permitted to take four classes maybe twice during their time, but very few do unless they're struggling to meet their major requirements upon graduation.</p>
<p>No one takes five classes. Besides the fact that your life would suck, you need to pay extra tuition and file for permission. I'm sure there are occassions when it has happened, probably someone fulfilling a requirement he neglected to take earlier. You can take four classes plus PE, though. That's not uncommon.</p>
<p>Caltech's on the quarter system and most people there take 5 courses/quarter. Everyone complains about how difficult it is, but I've heard that a lot of people procrastinate and could probably get their work done easily if they didn't.</p>
<p>How much extra tuition does it cost? I'm going to take 5 quarter a semester at UChicago no matter what, though.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Students must formally petition the dean of students in the College for permission to take a fifth course. The petition will be considered in the third week of the quarter, at which time, if it is approved, the student will be registered and billed for the fifth course. NOTE: The charge for the fifth course is the difference between the cost of two and three courses.
<p>Quarter schools all structure classes in different ways. Caltech's classes may each cover slightly less material, for example, than typical courses at Chicago. Many professors at Chicago say that they cover a semester's material in a quarter; other courses adjust the material for the shorter term. In an introductory economics class, the professor begins the course stating that most semester schools cover about 12 chapters in a semester, and we cover 20 in a quarter. It's difficult to compare course schedules without looking at the classes.</p>
<p>How often are freshmen granted the privilege of taking 5 classes/quarter? I'd like to at least see how things go before taking only 3 or 4 classes as a freshman.</p>
<p>Also, do you know how much the cost difference is between two and three courses?</p>