<p>I applied to U Chicago this year, and my perceptions of U Chicago after research and visits (even writing the required essays) is that it seems to be a very fun campus with a uniquely vibrant culture and intellectual, quirky student body.
Can someone explain to me where the expression "where fun goes to die" comes from? I don't mind a more nerdy atmosphere, but I'm genuinely confused.</p>
<p>It is an intense school. Period. It is very intellectual and requires its students to work like it’ll save their lives. You will find that out when you study there.</p>
<p>The expression “comes from” T-shirts sold by the houses (not sure which one, though). The expression itself is tongue-in-cheek. The academics, as indicated above, are indeed difficult, and the atmosphere encourages “nerdiness”, as you suggested. But referring to Chicago as “where fun comes to die” is a bit of playful exaggeration.</p>
<p>UChicago, historically, had a reputation for having a less-than-awesome student life situation. That has changed quite a bit in the past 20 years. While the rigorous intellectual spirit of the school remains, there are probably few schools where the student life experience has changed more in the past 20 years than UChicago.</p>
<p>It wasn’t that fun necessarily died at UChicago prior to 1995, but the school didn’t really put much emphasis on student life / campus concerns. A whole series of changes since then have substantially changed that situation. </p>
<p>Now it’s more of a joke. UChicago is still fairly far toward one end of the rigor/intensity spectrum among American universities, but people have lives/fun/etc. </p>
<p>If a someone is looking for a really laid-back four years where academics operate somewhat in the background, then UChicago is probably the wrong school. But if someone is looking for very fulfilling and rigorous intellectual atmosphere where other students are of a similar mind, then it’s awesome. Visiting is a great indicator.</p>
<p>The shirts are sold by Tufts house, and it’s simply the most famous of a serious of self-deprecating slogans. It’s one of the more acceptable ones to talk about openly with anyone. Another is, “where the only thing that goes down on you is your GPA.” </p>
<p>Needless to say, it’s just quirky humor – not even by a large majority, just a loud minority. Most students scoff at the slogans. A few promote them wildly – maybe as attempted bravado… “grrr I’m so tough, fun DIES at my school and it’s so so hard grrr but I of course do fine!”</p>
<p>Oh ****! My essay isn’t done!</p>
<p>
It doesn’t sound as though you’ve researched very hard. These are the same adjectives everyone uses to describe UChicago. They’re generally positive terms, though, so I don’t see why this would be a problem. </p>
<p>As others have said, there is a vocal minority here that revels in self-deprecation and full-blown nerd culture. These people don’t constitute a large portion of the student body, however, and if you live in South or Max–by far the two biggest dorms–you’ll barely run into them (really).</p>
<p>Dunbar, do those kids tend to cluster in Snell-Hitchcock and Maclean? Back in my day, those dorms had some pretty, ah, “quirky” kids.</p>
<p>Many coolsters, hipsters and uber-nerdsters move out of the dorms and into apartments after their first year. This basically leaves a few dorms (Snell-Hitchcock, BJ, et al) and mostly first years as “ground zero” for the hardcore nerd culture at UChicago. </p>
<p>But as per my earlier posts, the immersion of the college inside the larger graduate schools also imparts an oddity to the general atmosphere of the school. It’s harder to be “normal” when you’re surrounded by so many off the wall, wannabe “professional scholars” (i.e. hum grad students). More than anything, I think it’s this group that gives off that dull sense of desperation and general lack of fun on campus. And rightfully so. (j/k)</p>
<p>If you’re anywhere near a normally socialized person, the world is your oyster at UChicago. If you’ve got pre-existing issues coming into college, you’ll be unhappy here and probably most places.</p>
<p>
Definitely. That’s not to condemn everyone in those dorms as “quirky,” or to say that no one in South is like that, but there is a very apparent cultural difference between the larger and smaller dorms. I couldn’t imagine going here and not starting out in South (maybe Max), but others would surely feel the same way about Snell, BJ etc.</p>
<p>I think the best way to describe it is that if you come here, you’ll find what you’re looking for. If you want to play Broomball with your house, dance on tables at frat parties, go to art museums downtown, spend your life in your room, scav hunt like there’s no tomorrow, run track, have three jobs, do yoga…
It all happens, and you’ll find people who want to do it with you.
The UChicago culture is varied and wide, as intense sometimes as it is relaxed. But everyone is ambitious, and in love with learning.</p>