<p>People keep saying UChicago is where fun goes to die.
How true is the statement? or is it just some sort of myth?</p>
<p>I set next to fun on the plane. He looked worried, but as we got off, he seemed in perfect health. We took a taxi to Hyde Park, and fun was shaking in his boots. When we entered the campus, fun started coffing, hes heart rate increased and he started shivering. Fun demanded to leave or he would run out of his life supply. I should have listend, but alas, fun is no more.</p>
<p>It's true. Nobody has ever had a shred of fun within 100 meters of the University of Chicago campus.</p>
<p>Come on man, it's college. Don't expect other people to make 'fun' for you. If you have the intellect and drive to apply to UoC, you should probably also have the capacity to find 'fun' things to do.</p>
<p>Searching this forum on this topic will produce a great deal of discussion on this topic. My S has a considerable amount of fun. </p>
<p>One anecdote though may shed some light on what people mean when they say there is more than one kind of fun. At a party (yes a party) my S was wearing a type of shirt that appeared to have a different color when the light hit it in certain ways. Two people came up to him and said "nice shirt." A third approached and said, "I can tell you why your shirt does that." The two had a 20 minute discussion of the physics of my S's shirt. He said it was great fun!</p>
<p>I would say fun tends to be pretty dead on most Mondays and Tuesdays. Wednesdays really depend. Thursdays and the weekend have room for fun, especially Friday afternoon through the early hours of Sunday morning.</p>
<p>We actually call it "Where livers go to die."</p>
<p><a href="http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/7825/dscn0997ma6.jpg%5B/url%5D">http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/7825/dscn0997ma6.jpg</a> (some 4-5 weeks into the quarter)</p>
<p>Honestly, unless you're some an antisocial nerd it's pretty hard not to find a good time. The frats put on good (yes, "good") parties with dancing, hookah, Dj's etc. and there are a large number of social, party-hearty people. Furthermore, there are always concerts and clubs in the city itself (get a fake, though). Just don't expect to go out drinking 3-4 times a week and not have to work you ass off the other nights - it IS the U. of C.</p>
<p>just for posterity: Where do you get fakes?</p>
<p>A lot of people come with fakes from home. I don't think we can discuss how to enable an illegal activity on CC.</p>
<p>Without going into specifics, there are plenty of people from the area who know people - just ask some of the second-years where they got theirs.</p>
<p>the books in bottom left corner provide a good contrast.</p>
<p>Haha that's actually why we took this one:</p>
<p>I just had to respond to this question -- I was accepted to U of C in 1980 and when I visited on my "prospective student weekend" we all received T-shirts with a laughing gargoyle on it that said " Ho-ho, the University of Chicago is funnier than you think" . ;)</p>
<p>I actually kept that T-shirt. Last week my daughter (a HS junior) asked me about U of Chicago (I'm thrilled that she is considering it given that we in the NE and it seems to be all-Ivy, all-the-time, around here)-- but she immediately mentioned the "where fun goes to die" slogan. So I dug out that 26-yr-old shirt and reminded her that U of C seems to get a kick out of that rep.</p>
<p>Given her passion for poly sci and econ, I really hope she applies-- I think she would love it there. </p>
<p>JT</p>
<p>I had one of those t-shirts; I particularly like the freaked–out gargoyle. I gave the shirt to my S when he went off to school last year as a first year. He is having a great time.</p>
<p>Why do people who are so smart drink so much?</p>
<p>Because the smarter, you get the more disillusioned you become with the world; "Alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life" -Oscar Wilde.</p>
<p>But seriously: </p>
<p>I had a feeling somebody would ask this question. Essentially, it's because we can. Chicago is a "wet" campus (alcohol is permitted in dorm rooms) for a reason; the kids here are motivated, driven, and above all, smart. There's a lot of social drinking, especially on weekends, because people like to relax and have fun. It's nothing on the level of say, a state school. </p>
<p>"But underage drinking leads to a wasted life! - school dropouts! - brawls! - bad dancing!" Yes, it does, but not at UChicago (except for the awful dancing, which I can personally attest to). Kids here do not expect their parents to pay $45,000 a year for a four-year drinking binge. People are extremely smart about knowing their limits, not doing unsafe things, taking care of friends who have had too much, and enjoying alcohol in moderation. When it comes to choosing between studying for a test and going out to a party, studying will win out: that's why these people are at U of C in the first place. </p>
<p>I bring this up not to brag about all-night drinking binges and keg stands, but because it seems like a pretty important topic to discuss. It addresses both the issues of Chicago being "where fun goes to die" and the more universal "college offers you unprecedented levels of freedom and independence." You obviously have to be smart, and the school is more than helpful in that respect. There is a late-night transportation service for people who are too drunk to walk home, and UCPD is very good about maintaining safety while leaving parties alone for the most part. </p>
<p>Of course, there is absolutely no pressure on U of C students to drink, which is also a great feature of the school. The first thing you'll learn in college is how to chill out and let other people do their own thing. There are literally a zillion things to do that don't involve alcohol, so it's not really an issue for anybody.</p>
<p>edit: Also, assuming that people can't both be smart and use alcohol sounds a little sheltered; college will be an enlightening experience for you! (If you are indeed college-bound, if not my apologies)</p>
<p>wert. I know a guy. Got into Yale. Liked to party. I also know a girl. Didn't party. Didn't get into Yale. Go figure.</p>
<p>Jack, I see you took Power... great class wasn´t it? lol...</p>
<p>I think Jack brings up a good point about the unique non-pressure of students at Chicago when it comes to drinking. I have pretty of friends who go out virtually every friday, and I have plenty of friends who don´t as well - more of the second type, Id say. But all of them have an amazing time, and most importantly, they all go along really well. Greek life at Chicago is a pretty inexpressive part of the school (I think only about 13% or so of the student body is affiliated with a frat) so its certainly there if you want it, and not really noticeable if you don´t. Being the students that Chicago kids are, this creates for pretty interesting situations. Just to give you one:</p>
<p>After first week of classes, a student who used to live in our house threw a party in his apt. and invited all of our house to go. Super nice guy, great party, and of course, people drank. There were also tons of kids who didnt. The next day´(Saturday), the guy who lives next to me wakes up about the same time I did(9am), and he comes over to my room and goes: "I´m going to a lecture on neutrinos. Wanna go?" So we went, listened to a pretty interesting lecture, then went back to the dorm to get ready for lunch.</p>
<p>I guess what im trying to highlight is that there is truly something there for everyone. I do understand that this is prob. true of most colleges. But I think tha the greatest difference at Chicago is that there are plenty of kids at either end of the spectrum, and many more in between, so that you will never find yourself in a situation to be pressured to be one kind of student or another in order to be social. Unless you live in Max P. hahah... jking.</p>
<p>uchicago does drink. but its a different kinda drinking mood than the ones u would find at like a state school.
i dont think uchicago is the right place for someone who wants to party like that. and i dont think "fun" is an issue for Uchicago kids because their definition of fun is probably sitting around having some intellectual conversation about politics or whatever.
anyways it just really depends on what u consider fun</p>
<p>If you were to ask my D (1st year at UChi) where fun goes to die, she would probably say "our house, over December break". OK, I'm exaggerating, but she truly loves everything about Chicago, and nothing here can quite match the experience. She has made no secret of the fact that she is anxious to return to campus, her friends, and her classes. There are many things that Chicago does well, and the "house system" is one of them. By the end of O week, D felt that she had made 60 "close friends". Over the last quarter she worked hard, but she also took advantage of the many opportunities to party and explore the city with friends and housemates. While several of her high school friends are still struggling to find their place and feel comfortable in their new settings, she is feeling very much at home, living the Life of the Mind with others who share her interests and intellectual pursuits.</p>
<p>wow thats such a well-written post.... <em>bows</em></p>
<p>And I heartily agree!!!</p>