<p>How rigorous is UChicago? I've heard that majors like economics have a lot of work. How's the work compared to high school with 4/5 AP classes?</p>
<p>I’m a first-year taking three classes this quarter. It’s only the third week here, and I’m already doing a whole lot more work now than I ever did in high school. This includes last year when I took five AP classes concurrently. So - yes, it can be quite rigorous depending on what classes you decide to take. (Though I guess, if you wanted to, you could sign up for the easier “jock” classes and breeze on through, if that’s what you want.)</p>
<p>Keep in mind though: My time management is not the best. Additionally, I am a slow slow slow reader, and I’m taking two reading-intensive classes.</p>
<p>My kids worked much harder at Chicago than they did in high school with multiple APs, generally taking 4 classes/quarter or 3 with two labs. The quarter system compresses the time available to get through a syllabus, and makes it more likely that midterms and papers will occur at the same time or with very little time between them. Compared to most other colleges, and especially compared to AP courses, relatively little use is made of textbooks. Most of the reading consists of original texts or original scholarly articles, rather than pre-digested textbooks. Finally, it is a place where most of the people do most of the work – there is little or no culture of skating through without doing the lion’s share of the reading. So people tend to work a little harder than they might elsewhere, not out of competitive concerns, but because that’s what everyone else is doing, too, and they are all proud of themselves for doing it.</p>
<p>I would agree with JHS. It is not competitive, it is more a part of the culture. S1 has found it easier to take 4 courses than 3. He said with 4 courses there isn’t any time to think, “I can do this tomorrow.” :)</p>
<p>Pretty much ditto JHS. AP courses vary from school to school, and I think in some ways I work harder here and in some ways I worked harder in high school.</p>
<p>I definitely worried more about academics in high school, and I enjoyed the material much much less. In college, I like the freedom to choose my classes (yes, even with the core!) and the freedom to do as much work as I see fit. I definitely agree with JHS about most of the students doing most of the reading in a serious way, but I can also vouch for students who make Chicago work in a different way for them. </p>
<p>I have three friends (probably more, but three for sure) who became so invested with a certain aspect of the University environment that they devoted (almost) all of their time to a certain project or commitment, to the point that class became an occasional event and such. I don’t recommend that extreme for risk of academic probation and whatnot, but I think it’s fair to say that different students react differently to doing academic work, and it’s not necessarily unproductive to do the minimum.</p>
<p>My son wrote something to a friend at another school which addresses the OP’s question very well: “My classes are awesome… I have so much reading I want to cry, but I genuinely enjoy the subject matter which I guess is what matters most.” (He’s a 2nd year student taking SOSC plus 3 humanities-type courses and sitting in on an extra course that won’t show up on his transcript.) </p>
<p>Several things strike me: (a) my son was never all that driven homework-wise in high school, but at Chicago he strives to do everything and then some because he enjoys it (he’ll probably end up with a higher GPA in college than he had in high school as a result), (b) the quality of interaction he’s had with professors has been extraordinary; his class sizes range from 4 to 23 students, with several of his classes being about evenly split between undergrads and grad students. He’s noticed no discernible differences in treatment or expectations based on student status, but rather has felt welcomed by professors who’ve appreciated his enthusiasm for their areas of expertise and (c) even with involvement in several extracurricular activities, he still has time to let his hair down and go out and/or hang out with friends. </p>
<p>As heavy as the workload is, for many Chicago students the stress is of the kind on which they thrive. My son has never been happier!</p>