<p>I'm a current sophomore at Berkeley and I really don't like it here that much. My grades are very good (4.0) and I do a lot of ECs... so I have a reasonable shot at transferring. My main question, however, doesn't concern my chances, but rather is it worth it? I'm sort of shy and Berkeley is too large of a school... I have trouble making friends and I feel isolated living with one other person in an apartment complex off-campus. People I do meet I never see again because the school is 35K+ students. How is the campus environment at UChicago? Are people friendly? Is it easy to meet people?</p>
<p>Additionally, how are the classes? One of my biggest qualms with Berkeley is that many of my classes are 700+ students. Is it easy to get to know professors?</p>
<p>1) Campus environment is great. A big reason is the housing system here. It allows you to really get to know the kids in your house (and dorm) so you always have a base of friends. </p>
<p>2) Yes, people are friendly! Everyone I've met so far has been great. </p>
<p>3) Yes, it is easy to meet people! RSOs, classes, parties, etc. It's easy. </p>
<p>4) Classes are excellent. They challenge you constantly. The readings are wonderful, professors are brilliant, the discussion is usually great. </p>
<p>5) Classes are not +700! My lectures are about 35 and discussions are 10-20. </p>
<p>6) Yes, it's not hard to get to know professors. They are all pretty nice and are willing to meet with you outside of class during office hours (or other times, too, if you ask). </p>
<p>yeah, sounds like it would be worth it.
even the grad students i've spoken to, and granted the grad school is twice as large as the college (9000 students vs. 4000), say they know most everyone in their department by first name. as for the college, i would agree with everything above.
1.) housing system makes acquiring friends as easy as possible. houses organize social activities that create a sense of community for the students. you should never be without anything to do on fri and sat nights! RAs plan trips downtown, movies, and cultural events.<br>
2.) even if you don't like the people in your house, there are tons of activities on campus to get involved in. a person really has no excuse to sit home on the weekends.
3.) most classes are small and professors are very accomodating to your schedule.</p>
<p>As a transfer, though, we might put you up in Stony Island, which is apartment-style rather than dorm-style. Of course I agree that this school is excellent (so is Berkeley), and if you think a smaller school will help you, you should definitely consider Chicago.</p>
<p>The other great thing about the school is that you'll very likely be either in a) discussion-based classes, or b) classes in which you know everybody by face and/or by name. As a somewhat reserved person myself, I've found it easy to make friends, but that's largely due to involvement in my house and in clubs.</p>
<p>I looked at the housing information they had on their site... although they don't say specifically where they'd stick you, some of the specific dorms say they have X number of slots for "freshmen and transfer students". I'm sure the college understands that transfer students are in a similar situation as freshmen and would therefore prefer to be in a more involved environment to meet new people... or at least I hope. :P Do you know that they tend to put transfer students in the apartments or is that just a guess?</p>
<p>They seem to have done that this year. There have been other threads about it. One of the issues seems to be that their yield among accepted students seems to be improving more than they project each year, so there has been something of a first-year housing crunch, and thus less room for transfers in the dorms that house most of the first-years.</p>
<p>The other thing you may want to pay attention to, as a possible junior transfer, is what you would have to do to complete the Core and major requirements in order to graduate. Depending on what courses you have taken so far, and how many you can get major or Core credit for, it might be impossible for you to graduate in two years. Which is not to say that you shouldn't transfer even then, but if you will have to take another quarter, or a summer class or two, you ought to know that upfront.</p>
<p>"I feel isolated living with one other person in an apartment complex off-campus."
Well, if my son's experience as a transfer this year is an indication of what may happen in the future, this might be a factor in your decision. All transfers this year were housed in Stony Island, an isolated apt building 15 mins from the campus because more freshman said "yes" to offers of acceptance than the admissions office anticipated. If the Freshman yield once again is higher, as it has been for the past 2 years, then the same could happen next year. FYI.</p>
<p>"I'm sure the college understands that transfer students are in a similar situation as freshmen and would therefore prefer to be in a more involved environment to meet new people... or at least I hope so."
They don't, IMHO.
PM me if you want info from the parent of a transfer student.</p>
<p>Hi. I dont want a big school either, and i was thinking about U of Chi. However, I am troubled by the environment outside of the campus. Can anyone shed more info about the violence of hyde park?</p>
<p>Hyde Park does have its problems but, as someone who is paranoid about safety, I can honestly say that I have never been afraid to walk around Hyde Park. That being said, you do have to use common sense. If you're walking somewhere late at night, don't walk alone. There are all kinds of resources that the University provides to ensure that you don't have to walk alone. You can even call the University of Chicago PD and they will escort you to your destination.</p>
<p>What are you studying at Berkeley, and what do you plan on studying at UChicago?</p>
<p>Do you plan on getting a job in California after graduation? (If so, Berekely has amazing name recognition in California, especially in the Silicon Valley.)</p>
<p>I'm a polisci major doing pre-med. At Chicago (or wherever I end up) I plan on doing something similar. I don't really plan on coming back to California for work, I guess it's really dependent on where I get into med school. I was out of state in the first place... so Berkeley cost me the same as any private school would, if not more...</p>