Would I Fit In?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>Hey guys, I just wanna start off by saying that most of what I know about University of Chicago comes from the Internet and various things my friends have told me. An admissions officer visited my school and gave me some info as well, but I learned more about the curriculum and stuff, and I'm more interested in the atmosphere. I've never visited and I don't know any students there who I can talk to, so please don't be offended if something I say is wrong. Also, I've searched through CC end to end, and couldn't find some answers to my questions, so please do not tell me to simply use the search feature.</p>

<p>I'm a Korean-American guy, and I'm a pretty good student. I've had lots and lots of late nights studying for tests and finishing up assignments. It's not unusual for me to be up until like 3 or 4 AM. I go to a really tough, high-up-there public school, and the courseload is difficult. That said, I am sick and tired of that. I love learning, I love discussing, and I love writing, but I hate being constantly tired and I hate being stuck to my desk and not being able to go out and do interesting things, especially when I spent the whole night doing things I'm not particularly interested in, like calculus or doing busy work. I keep hearing from all over the place that University of Chicago is very rigorous school where most people are constantly studying, to the point where the social atmosphere is dead. I've also heard that the people are very offbeat, quirky, and socially awkward. I've heard that the kids are generally very intellectual and they care a lot about matters outside of themselves. But I've also heard that it's to the point where sometimes gets pretentious and many people try very hard to fit that stereotype by puffing up their chests and pretending to care about world issues that they don't actually care about.</p>

<p>The thing is, I like being around offbeat, quirky kids. I think I'm kinda like that. I'm into art and philosophy and puns and I don't care about wearing a certain brand of clothing and things like that. I would rather be around interesting kids who don't conform to society. And I love learning and talking about philosophy and whatnot. But I don't want to spend the next four years just studying nonstop, even if it is something that I'm passionate about. I mean, I love writing, I love environmental science, but I don't want it to totally dominate my life. I want to try ultimate frisbee. I want to have time to work out. I want to join an acapella (sp?). I want time to play my guitar. And while I'm not exactly a party animal, I'd like to go to one every now and then.</p>

<p>Can you guys refute or validate the things I've heard? And do you think, given the information, I would fit in at University of Chicago? It's alright to say no. I wouldn't be mortally offended. I know it's a great school, but I don't want to go if it's not my cup of tea.</p>

2

<p>You sound like you’d be a great fit. For more information about student life and such, you can check out the Uncommon Blog (<a href=“https://blogs.uchicago.edu/collegeadmissions/[/url]”>https://blogs.uchicago.edu/collegeadmissions/&lt;/a&gt;). I think it gives a good look at what UChicago students are like. Just poking around the college website is helpful, as well. But yeah, from what I’ve read here, I think you’d fit in just fine.</p>

3

<p>The workload is largely up to you, based on your GPA and course expectations. Even the very top students still have time for a life, just not at crunch times (when three major papers are due the same week for example).</p>

<p>Also, contrary to popular mythology, getting decent grades is not that difficult. two years ago, in my D’s graduating class, about 2/3 graduated with honors, meaning they had averages above 3.25. That would imply that a good number in that group had GPA well above 3.25.</p>

<p>Some majors are tougher than others. Econ, for example, is famously competitive. But the same could be said anywhere. </p>

<p>Ultimate Frisbee? My D’s passion. Yet she still did well, even living in the Frisbee building three years (sadly gone, I’ve heard…)</p>

4

<p>my son’s a first year and, yes, he studies alot and stays up late and doesn’t get enough sleep like typical college freshman… but he wouldn’t be anywhere else. He’s having a blast, has plenty to do, and is very socially engaged. He’s found a balance between studying hard and having fun. Being a jock and very social… I,too, was concerned about Chicago’s rep and how my son would fit in. After two visits up there and seeing how much my son loves the school, the academics, and his intellectual, offbeat housemates … I can assure you that Chicago has changed.</p>

5

<p>I’m a current first year, and, reading your post, I would say you’d be a great fit. I felt exactly like you when I was choosing schools. Now for the first time in my life, I actually plan homework in between fun instead of the other way around. If anything, I feel much less busy and overwhelmed now than I did in high school. And the school is not overly pretentious at all. There are definitely some pretentious “that” kids, but most people aren’t like that, and most people don’t appreciate that type of attitude.</p>

6

<p>First of all, it sounds like, in your case, the fit issue is NOT the cultural fit issue: you are the kind of kid who will fit in culturally. I think you should consider some other issues. </p>

<p>Let me first point out that I think this whole reputation of U Chicago being a meat grinder is totally exaggerated: with the following caveat.</p>

<p>The course work might seem very difficult if you did not prepare yourself well in a HS with grade inflation and generally sub par performing student body. The course work might also seem difficult if your GPA and scores that are good enough by U Chicago admission standard (but not at a tippy top range within U Chicago) are a result of you stretching yourself 200 % beyond your natural capabilities plus hard work within a normal range. </p>

<p>If you are going to a competitive public highschool, and you have to stay up till 3 AM routines to maintain your top standing in that school… ummmmmm I don’t know how to give you a sense for a good fit. First, understand that the general level of students at U CHicago will be much higher no matter how competitive your high school is. </p>

<p>My S (second year) graduated from a magnet school rated within top 5-10 in the country, where 25-30% of the kids ended up attending top 20 schools, and 2 kids out of my son’s class of 60 got the perfect 2400 SAT (I heard this year there are 4!!!). Every course was honor or college level. Yet, my son reported that the average level of the students at U Chicago is cut above, way above the students at this high school. </p>

<p>My general sense is, if your “college application resume” (including GPA, SAT, ECs, etc) is a result of working 300% above normal compared with your peers and you got into a top school as an average student in that population, and IF that top school has a grade inflation and relaxed environment, you will be still fine since your diligence and discipline will carry you very far, you may still have enough time left over to enjoy social life. </p>

<p>On the other hand, if you end up going to a school where the general student body is known to be “studious” and the curriculum is rigorous and there is a tendency for grade deflation, then you may have to sacrifice a lot of so called “free time” to maintain your academic standing at a reasonable level “YOU” will find acceptable.</p>

<p>Too often people think of “fit” as only “social” and “cultural” fit. I think there is such a thing as an “academic” fit. In the past, I heard of a few cases where some students stretched themselves way, way, way beyond their natural range and managed to create a “college resume” good enough for a tippy top school, but floundered once they got there because they realized that they can no longer be at the top of the class or even keep up with the average by studying till 3 AM everyday. </p>

<p>Of course, if you are staying up till 3 PM because you have a compulsion to get A+ in every single course with an extremely wide margin and to graduate as a Val, that’s a different story. In that case, all you need is a bit of attitude adjustment: you don’t need to gradate as a Val in U Chicago to have a terrific professional and personal life. </p>

<p>With all this having been said, I am NOT saying you are under qualified for Chicago. I am just providing my input for you to think about. Only you can assess where you stand. In all likelihood, this does not apply to you, and you will be happy at U Chicago. In my S2 case, he would be so called a marginal case for Chicago academically (SAT, etc). No way I will recommend U Chicago for him even if they accept him due to some very interesting and high profile ECs and national awards. Not only it’s not a good fit for him culturally/socially (I consider this less of an issue because he is very adaptable), but it will be a bruising experience academically - and I don’t think this is the best way to get a college degree (his forte is elsewhere)</p>

<p>Regarding the dearth of social life, etc: by his own admission, my son spent every weekend partying during his freshmen year (no studying in the weekend), and by his own admission, did not read EVERYTHING that was assigned. To be honest (and to my dismay), he did not really study much for the courses (though he did a lot of things, spent a lot of time talking with the faculty members not about the courses, but about life and philosophy, and read a lot of things on his own). And, based on what I hear, his close friends did not study much either. They partied A LOT. Yet, his GPA is, say, closer to 4.0 then 3.5, so I bit my tongue - I figured if he has to go through some wild stage, better that it’s the college freshmen year at U Chicago rather than at the age of 30 in some wild city. This year (his second year), he told me “I experimented with a lot stuff. That’s not for me. I am not really interested in wild parties and what not any more”. And, now, he is turning into a stereotypical “life of the mind” acolyte and feeling very very comfortable and supported in this environment.</p>

<p>On the other hand, his best friend from HS is at another top 10 school with outstanding academic reputation. Yet, this friend is reportedly feeling lonely at times because he has yet to find a group of friends with whom he can delve into thoughtful intellectual discussions. Not that he is a social misfit: he has a plenty of friends, but he has not found a group that satisfies his intellectual yearning. My son has no problem in this area. If anything, he says some of his friends have become role models for deeper intellectual pursuits (by the way, some of THESE friends are also the ones he partied a lot with).</p>

<p>the thing is, in U Chicago, if you choose, you can party as much as you want, but you can also choose not to do that but instead live like a monk and that’s OK too. Of course, you can choose a wide variety of “shades of grey” in between, where I think my son falls now. I think that’s what makes Chicago special.</p>

7

<p>Ugh, man, that is not good news. I mean, I don’t know if I spread myself too thin, if I simply can’t handle hard work, or if I just have crappy study habits. I’m not in the top 4% of my class, more like top 10%. But it’s not really like I have to work really hard to stay on top. It’s more that I have a lot of trouble with math and sometimes I can only start my homework at night. But now I’m kind of worried less about the atmosphere and more about the academic rigor. Initially, I assumed that I would just be able to handle it. But high school, by no means, was easy for me. While I was good in all my English and history classes with minimal effort, I thought it was pretty hard overall because of classes like AP Chem and AP Calculus.</p>

<p>Can anyone who is currently a student at Chicago talk about how they felt about the workload when they first started out, as well as how they felt about the workload in high school? And if anyone else has more comments about the social atmosphere, I’d love to hear about that too.</p>

8

<p>Honestly, dude, I think you’ll be fine. I think, think, that hyeonjlee may be exaggerating a little bit regarding the academic rigor at Chicago. Speaking as a first year who came from a good private school, I (hopefully) understand the experience you had in high school, in terms of the pressure/belief to do well. </p>

<p>The spectrum here is fairly wide I’d say, (in terms of academic acheivement/ ability) but really the more important thing to take away is that, when you are studying your mind shouldn’t be focused on how your peers do, but rather on giving your best in the class. Then, the grades should follow, i.e. one should be happy recieving the mark of one’s best. (Note, one’s best can improve over time with the effort. And consequently, one’s direct grade.) </p>

<p>More specific to your concerns, those subjects (math and chem) are those, where one is placed. So, in general, the respective test places a student appropriately. On that end, one can easily adjust: move up or down in the level of the class, during the first three weeks called the drop add period. </p>

<p>Lastly and most importantly, it seems from your post that you really would be good fit at Chicago, in that I know many people here who share your interests and/or approach to life, myself included. If you apply, are accepted, and choose to attend, the academic rigor here is respective to yourself. You can definately choose to skate by with easy classes, but it would seem that you’d be missing out on many worthwhile opportunites to challenge yourself. As a more math bent guy, I have always had difficulty with writing papers, probably, haha, because I had spent less time focusing on writing well and academically. BUT, that doesn’t mean I don’t respect and understand the value that that field or area of learning brings. </p>

<p>In short, my suggestion is that you apply, since you seem like a good fit for the school. If you do get in, for which I can’t be a proper judge, I’d be happy to talk with you more about the specifics on the academic and social life at Chicago. I wish you good luck with those essays, interviews, and your entire admissions process!</p>

9

<p>actually I don’t think I exaggerated the rigor of Chicago academic work. Au contraire, it does not seem half way as bad as some would say. I simply thought that if OP’s qualification as a viable U Chicago candidate is predicated on her/him studying 18 hours a day to maintain a certain GPA that is good enough for Chicago, there is a cause for concern, and OP should think about this, because in Chicago, s/he will be among those who are FAR better qualified than her/his HS cohorts and s/he may not have a lot of margin to work with. </p>

<p>That said, there is a good news for OP: if s/he had to work so hard to keep great grades in subjects that s/he is not interested in and talented at, while s/he is a “natural” in areas where s/he will focus on as a college student, then s/he has no worries. I would be more concerned if OP had to work 18 hours to get good grades in ALL subjects. Note that once you are in college, you can minimize your exposure to the subjects that you really don’t like and not good at. Granted, Chicago’s famed core requirement will force you to take some of these, but it’s NOT like in HS where you feel forced to AP Chem and advanced calculus, and math and science courses all four years to produce a strong transcript good enough for a tippy top school.</p>

<p>This is the case with my S2. His SAT critical reading is 800. His math is <650. He has been taking 4 years of math and science anyway, and needless to say, not so stellar grades in these subject matters brought down his GPA. He is currently applying ED to a school that would not have been an academic fit based on the GPA alone, even if the school accepts him. However, I have no doubt that if he is admitted, he will thrive in that environment because now he competes based on what he is good at, not on things he is really challenged. If I had a reason to believe that he will continuously struggle, I would have advised him against that school. A moderate challenge and rigorous expectation are a GOOD thing, but if that causes continuous hardship all throughout 4 years, this is NOT a good fit. </p>

<p>So, based on what the OP clarified further, I feel that U Chicago will be a good school for OP. Don’t worry about the dead social scene. It’s ANYTHING BUT. Of course, if your definition of having fun is partying EVERY NIGHT, that’s different, but id does not sound like that’s you. My S enjoys the company of his thoughtful friends. He says there are plenty of things to do, plenty of interesting kids to talk to, and plenty of thoughtful fun to be had, while if you choose, you can also go wild (that’s what he did for a while, while he was also doing a lot of “life of the mind” things - it’s just that the “ratio” has been reversed lately.)</p>

<p>So, to the OP, I say, go for it.</p>

10

<p>Also remember that in HS you go to class for about 35 hours a week and usually take 6 classes if not more. In Chicago you’d be taking 4 subjects and going to class for about 12-15 hours a week (not counting labs). S1 points out that how wisely you use the hours between classes is the key to ending up with free time to pursue all the “not life of the mind” offerings of college life in Chicago. The Reg became his “office” and he rarely does any school work in his room.</p>

11

<p>I think poster #6 overstated things a bit. I agree with #10 above. Also, my S a third year had good stats but not perfect stats and was like you interested in learning and had little patience for high school bs. He was a good match for uChicago. He works hard and has done very well and enjoys his social life with a great group of friends. So, apply and if accepted, visit during accepted students weekend and make your final decision.</p>

12

<p>What UChicago pretty much lacks is an Animal House-type scene. The OP, and his friends, will have pretty much the same social life at UChicago that they would have had at any college in any awesome city. They will have a good time, do stupid things, break laws against underage drinking and maybe drug use, risk getting communicable diseases . . . the whole shebang. What they won’t have is a frat house next door on double secret probation where some meaningful number of brothers seriously doesn’t care about their educations, people are disciplined if they mention a class in conversation, and the parties are judged by their casualty and property damage reports. That kind of thing can be fun to dip your toe into once or twice, but it’s not a great way to live, and it winds up being annoying most of the time. </p>

<p>If you can’t live without self- and other-destructiveness on an epic scale, don’t bother thinking about Chicago. If you are content with merely having fun, having friends, and having a sex life, Chicago will be just fine.</p>

13

<p>In response to your question about UChicago’s difficulty relative to high schools, I can say that hyeonjlee is exaggerating a bit. I didn’t go to a top high school. I actually took the AP track at a public high school, and I was ridiculously over-worked back then. Like you, I had to stay up late just to get my work done, and I felt like I was reaching my physical limits. Now, though, I actually feel relaxed. There is plenty of time to get your work done and plenty of time to have fun. Despite the fact that I finally have time to do things other than work, I am still learning a lot and performing well on exams. And you also have to remember (as J’adoube said) that you are in class for much less time in college than you were in high school. I actually have a very busy schedule as a first year because I have Hum, Chem, and Physics (the latter two having four hour lab sessions each week), and I still find it very manageable. You’ll be fine.</p>

14

<p>^ Ditto.
-UChicago '11</p>

<p>OP, sounds like you’d fit in quite well. G’luck with the app!</p>

15

<p>Thanks for the help guys. I decided I will apply to Chicago and hope for the best. Any further comments are welcome</p>

16

<p>I’m glad you decided to apply, you sound like you’d really like it here. </p>

<p>I just finished my first quarter. I’ve been home less than two days and I already miss the school. Socially, it’s amazing. I live in one of the more stereotypically quirky dorms (BJ), but there is such a mix of people and stuff that goes on. We have awesome parties where lots of drinking and hooking up happens and then we’ll have nights where we watch terrible movies or play brawl or cook things. The people are incredible, so many varied interests and talents. </p>

<p>As for the workload, I don’t think it is so bad. You have to be a little smart about studying and you do have to dedicate time to things but if you study you’re not going to do horribly by any means. I ended up with an A- in my honors science class despite getting Ds on two of the three midterms. The professors don’t want to crush your soul. That said, most everyone is very smart here so it can be hard in that sense if you are used to being the best and suddenly you are very much in the middle. </p>

<p>Good luck with your app and write quirky essays! Let me know if you have other questions.</p>

17

<p>Don’t let people freak you out honestly. If you are accepted that means the admissions committee has deemed you worthy of a Uchicago education. You’ll figure out how to manage all of the work.</p>