University of Chicago Top Questions

The student body is DIVERSE - all countries, languages, religions, socio-economic statuses, backgrounds, affiliations, and interests. But UChicago students do have a few things in common. Most UChicago students dress well (few sport pajamas to classes taught by Nobel laureates). It's not uncommon to see someone buying coffee at midnight getting ready to post up in the library all night, but it doesn't always entail that they're going solo. The students have strong views but are pretty tolerant; intellectual debates are never hard to find, but they typically don't end in the people involved storming off upset. Most people get along with people unlike them just fine.

UChicago is not a conservative school. The students tend to be pretty politically liberal, openminded, and progressive. Chicago is extremely diverse in terms of race, LGBT, and socio-economic background. While students are respectful at Chicago, they will question your beliefs. Admittedly, there are not a ton of highly religious students at Chicago, but they do actively think about and defend their beliefs. There is a high portion of students from the midwest, but Chicago draws students from around the world. Because of the highly academic nature of Chicago (and the cold), class is anything but a fashion contest. As students typically eat with their house in the dining hall, a diverse group of students are often thrown together and not grouped by race, socio-economic background, where they are from, etc.

The University of Chicago is fairly diverse, with especially strong Jewish and Asian populations. However, the interests of its students are so varied that it would take days to name every student organization and club on campus. The only kind of student who would feel out of place here is one who hates studying. Different types of students definitely interact--I'm part of Greek life at the school, which has lately been growing its presence on campus, but I have friends and acquaintances that span the spectrum of personalities and interests here at UChicago. Describing the tables of students at the dining hall is a little silly, simply because every table at the dining hall is assigned by house. A house is typically anywhere from 50-200 students, and this is your home base (a social group you can rely on) while you live in housing, which is typically for the first two years. So every table in the dining hall boasts a unique mix of students! Most students are politically aware, and many love debating current issues. A few students participated in Occupy Chicago this year!

My previous response(opinion of school/stereotype) addresses this question well.

Racially the school is broken down like most top-tier schools: mostly white and Asian (including Southeast Asian), with a sprinkling of Hispanic and black students on top. A decent percent of students come from very well-off and well-connected families, and this is especially prominent among foreign students, as they receive no financial aid. However, a good percentage of students also receive financial need-based aid, and so overall there is no one socio-economic majority. The housing system (everyone is required to live in housing first year, and all students are assigned to a house of 40-100 people with whom they live and share a dining table) allows students to mix and form friendships with people they may not have previously interacted with. That being said, racial and cultural groups do form, as they are wont to do anywhere. Students are predominantly left-leaning socially, but there is a strong population of fiscal conservatives on campus and the College Republicans RSO (registered student organization) is one of the best funded RSOs on campus.

Racially the school is broken down like most top-tier schools: mostly white and Asian (including Southeast Asian), with a sprinkling of Hispanic and black students on top. A decent percent of students come from very well-off and well-connected families, and this is especially prominent among foreign students, as they receive no financial aid. However, a good percentage of students also receive financial need-based aid, and so overall there is no one socio-economic majority. The housing system (everyone is required to live in housing first year, and all students are assigned to a house of 40-100 people with whom they live and share a dining table) allows students to mix and form friendships with people they may not have previously interacted with. That being said, racial and cultural groups do form, as they are wont to do anywhere. Students are predominantly left-leaning socially, but there is a strong population of fiscal conservatives on campus and the College Republicans RSO (registered student organization) is one of the best funded RSOs on campus.

Racially the school is broken down like most top-tier schools: mostly white and Asian (including Southeast Asia), with a sprinkling of Hispanic and black students on top. A decent percent of students come from very well-off and well-connected families, and this is especially prominent among foreign students, as they receive no financial aid. However, a good percentage of students also receive financial need-based aid, and so overall there is no one socio-economic majority. The housing system (everyone is required to live in housing first year, and all students are assigned to a house of 40-100 people with whom they live and share a dining table) allows students to mix and form friendships with people they may not have previously interacted with. That being said, racial and cultural groups do form, as they are wont to do anywhere. Students are predominantly left-leaning socially, but there is a strong population of fiscal conservatives on campus and the College Republicans RSO (registered student organization) is one of the best funded RSOs on campus.

In general, the University of Chicago is a very accepting environment. The University community obviously encompasses a lot of different backgrounds. Most students fit in perfectly and find their own niche in terms of apt cultural, ethnic, racial and other student groups. The unique House system of the University initially helps you acclimate to the social challenges of the University by providing you with a close-knit community of 50-80 students who you live with and can say hi to anywhere you see them on compass. It should be noted that these are the students that you normally sit with at the dining tables (though it is certainly not mandatory), especially when you first arrive on campus and feel daunted by the amount of people you meet. Moreover, it is important to remember that the University of Chicago is made up of a diverse group of students. Of the student body, most are middle to upper class and, surprisingly, 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body is made up of international students. It seems that every student at the University is united, however, by the common bond to learn in a competitive environment, obtain a quality education, and one day become a successful and productive member of their respective societies. Additionally, most students are very politically aware and- while the school, institutionally speaking, seems to be conservative in standing, most of the students are indeed more liberal and progressive. In fact, LGBT rights and racial tolerance seldom prove themselves as hotly contested issues as most students are very accepting and broadminded. Overall, the student body is incredibly varied; to be sure, it is in this diversity that there is strength.

In general, the University of Chicago is a very accepting environment. The University community obviously encompasses a lot of different backgrounds. Most students fit in perfectly and find their own niche in terms of apt cultural, ethnic, racial and other student groups. The unique House system of the University initially helps you acclimate to the social challenges of the University by providing you with a close-knit community of 50-80 students who you live with and can say hi to anywhere you see them on compass. It should be noted that these are the students that you normally sit with at the dining tables (though it is certainly not mandatory), especially when you first arrive on campus and feel daunted by the amount of people you meet. Moreover, it is important to remember that the University of Chicago is made up of a diverse group of students. Of the student body, most are middle to upper class and, surprisingly, 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body is made up of international students. It seems that every student at the University is united, however, by the common bond to learn in a competitive environment, obtain a quality education, and one day become a successful and productive member of their respective societies. Additionally, most students are very politically aware and- while the school, institutionally speaking, seems to be conservative in standing, most of the students are indeed more liberal and progressive. In fact, LGBT rights and racial tolerance seldom prove themselves as hotly contested issues as most students are very accepting and broadminded. Overall, the student body is incredibly varied; to be sure, it is in this diversity that there is strength.

It's pretty hard to describe the typical student at the University of Chicago, because each student is so different from another. That's what makes the University of Chicago such a fantastic academic and social experience, because you have the opportunity to get to know so many diverse individuals. I was an athlete, but also was involved in a fashion magazine. This put me in contact with two very different groups of people on campus. But then again, I was a tour guide, and tour guides tended to be absolutely amazing, quirky, incredibly involved individuals. UChicago has so many different people that it's hard to stereotype them. Even at the frat parties, I'd see people who would have been deemed way too nerdy at my high school-- yet here they were the life of the party. That's because UChicago tends to treat people based on their personalities, and not on their looks, which is awesome. We're a very welcoming bunch of people, and I think that's why UChicago gets typecast as an incredibly quirky/nerdy school. It's not that we necessarily are-- we just welcome those people, and they don't need to change their quirkiness or nerdiness to fit in. They're welcome here regardless.