University of Chicago Top Questions

The school is relatively diverse in relation to their students. One doesn't just meet students from all over the country, but also from around the world. Every student can find at least one way to immerse themselves in what the School has to offer. There are different groups of peoples here, with a wide range of ethnic, social and political groups.

The University of Chicago is very diverse indeed. There are a lot of people with different ideas, religions, ethnical and financial background. Here, everybody is interesting! I do not think that someone would feel out of place at UChicago. Chicago is cold so students wear a lot of layers to class. There are definitely preppy, hipster or casually dressed students in a class. But, different people here always interact. It is not surprising to see a football player speaking to a math geek. Furthermore, UChicago students and professors are politically aware. For example, in my Hum class last week, we discussed the reaction of UC Davis Police against student protestors. Students are predominantly liberal however there are also very conservative students. All in all, as it is aforementioned: the university is very diverse.

Aside from a common passion and intellectualism, we are reasonably diverse. For our backgrounds and races you could look through our statistics, but I believe we are nearly 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} white, and a even mix of Asians, Hispanics, and African-Americans. We have high religious diversity and secularism-- though there is a predominance of Jewish and Christian religions-- and almost students would view the world is a nearly secular way. We have an extremely active and supportive LGBTQ community, as well as cultural groups, Greek organizations, and multi-cultural Greek organizations. Our financial backgrounds are diverse as well, though the skew would probably be toward the upper-middle class. I'd say that our populations are generally more concerned with philosophy and theory behind the little things in life, rather than celebrities, pop music, or make up. Dining halls are filled with students discussing everything from Mad Men or Glee, to the meaning of life, to music, to worst tests. Politically, we might be less active and aware than other schools, though those groups are still quite large. We have a large number of human rights, green awareness and sustainability, etc activists who are making a lot of progress. I wouldn't say that many people are conservative, but that everyone has their beliefs and is open to other ones. Most importantly, our students are accepting of their uncommonness, their interest in academics, their random side athletic or artistic hobbies, and are generally less interested in money as a primary concern. We want to keep our thoughts provoking.

My classmates are very intelligent for the most part.

The diversity in the student body is great, which makes this place interesting as well as extremely open and accepting. I can’t really picture any student that wouldn’t fit in here. There are so many students here that it seems like everyone will be able to find a niche, even students that really want to go out every night. The party scene isn’t as crazy as state schools I’m sure, but if you want to go out, you will find a way. Bar nights on Wednesdays, frequent apartment parties, frat parties on Friday/Saturday nights, etc. What students wear to class is up to them. On any given day, it’ll vary from dressy clothes to sweats and a t-shirt. No pressure is put on what students wear. The student population really is very open. Different kinds of people are friends with each other. Particularly, with the house system, it encourages different types of people to interact because of house activities and the house table (the table in the dining hall designated for every individual house). I love this about the student population. Students here tend to become very close with their housemates, but also make friends outside of the house through classes and extracurricular activities. Some people become closer to other people – it’s natural – but the presence of cliques here is very minimal. Students here are from everywhere around the world, which I love, and come from a wide variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. People are generally politically aware, but activism on campus isn’t overwhelming. A recent survey of the student population shows that most students are liberal. And no, students don’t usually talk about the money they’ll make in the future. UChicago is great for both graduate school and job placement, but education here really focuses on learning for learning’s sake.

Racism, like I said before, is a big problem, though generally not among students. I can't really say for certain though, since I happen to be white. The student body is also extremely secular, though there are places of worship and a strong Divinity School. The student body is fairly liberal, though pretty conservative in comparison with peer schools. As a relatively poor person (lower middle class/lower class), I often feel alienated by the exceedingly wealthy trust fund babies around the school. Once I even heard someone proudly claim they picked this school because it was the most expensive. Only 52{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the Class of 2013 qualifies for any financial aid at all, including loans. (This was the number they told us based on a survey done by everyone at the beginning of the year, so there is probably a margin of error.) Almost all of my friends are significantly richer than me. Many of them live in fabulous houses in fabulously rich, predominantly white places and it gets pretty depressing at times. My roommate practically lived in a mansion, and I know people with yachts. That isn't to say there aren't poorer people around here, but most of them are middle/upper-middle class. International students are also, in general, fabulously wealthy. It's interesting to note that most people view themselves as poorer than they actually are, which I suppose is true of many Americans. I really wish I knew poorer people from outside of the United States, since I think that'd really give an interesting additional perspective.

They are quirky, funny, intellectual beyond belief, way smarter than me, and successful like I one day want to be.

My classmates at the University of Chicago vary from extremely quiet to annoyingly outspoken, but they have all challenged me to take on perspectives I had never considered.

Students here pursue knowledge for its own sake, but are saved from being classified as intellectual eggheads by a quirky sense of humor and a high level of involvement in extracurricular activities.

My classmates are the type of people that can be a little daunting because they are so determined to succed, but when one looks past that, they become the type of people who are intelligent, hardworking, and reasonable and who, because of their determination, will push a person to become competitive and driven when it comes to academics.