University of Chicago Top Questions

The people you'll be with here are fundamentally mature. Mature in their studies, social interactions, in their lives. That creates a really strong and supportive community. It does get lonely in the long winter, however, when everyone retreats into their rooms to avoid the cold and people get really depressed.

I just tell myself it'll all be worth it at the end. The school is very tough and it takes a special person to come here and excel.

at u chicago, it helps to be weird. Once I was nervous about walking around campus wearing a horse-skull Death costume for a film for fear of what it would do to my social life. The director said "... um, i'm pretty sure that would help you if anything."

There are a lot of stereotypes about UChcago, but people actually sort of revel in it. For example, here are some sayings from the numerous student-made t-shirts: Where Fun comes to die. Where the squirrels are prettier than the girls and more aggressive than the guys. Where the only thing that goes down on you is your GPA Whip me, spank me, make me read the Iliad That's all well in practice, but how does it work in theory? Hell DOES freeze over

Don't go to school here if you want good grades. It's a good education, but your GPA won't be anywhere near what it was in high school.

Can't think of anything.

U of C has had a bad reputation for a while as being a cold, uncaring and depressing place. When I was thinking about attending, some of my father’s friends who had gone to U of C tried to warn me off. They had had a miserable time there and were worried I would hate it. Even nowadays I hear stories from people I know who had friends who went to U of C who found it too demanding and were chewed up and spit out. Now don’t get me wrong, the classes are demanding. You have to do the reading - and there is a lot of reading. And you have to go to classes and do the work - just like you expect. But I found that most professors were accommodating and friendly. I didn’t get fantastic grades but I managed to graduate with honors and I never really felt over-worked (well maybe my glasses a rose tinted - but honestly it wasn't all that bad). If it sounds unappealing, keep in mind that you don’t have to totally surrender yourself to the “life of the mind” to benefit from it (I’m living proof of that). I’ve already mentioned Hyde Park, and while it is getting better, there is still a problem with crime from the neighborhood leaking onto the campus. I never got mugged, but I know several people who were. The school has a competent private police force and Chicago P.D. is ever-present as well but there were definitely times when I felt unsafe walking home at night. Did I live in constant fear? Hardly. Frankly, it’s not all that bad and the neighborhood is constantly getting better, but it is a part of life out there, so it's something to think about.

This is a great school, but you have to know what you're getting in to to appreciate it. It's not the college experience you see on TV. It's like listening to the Beatles while eating Pad-tai and discussing Castiglione's Courtier. Weird, eccentric, doesn't always make sense, but it has made me into a stronger person, and given me a work ethic that nothing will ever be able to shake. Mi piace U of C molto.

I love UChicago.

All in all, its a great place, but sometimes depressing.