University of Chicago Top Questions

I feel that professors know my name, but I think that is because I am a hard worker and I strive to show them that I am learning the material that they dispense to us. I truly believe that if you show your professors that you are passionate about your learning experience at this University then one way or another you will be recognized by them. The University of Chicago prides itself on learning and I definitely feel that the professors teach by that motto.

I chose UChicago because of it's academic reputation. I originally wanted to be a doctor. I've changed my concentration now, but after taking science classes here, I know that they are geared towards people who would like to pursue graduate studies in sciences not for pre-med students. I am now a political science major, music minor. For the most part, my professors know my name and make an effort to know as much as they can about me and my interests. I love the level that I am being challenged on. I never feel as though I know enough and my classmates challenge me just as much if not more than my professors. UChicago breaks down the ideas you had coming in here and rebuilds them. The school teaches you how to think. I am very proud to go here. I can see how my ideas are constantly evolving and my analytical skills are being strengthened.

Most of my classes are really small--20 students max. So the professors get to know you fairly well. The biggest class I've taken so far had 75 students, but it was a class on Tolkien, which was too amazing to not take. People study a lot, but most people find a good balance between work and fun. It's also nice that the students aren't competitive here, because the academics are so intense that you might go insane if everyone were constantly trying to one-up each other. But people are really chill about helping each other in class. It's not unusual to see a group of people studying together or correcting each others' essays. The Spanish and Italian departments are amazing. The teachers in all the languages are all really engaging and friendly. They all obviously love to teach and love to talk with students after class. We're not a pre-professional college...people want to learn for the sake of learning.

I'm not going to lie and say that UChicago is easy because it's not. If you come here, expect to work hard. You may get by with a couple "easy" classes, but you won't be so lucky for very long. This school challenges you--tremendously. In all my eighteen years, I had never seen a "C" on my report card before I came here. However, I wasn't devastated like I thought I would be because I felt like I couldn't have done better. I had given it my best and a "C" is what I got. My least favorite classes are my music classes. I have not gotten a very good vibe from the Music department here, and that really bothers me because I was thinking of majoring in Music. The instructors for the music classes seem a bit condescending and expect you to come into the class knowing more than most people know. I would find that normal if the prerequisite for MUSI 10300 was perhaps "a previous class in music theory," but no, the prereq for MUSI 10300 is "nothing." Luckily, I already knew how to read music!

The school tends to be really theoretical and big on studying everything academically. We don't have a lot of practical programs that other schools do (e.g., we don't have an undegrad business degree or an engineering department). I'm a math major who can't solve an ordinary differential equation or do a bunch of multivariable calculus operations that any math major should be able to solve. On the other hand, we have an excellent theoretical math program with amazing professors and bright students. Most of our departments are stellar--we have some of the brightest minds in a lot of fields teaching here, and they're by and large very accessible.

There's an extensive core curriculum which is not that rigorous or stimulating. The core will have a very great share of boring and big lectures in subjects you won't care about, as well as a few genuinely valuable intro survey courses about things you find engaging. But once you are past the core, the academics will take you pretty much as far as you want to take yourself, in pretty much any area of study (making it a good place to be if you are undecided about what you want to study). The advantage of being at one of the biggest research institutions in the world is that if you want to do research, (especially in the sciences) it's really really easy to get those opportunities. You can also take grad school classes if you exhaust the undergrad options.

3 out of 4 of the professors know my name: for the most part (i.e. 97{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}) the faculty are incredibly helpful and nice and they really want you to learn as much as possible and they are willing to do whatever it takes to help you in that process. My favorite class is called Introduction to Humanities which may sound quite boring, but the two professors are fantastic teachers: they're engaging, smart, clever, and incredibly good at teaching. They also have an outstanding love for their subjects and their students: it's great. My least favorite is my core social sciences class mostly because I feel that my professor fails to explain how anything we discuss in class is significant or even in any way relevant. Furthermore, she's obviously extremely jaded with the subject and does not enjoy teaching as much as my other professors. The study time you see in students varies tremendously. But, for the most part, students always put at least some effort in all their classes--although it is true that some put a lot more than others. However, it appears to me that everyone legitimately cares about their grades and classes. Class participation is pretty common; but in some classes where the professor does not demand it or bring it out of the students, then it lags.

The core may be quick to spark a nasty comment from those that do not intend to major in that field, but they will also admit that it was atleast an interesting experience. Coming into college I had no idea what I wanted to major in and because of the core got to try out a lot of different classes and landed on psychology, which combined the various things that I liked from the core.

UChicago students definitely have philosophical conversations outside of class, even at parties. The teachers are great, though sometimes the classes are dry. It's a little frustrating to have to go through the core requirements because you don't get to take classes you're completely interested in until 2nd or 3rd year, but there are enough choices to make the classes you do take worthwhile and interesting. Education here is definitely about learning for its own sake and learning to love learning.

Most of my professors know my name. It is easier to make a connection with a professor in a small classroom setting, more so than in a lecture. My two favorite classes were Racialization in the Private Sphere in the U.S. and Contemporary African-American Fiction. These were the first two classes that I was taking that wasn't a part of the core curriculum. One of these classes was towards my major and one was towards my minor. I enjoyed these classes because they were discussion-based, the readings were captivating, and the teachers were very passionate about the material. Students are constantly studying. There is very little idle time at this school, unless the student is making a conscious decision to not study. However, we all understand that we are at this school for a reason, and that graduating with our degree from U of C is the main priority. My motto is work hard, play hard. Students are very competitive as a result of the rigorous curriculum, where, for example, some may be jealous if you have a better connection with a teacher than they do. The only time I would spend with professors outside of class would be to go to their office hours to either review material from class or ask for help with an assignment. I have mixed feelings about U Chicago's academic requirements. Part of me doesn't mind the core because I like being exposed to different academic areas. However, it can still be a problem when those classes are very difficult and they aren't anything I'm interested in, for example biology. The education at U Chicago is geared toward learning for its own sake, as there are no pre-professional majors at the school. Therefore, students cannot major in fields such as business, finance, engineering, or journalism.