University of Chicago Top Questions

No, favorite class was History of Philosophy I, least favorite 3rd quarter Hume, students study a lot, class participation varies, yes, yes, i dont know, i have no major, no, the science core sucks, learning for its own sake

Students study all the time. Period. Class participation is mandatory if you want a good grade. Period. As for the intllectual conversations outside of class, yes. In fact, sometimes my friends and I will look at each other in the middle of a conversation and just say WOW, this is a UChicago conversation! Walk across the quads and you hear everything from Super String Theory to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, to a psychoanalysis of Anna Karenina, to commentary on the new U.S. Mint. Yeah, we're quirky and weird, but it's in a good way. This university doesn't believe in teaching anything for nothing. Here we learn not what to think, but HOW to think. They encourage us to have opinions and ideas and pull thoughts out of us that we didn't know we had. They don't care if you want to go to Law School, Business School, Peace Corp, whatever. They want you to think and learn for thinking and learning's sakes. Period.

My favorite class was an English class on D.H.Lawrence. Taught by a graduate student, the teacher projected his enthusiasm unto the class and made us all appreciate the author through biographical anecdotes, personal opinions, dramatic readings and patient discussion. Of course, English classes tend to be laid back and open to interpretations, but this class was not intimidating while I still learned a lot. Other classes have tended toward the more competitive side, especially in the math and science fields. Grades are a fought for and if grading is on a curved scale then you don't have a chance unless you spend entire days and nights in the library. The pressure is so great that I am sometimes made to feel inferior, or at least lazy and not dedicated enough, if I find myself relaxing and watching a movie during midterm week. The fact that the university is so expensive also make s me feel guilty if I don't earn at least a B+ in a class that I could have worked harder for. Is it worth it? I think so, but I have worked hard to maintain a healthy balance between classwork, extracurriculars, a social life, keeping in touch with my family and friends from home, spending time with my boyfriend, babysitting and working for the university. When I read literature with subtle references to past novels or theories that I have actually read before, I can reflect and realize that I have learned a lot already. Not only have I learned in class, but I really do learn a lot from my classmates and friends here. They are always discussing current events and big issues; we all take such different course work that just speaking about our respective lessons contributes to my education. I have met so many people from other cultures that makes it interesting just to hear about their lives at home. So as long as I don't develop an ulcer or induce constant migraines from being in this environment for four years, I think it will be worth it.

What kind of class do you want to take? Because it's here. It's not guaranteed to be practical, or even useful, but when else can you take a class called "Staging Terror" and get credit for it? I watched monster movies for class, and then wrote an academic paper on them, the same quarter I took a class in Catalan that was taught by comparing it to the other romance languages. The Core is both the most loved and most hated thing on campus. Roughly speaking, it's a set of required classes that will take up about a third of your time here. It's great because it saves first-years (what we call freshman) from actually having to decide what classes they want to take. It sucks because second year everyone is over having their decisions made for them. That being said, Core is a common experience for all undergrads-something you can talk about with whoever you meet. Not necessarily the case for advanced class discussion between a Chem major and an English major. The classes are hard. They demand your attention an respect. They will teach you how to prioritize and condense your work, or you will never sleep. That being said, you still won't sleep as much as you like. But the 3am conversations when everyone's trying to finish a 7pg paper before 8 in the morning are worth it. And the papers normally turn out okay, too.

Colonizations is the worst class ive ever taken. About 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are what you might call "openly" competitive, meaning they will frequently stress about their grades and make subtle attempts to pry into other people's academic agenda. Professor office hours are generally a good experience.

Everyone studies all the time. Well, not all the time, but a good portion of it. I'm a big procrastinator, so it both helps to motivate me and makes me bored because there isn't anyone to just goof off with sometimes. The only complaint that I have is that students are highly competitive and the really hard workers are usually the only ones willing to help others out. The competitive ones tend to take help from other people and then ignore others when they ask for help. You really have to make friends in class that are reliable and helpful so that you don't miss anything, or you have to take classes with your friends. That's nice, except when you have to take a class where you don't know anyone and you are having trouble understanding the concepts fully.

Professors know students names in most classes. Humanities are terrible, and there are very few art classes offered, but I really enjoy the art history classes, especially African Art. UChicago students are always talking about school, no matter where they are. Students can be competitive, but they are not bad towards their fellow students. They would not usually try to hurt someone else to get ahead. The Biological Sciences department is very well rounded with great teachers. There are a lot of courses, with great research and work opportunities. The only complaint I have is the lack of jobs available for science graduates through the advising office, as there is for other majors. The requirements are hefty and overwhelming at times, but they seem to prepare students very well for the future. The education is whatever you make of it. It can be for the sake of learning, or if you want, it can prepare you immensely for a career right after school.

Generally great classes. Very competitive students. A lot of discussion based classes. Great stuff in general. Awesome especially if you love arguments. You can argue with your prof in class. However, things are leaning toward getting a job instead of learning for its own sake.

The professors I've had have all been great, but I also get a lot of postdocs teaching me which isn't the best. They're pretty hit or miss but even when they hit I feel like a professor would still be better. People study all the time here--most people don't party except for the weekends and people frequently spend all weekend working anyway.

the professors remember you several years afterwards. students are not that competitive