University of Chicago Top Questions

The atmosphere of the school is pretty unique in good and bad ways. I love the architecture, but it's also very dreary. The neighborhood of Hyde Park is also nice, with quite a few interesting restaurants, cafes, and bookstores, but it has a bad reputation for crime which I suppose is founded, but I personally have yet to have a bad experience and generally feel safe on campus and around the neighborhood. Despite being Division III, sports are quite active, though the student support is lacking. It is definitely not a typical college in that regard. A lot of people, even natives of Chicago, don't really know that the University of Chicago exists. If you say you go to the University of Chicago, don't be surprised if they reply back "You mean Chicago State?" or "Where's that?" I find this rather amusing.

UChicago is well-known for it's intellectual atmosphere, and rightly so. Many of its students are honestly interested in the readings they do for class and approach essay writing as a way to investigate and express their own thoughts and opinions. Does that mean we spend 20/7 studying and reading? Hell no! We are not some breed of robot that only know how to read, do problem sets, and act awkward in social situations -- we are crazy teenagers too! There are definitely academic undertones to many things students do, whether at an improv show, during Scav Hunt, or at a frat party, but they don't overtly govern our lives. You will find people on all ranges of the talk-about-academics-all-the-time spectrum, and whatever range you find yourself in, you will definitely be in good company.

So I go out of campus, meet the Malaysian community who lives in Chicago, and their eyes would widen and "oohs" would escape from their lips when I say that I go to the University of Chicago. The public knows the University is one of the leading ones in the country, and we definitely know how rigorous and demanding the academic life here is. Here, we're really big about the "Life of the Mind". But essentially, when I arrived here, I was taken aback by how small the campus is. I could not believe that a small rectangle land, dubbed the "quad" can place the most rigorous academic pursuits in America. Truth be told, the campus lacks the feel of a real university, despite the sprawling lawns, and majestic looking buildings. But nonetheless, I have come to love the fact that it is integrated in the Hyde Park neighborhood, and the many community outreach programs the College initiates.

UChicago is totally unique, as a medium-sized liberal arts college situated in one of the world's premier research universities. As if that weren't enough, it's situated (though not ideally located, in rather boring Hyde Park) in a great city with plentiful cultural activities, beautiful parks, and adequate public transportation. The most striking thing about this place, and I'd imagine any comparable school, is that the people--professors and students alike--are usually damn smart, and this sometimes shows itself most in the contexts you'd least expect. Students complain about lack of social life and the rigor of classes, but either of these is totally manageable and ultimately worthwhile if one is even the least bit proactive. Complaining and self-deprecation are among the top extracurriculars, but it's often tongue-in-cheek.

There's alot of coffee on this campus. Yay coffee! The best thing about UChicago is that everyone loves being here.

The best things about the U of C is the academics -- it is hands down the best in the country. Other good things are that the class sizes are small, which gives you the opportunity to actually talk and interact in your classes, which doesn't happen at a lot of big schools. And, they are pretty cool about letting you do your own thing: the dorms are quite relaxed environments about drinking and parties, they have all night libraries so you can set your own study schedule, and basically the whole school is very open to your use. Unfortunately, in many ways the bad things outweigh the good, or at least far outnumber them. The academics are amazing, but at what cost? Your happiness, personality, physical and mental health, and confidence. It is the most academically rigorous, intense, and merciless school in the country. If you get sick, you are screwed. Teachers are unlikely to give you an extension, and if they do it will only be a day or two. And, there is no one in the administration who will take your side -- your professors have complete totalitarian control about how much suffering they put you through and how much they hurt your GPA. Not all of the teachers want their students to suffer, but quite a few of them do and there is no safety net for you if you happen to get one of these teachers. Also, the other students, while many of them are awesome, are mostly horrid. Too many are cut-throat, self-centered, pretentious, mean, and malicious. This school will work you harder than you ever thought possible and harder than anyone should honestly be pushed. And, while Hyde Park can be nice, it is actually very dangerous. I was assaulted for no reason last year; a guy simply came up to me on the street, yelled at me, and then punched me in the face. And, my car was broken into last year, and my roommate was mugged. These are not isolated incidences. Over 20 young males have been randomly attacked in Hyde Park because gangs of teenagers simply beat them up, and there is a lot of muggings and armed robberies. Just this year a graduate student was shot a block away from campus by a mugger. To make matters worse, the U of C doesn't really care. They will tell you that you are safe -- don't believe them. You can't walk around Hyde Park after dark and even the campus isn't safe at late hours. This is one of the worst things about the U of C. The city of Chicago is great, but you most likely won't get to go downtown much because you will be so overworked. Overall, this school offers an amazing academic education, but it is too stressful and needlessly rigorous, and you will not get the well-rounded college experience of extracurriculars, good people, sports, and fun that you would get at most colleges. And, it is a dangerous area, and the school both lies about this aspect of the school and does not do enough to ensure your safety.

When you go through this school you and everyone who went there (and some that just heard) will know that you had Chicago education. Can't say that about most other coreless schools

One thing I would change about the University of Chicago is the discourse that goes on about race. I think that there are gross perceptions about certain races, particularly African Americans that circulate around this school by people who are not educated in that subject. Many times it seems to make a joke about a certain neighborhood and warn people to avoid that place, but we should really take pause and ask ourselves and those who say such things why they say them. I wish that the University would get to the root of the extensive race issues that are underneath the surface of its pristine lawns and neo-gothic buildings. Race is an issue that this University must deal with at one point or another and whether we like it or not we contribute to the problem, by not making it more of an issue to those in charge.

I love and hate the quarter system. If you are stuck with a class you hate, you only have to put up with it for ten weeks. On the other hand, the curriculum is very intense because we learn in ten weeks what most people learn in fifteen weeks. It would be nice to have a college town, but the city is only fifteen minutes away. I wish I could go into the city more, but I do make it a priority to get off campus at least once a week for a break. I don't mind the quarter system but I would change our start date. Instead of beginning school at the end of September, I'd rather we begin at the end of August. I almost transferred at the end of my freshmen year, and I'm glad I stayed. I've made excellent friends, and I love my activities.

The school's pretty small for a university. We're only about 5,000 undergrads. That may seem like a lot to some people, but I've found it to be a good number: you recognize a lot of people all over campus, but at the same time you don't feel stifled by knowing -everyone-. Our school's famous in the academic world, but otherwise I'm not sure how well known we are...but that's kind of a relief. Anyway, we're becoming more recognized for our academics worldwide which is pretty awesome. I spend a lot of my time on campus around my dorm building since most of my best friends live in my house. But we go downtown when we feel too claustrophobic to go shopping. Chicago's definitely not a collegetown since it's a big city, but it has so many great museums, stores and other sites that are college friendly. The nightlife, however, is not under-21 friendly. So on weekends, most people stick to campus to go out. Our school pride is...different, but reflective of our school culture. We're not a sport school, so we don't have huge turnouts at games, but during Scav Hunt (one of our biggest school traditions) we have people completely dedicated to their dorm's team for 4 days straight.