Is this still the prevailing reality at UChicago - where "fun goes to die"?

[Anonymous]

I realize this article is 5 years old, but is this still the reality at UChicago?

For Better or Worse, You Are UChicago

The instinct to distance oneself from the slurry of stereotypes that circulate campus is powerful—however, doing so only makes life harder.
By Manya Bharadwaj
September 8, 2021

It’s no surprise that the University of Chicago, with its self-proclaimed motto of being a place “where fun goes to die,” has so many miserable students. One source even shows that we had the eighth most depressed student body in the United States in 2019. Students here love to complain, and while students at other colleges do so as well, there’s something different about the conversations that we have. They’re less tongue in cheek and more resigned, frustrated, and bitter.

Many cite academic rigor as the main culprit. This is certainly a tough school (in fact, UChicago was recognized as the fifth-toughest college in the country in 2017). But any student who committed to this place knew what they were getting into. We did it either because we knew we could handle the toughness or because it was something we wanted from our college experience. Other schools of comparable difficulty on that list such as Princeton or Georgetown don’t have the same reputation for misery that we do, so I don’t think the academic difficulty is responsible for the cynicism that is so predominant on this campus. Rather, I think it’s often because of something a little more overlooked: the lack of togetherness in our student body. From what I’ve observed, the unflattering stereotypes that students have of one another are responsible for a certain sense of divisiveness in the community, fueling disdain for the school rather than pride. It’s a form of deep-rooted pessimism that’s fueling a fundamentally disjointed, unhappy environment.

UChicago students don’t seem to like one another—or at least the idea of what they represent. This school has so many student stereotypes that are each considered emblematic of a core aspect of the University, and these aren’t generally positive, which breeds a distaste for the school itself. One common example: With economics being our most popular major comes the archetype of the econ/finance bro, and this character tends to be disliked most by students who hate UChicago for being what they describe as a cold, cruel, capitalist institution. I’m most definitely guilty of a similar aversion myself, albeit to a much different (and probably the most common) UChicago archetype.

The archetype I’m envisioning is the one who works too hard but doesn’t know how to have fun; someone who is solely academically oriented and far too theoretically focused to be a part of the practical, real world; someone who is socially awkward and perhaps a little too eccentric for me to have enough in common with. So I try, both consciously and subconsciously, to distance myself from that stereotype by emphasizing myself as someone who is well-rounded, well-adjusted, and sociable. I know with full certainty that there is a plethora of well-rounded, well-adjusted, and sociable people at this school. But I can never fully shake this image out of my head because it’s been frequently reinforced by my experiences during my two years here. Take, for example, the advice I got from a networking call I had with a recent UChicago alum in February. “When you get to the interviews, make sure they know that you can have a conversation with them,” he told me. “UChicago kids have a reputation for being weird and awkward, so it won’t be hard to stand out from the rest once you do that.” It’s one of many moments when I’ve found myself disheartened by what the image of the classic UChicago student seems to be.

I want to emphasize that I don’t hate UChicago; I’m having a wonderful experience and I don’t regret coming here. But I’ve realized that I, just like every other cynical student, have somewhat alienated myself from this university because of its unflattering stereotypes. We have no school spirit. Instead, we each justify ourselves by saying that we’re not quintessential. But in clinging so firmly to our exceptionality, we’re reinforcing a norm defined by nerdiness, social ineptitude, and factionalism. Perhaps, instead, if we could embrace ourselves as part of UChicago’s culture, not as exceptions to it, we could add a bit of dimension to the perception of our school. We have to stop telling ourselves that we’re not like other UChicago students—that we’re different.

Manya Bharadwaj is a third-year in the College.

[Anonymous]

Actual slogans on UChicago tee-shirts (despite admissions trying to pay them off not to make them):

U Chicago, Where Fun Goes to Die
U Chicago, Hell does freeze over
U Chicago, Where the only thing that goes down on you is your GPA

Haha

[Anonymous]

This is an n=1 experience but my DD is a sophomore at UChicago and absolutely loves it. She is a mainstream, maybe “trendy,” social person, and has found her people. She’s in a sorority, and goes out frequently to frat parties, mixers, and restaurants/bars/clubs in downtown Chicago. She’s doesn’t do that every week of course, especially during exams, but more frequently than the “where fun goes to die” motto would make one assume. Beyond social life, she has loved all her classes and admires her professors, who are often very very esteemed and accomplished but humble and always willing to talk to students. I think the student demographics of UChicago in 2026 are a closer match to peer schools compared to 1990, even the 2000s and 2010s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an n=1 experience but my DD is a sophomore at UChicago and absolutely loves it. She is a mainstream, maybe “trendy,” social person, and has found her people. She’s in a sorority, and goes out frequently to frat parties, mixers, and restaurants/bars/clubs in downtown Chicago. She’s doesn’t do that every week of course, especially during exams, but more frequently than the “where fun goes to die” motto would make one assume. Beyond social life, she has loved all her classes and admires her professors, who are often very very esteemed and accomplished but humble and always willing to talk to students. I think the student demographics of UChicago in 2026 are a closer match to peer schools compared to 1990, even the 2000s and 2010s.

This is similar to what DC's friends has said and is why DC wants to apply there early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is an n=1 experience but my DD is a sophomore at UChicago and absolutely loves it. She is a mainstream, maybe “trendy,” social person, and has found her people. She’s in a sorority, and goes out frequently to frat parties, mixers, and restaurants/bars/clubs in downtown Chicago. She’s doesn’t do that every week of course, especially during exams, but more frequently than the “where fun goes to die” motto would make one assume. Beyond social life, she has loved all her classes and admires her professors, who are often very very esteemed and accomplished but humble and always willing to talk to students. I think the student demographics of UChicago in 2026 are a closer match to peer schools compared to 1990, even the 2000s and 2010s.

This is similar to what DC's friends has said and is why DC wants to apply there early.

PP - I would highly recommend. It's a special place.

[Anonymous]

My kid is there. He likes it; has friends. His friends seem to like each other. I'm sure there are some miserable kids but there are some everywhere.

[Anonymous]

DC is heading there next year. The admitted student days were last week. My kid stayed overnight with a student who had graduated from the same high school last year. Apparently, they spent the evening in the library. That was exactly why DC felt at home at UChicago.

[Anonymous]

Alum of Chicago, Caltech and Harvard. Chicago's point of pride boast "where fun goes to die," is in the same vein as Caltech's "what doesn't kill me makes me stronger" - used to show pride in being a highly qualified academic nerd (think Sheldon). One would be missing the point if taking these boasts literally.

[Anonymous]

The work is intense, and the culture is not social by any means. But since it's not a LAC, and is medium size (8000 undergrads), it contains multitudes.

Yes, you're going to encounter the intense, serious students who want to debate using parliamentary debate rules in the middle of the night over esoteric issues, instead of asking about your day, and people who like the "where fun goes to die" study sweats are attracted to this community, it also contains multitudes. At our private, some average students have been accepted at UChicago who aren't that intense or intellectual.

The bigger issue about the culture is that UChicago is just not an under-grad centric school. They have 20,000 graduate students, and only 8,000 undergrads. Keep that in mind when you think about accessing profs and getting research opportunities. At the end of the day, it functions and prioritizes itself more as a grad school much more than a college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The work is intense, and the culture is not social by any means. But since it's not a LAC, and is medium size (8000 undergrads), it contains multitudes.

Yes, you're going to encounter the intense, serious students who want to debate using parliamentary debate rules in the middle of the night over esoteric issues, instead of asking about your day, and people who like the "where fun goes to die" study sweats are attracted to this community, it also contains multitudes. At our private, some average students have been accepted at UChicago who aren't that intense or intellectual.

The bigger issue about the culture is that UChicago is just not an under-grad centric school. They have 20,000 graduate students, and only 8,000 undergrads. Keep that in mind when you think about accessing profs and getting research opportunities. At the end of the day, it functions and prioritizes itself more as a grad school much more than a college.

Its 2026, not 1990. They have significantly increased focus on undergraduate education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The work is intense, and the culture is not social by any means. But since it's not a LAC, and is medium size (8000 undergrads), it contains multitudes.

Yes, you're going to encounter the intense, serious students who want to debate using parliamentary debate rules in the middle of the night over esoteric issues, instead of asking about your day, and people who like the "where fun goes to die" study sweats are attracted to this community, it also contains multitudes. At our private, some average students have been accepted at UChicago who aren't that intense or intellectual.

The bigger issue about the culture is that UChicago is just not an under-grad centric school. They have 20,000 graduate students, and only 8,000 undergrads. Keep that in mind when you think about accessing profs and getting research opportunities. At the end of the day, it functions and prioritizes itself more as a grad school much more than a college.

agreed. that's almost a 3:1 ratio of grad students to undergrads.

schools like yale, emory are more balanced. while I think LACS veer too far in having an undergrad only population that feels like an extension of high school, we're focused on schools that are closer to a 1:1 ratio.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The work is intense, and the culture is not social by any means. But since it's not a LAC, and is medium size (8000 undergrads), it contains multitudes.

Yes, you're going to encounter the intense, serious students who want to debate using parliamentary debate rules in the middle of the night over esoteric issues, instead of asking about your day, and people who like the "where fun goes to die" study sweats are attracted to this community, it also contains multitudes. At our private, some average students have been accepted at UChicago who aren't that intense or intellectual.

The bigger issue about the culture is that UChicago is just not an under-grad centric school. They have 20,000 graduate students, and only 8,000 undergrads. Keep that in mind when you think about accessing profs and getting research opportunities. At the end of the day, it functions and prioritizes itself more as a grad school much more than a college.

For god’s sake - 1 Google search will tell you that they have ~10k graduate students, 19k students total.

https://data.uchicago.edu/data-students/

The blatant lying on this site is so tiring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The work is intense, and the culture is not social by any means. But since it's not a LAC, and is medium size (8000 undergrads), it contains multitudes.

Yes, you're going to encounter the intense, serious students who want to debate using parliamentary debate rules in the middle of the night over esoteric issues, instead of asking about your day, and people who like the "where fun goes to die" study sweats are attracted to this community, it also contains multitudes. At our private, some average students have been accepted at UChicago who aren't that intense or intellectual.

The bigger issue about the culture is that UChicago is just not an under-grad centric school. They have 20,000 graduate students, and only 8,000 undergrads. Keep that in mind when you think about accessing profs and getting research opportunities. At the end of the day, it functions and prioritizes itself more as a grad school much more than a college.

For god’s sake - 1 Google search will tell you that they have ~10k graduate students, 19k students total.

https://data.uchicago.edu/data-students/

The blatant lying on this site is so tiring.

"Where fun goes to die" is really a quote reflecting a different era. The grad/undergrad ratio was much higher before the 90s when they decided to expand the College.

[Anonymous]

It's roughly 10,900 graduate students, and 7,500 undergrad students. So still majority grad students.

[Anonymous]

So people actually read OP's post? Dear Lord