University of Chicago: what kind of student does best?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone compare the student body /campus feel at U of C -- on average - with the student body/campus feel of Yale?

They're totally different. Chicago has hard core students, intellectuals, and researchers. There are some of those on the Yale campus but it's not the prevailing student population.

[Anonymous]

There is an intensity at Chicago that is really unmated from what I've seen (I was a PhD student who taught there but went to an Ivy undergrad).

The pro: amazing campus, strong programs and good support for quirky smart kids.

The bad: not a pre-professional school. So if you kid wants to go to law school or med school this might not be the best place for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is an intensity at Chicago that is really unmated from what I've seen (I was a PhD student who taught there but went to an Ivy undergrad).

The pro: amazing campus, strong programs and good support for quirky smart kids.

The bad: not a pre-professional school. So if you kid wants to go to law school or med school this might not be the best place for them.

Actually, Chicago is increasingly pre-professional. Though grade deflation and a combative academic culture make things very tough for pre-meds, there are plenty of pre-law and pre-MBA types. As Chicago has become more selective and risen in the rankings, the Chicago that you and other posters describe has been transformed -- for better or worse is in the beholder's eye. Today, Chicago draws many students who also apply and are accepted to Ivies. This means fewer quirky kids and more "normals," as the student newspaper refers to this new breed of Chicago student.

Prospective applicants should also consider very carefully the school's location. Visit in February, not October or April -- and remember, it's not just the cold, it's the darkness that gets to people. Even in good weather, the campus itself is beautiful, Hyde Park has its charms, and Chicago is a fabulous city, but the neighborhoods around Hyde Park struggle with poverty and crime, and publc transit isn't great, with the result that many Chicago students feel confined to a very small geographic area -- albeit a lovely one.

Finally, don't underestimate the impact of Chicago's quarterly academic calendar. It sets a breakneck pace for even the most disciplined and bright student.

[Anonymous]

I taught there recently. Love my UofC geeks! Compared to other highly selective schools where I have taught, UofC students are more intellectually oriented (and the one's who aren't fake it) and less pre-professional.

[Anonymous]

Definitely intellectual geeky. The school's motto is "where fun goes to die". DC is a legacy but we didn't even encourage DC to apply because of the cold, the dark, the geeky intellectual environment. He would have hated it. It's right for for your super intellectual who wants to study the Great Books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I taught there recently. Love my UofC geeks! Compared to other highly selective schools where I have taught, UofC students are more intellectually oriented (and the one's who aren't fake it) and less pre-professional.

This post makes me happy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is an intensity at Chicago that is really unmated from what I've seen (I was a PhD student who taught there but went to an Ivy undergrad).

The pro: amazing campus, strong programs and good support for quirky smart kids.

The bad: not a pre-professional school. So if you kid wants to go to law school or med school this might not be the best place for them.

Actually, Chicago is increasingly pre-professional. Though grade deflation and a combative academic culture make things very tough for pre-meds, there are plenty of pre-law and pre-MBA types. As Chicago has become more selective and risen in the rankings, the Chicago that you and other posters describe has been transformed -- for better or worse is in the beholder's eye. Today, Chicago draws many students who also apply and are accepted to Ivies. This means fewer quirky kids and more "normals," as the student newspaper refers to this new breed of Chicago student.

Prospective applicants should also consider very carefully the school's location. Visit in February, not October or April -- and remember, it's not just the cold, it's the darkness that gets to people. Even in good weather, the campus itself is beautiful, Hyde Park has its charms, and Chicago is a fabulous city, but the neighborhoods around Hyde Park struggle with poverty and crime, and publc transit isn't great, with the result that many Chicago students feel confined to a very small geographic area -- albeit a lovely one.

Finally, don't underestimate the impact of Chicago's quarterly academic calendar. It sets a breakneck pace for even the most disciplined and bright student.

The public transit system in Chicago may not be the safest in parts of Chicago, but there is no place in Chicago you can't get to on public transportation from the CTA bus ànd the 'L' to the Metra.

So I have to disagree that Chicago doesn't have a good transit system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is an intensity at Chicago that is really unmated from what I've seen (I was a PhD student who taught there but went to an Ivy undergrad).

The pro: amazing campus, strong programs and good support for quirky smart kids.

The bad: not a pre-professional school. So if you kid wants to go to law school or med school this might not be the best place for them.

Actually, Chicago is increasingly pre-professional. Though grade deflation and a combative academic culture make things very tough for pre-meds, there are plenty of pre-law and pre-MBA types. As Chicago has become more selective and risen in the rankings, the Chicago that you and other posters describe has been transformed -- for better or worse is in the beholder's eye. Today, Chicago draws many students who also apply and are accepted to Ivies. This means fewer quirky kids and more "normals," as the student newspaper refers to this new breed of Chicago student.

Prospective applicants should also consider very carefully the school's location. Visit in February, not October or April -- and remember, it's not just the cold, it's the darkness that gets to people. Even in good weather, the campus itself is beautiful, Hyde Park has its charms, and Chicago is a fabulous city, but the neighborhoods around Hyde Park struggle with poverty and crime, and publc transit isn't great, with the result that many Chicago students feel confined to a very small geographic area -- albeit a lovely one.

Finally, don't underestimate the impact of Chicago's quarterly academic calendar. It sets a breakneck pace for even the most disciplined and bright student.

The public transit system in Chicago may not be the safest in parts of Chicago, but there is no place in Chicago you can't get to on public transportation from the CTA bus ànd the 'L' to the Metra.

So I have to disagree that Chicago doesn't have a good transit system.

I didn't say that the city of Chicago doesn't have a good transit system; rather that public transit to/from the UofC area is not good.

[Anonymous]

I'm a first year at UofC (from the DC 'burbs). The students that are happiest here are nerdy, love working hard because they love learning, and tend to be less into partying.

Of course there are people who don't fit that mold (as a PP said, there are more and more people who fit the pre-professional bent and there is much more of a party culture here than our "where fun comes to die" t-shirts suggests) but many of them seem to have come for the US News ranking and regret it. I'll put it this way - the nerdy ones who are here to learn because learning is great never talk about transferring out. The ones who want to party more and are here as a stepping stone for a career talk about it quite a bit. There is also a bit of a culture war between the dorms. The UChicago you see in Snitchcock, Breck, and BJ is not the same UChicago in South and Max P. The Ivy-Leaguing of UChicago is restricted to the newer dorms with less close knit houses.

Grade deflation is alive and well; As are very hard to come by. I've seen grade distributions in the math department, if the definition of grade deflation is that most people are getting As that simply is not a thing here.

The core makes a huge impact on life here, and not always in a positive way. I think it is a good thing, and I wouldn't get rid of it, but it hugely increases stress. The short of it is that people have to take classes they wouldn't otherwise, and often they do not enjoy it. In a way we're the opposite of Caltech, which also has a strong core. At Caltech everyone has to take difficult science and math classes but can flub the humanities. Here, everyone has to take difficult humanities and history classes but can flub math and science (though everyone is forced to take Bio - regarded as the worst part of the core). The real "losers" are the math and hard science majors that have to take difficult classes in both, though I personally believe the real losers are the humanities majors who never get to learn enough about math and science to really make up their mind about it. Occasionally the core turns pre-meds into philosophers.

Public transit in and out of Hyde Park is very good. It's a little complicated because the shortest way out varies drastically depending on where in Hyde Park you are and which bus/train happens to be leaving soonest; it could be taking the Jeffrey Local to 47th Red Line or taking the 6 or taking the Green Line from Cottage Grove or taking the 55 to the Green Line or taking the 2, etc. etc. It overwhelms some people but once you get the hang of it you can be in the loop in 20 minutes at pretty much any time. At Northwestern it's simple, just take the purple line to the red line, but it takes a little longer to get to the loop. I'll grant you that the "cool" places on the north side are closer to Northwestern, but it's not like the South Side is a cultureless wasteland. We have a baseball stadium too, museums, bars, all the normal city things.

As for crime, it's honestly not an issue. Harvard Square at 3 am is scarier than Hyde Park at 3 am. We get an alert every time someone gets mugged in Hyde Park and it happens amazingly infrequently, like once a month. As for the rest of the South Side - it sucks a lot if you happen to be black and born there. That does not apply to almost every UChicago student (and it's a pretty good life lesson to learn this). You aren't very likely to get shot passing through, though the same rules apply in the South Side that apply in any other city in America. If you go through a dark, unlit place at night, you might get mugged.

I can answer any questions anyone might have.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for posting! Question about houses -- what's your best guess re how North Campus will pan out? Another Max P or South -- or will the combination of exiles (from Breckinridge et al) and redesign create a somewhere-in-the-middle option?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a first year at UofC (from the DC 'burbs). The students that are happiest here are nerdy, love working hard because they love learning, and tend to be less into partying.

Of course there are people who don't fit that mold (as a PP said, there are more and more people who fit the pre-professional bent and there is much more of a party culture here than our "where fun comes to die" t-shirts suggests) but many of them seem to have come for the US News ranking and regret it. I'll put it this way - the nerdy ones who are here to learn because learning is great never talk about transferring out. The ones who want to party more and are here as a stepping stone for a career talk about it quite a bit. There is also a bit of a culture war between the dorms. The UChicago you see in Snitchcock, Breck, and BJ is not the same UChicago in South and Max P. The Ivy-Leaguing of UChicago is restricted to the newer dorms with less close knit houses.

Grade deflation is alive and well; As are very hard to come by. I've seen grade distributions in the math department, if the definition of grade deflation is that most people are getting As that simply is not a thing here.

The core makes a huge impact on life here, and not always in a positive way. I think it is a good thing, and I wouldn't get rid of it, but it hugely increases stress. The short of it is that people have to take classes they wouldn't otherwise, and often they do not enjoy it. In a way we're the opposite of Caltech, which also has a strong core. At Caltech everyone has to take difficult science and math classes but can flub the humanities. Here, everyone has to take difficult humanities and history classes but can flub math and science (though everyone is forced to take Bio - regarded as the worst part of the core). The real "losers" are the math and hard science majors that have to take difficult classes in both, though I personally believe the real losers are the humanities majors who never get to learn enough about math and science to really make up their mind about it. Occasionally the core turns pre-meds into philosophers.

Public transit in and out of Hyde Park is very good. It's a little complicated because the shortest way out varies drastically depending on where in Hyde Park you are and which bus/train happens to be leaving soonest; it could be taking the Jeffrey Local to 47th Red Line or taking the 6 or taking the Green Line from Cottage Grove or taking the 55 to the Green Line or taking the 2, etc. etc. It overwhelms some people but once you get the hang of it you can be in the loop in 20 minutes at pretty much any time. At Northwestern it's simple, just take the purple line to the red line, but it takes a little longer to get to the loop. I'll grant you that the "cool" places on the north side are closer to Northwestern, but it's not like the South Side is a cultureless wasteland. We have a baseball stadium too, museums, bars, all the normal city things.

As for crime, it's honestly not an issue. Harvard Square at 3 am is scarier than Hyde Park at 3 am. We get an alert every time someone gets mugged in Hyde Park and it happens amazingly infrequently, like once a month. As for the rest of the South Side - it sucks a lot if you happen to be black and born there. That does not apply to almost every UChicago student (and it's a pretty good life lesson to learn this). You aren't very likely to get shot passing through, though the same rules apply in the South Side that apply in any other city in America. If you go through a dark, unlit place at night, you might get mugged.

I can answer any questions anyone might have.

Why is bio the worst part of the core? How do pre-meds do at Chicago?

[Anonymous]

What a thorough and helpful review from the student! So it sounds like Columbia is less stressful overall if one were to choose (re the core v sciences etc).

[Anonymous]

Very helpful and accurate!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a thorough and helpful review from the student! So it sounds like Columbia is less stressful overall if one were to choose (re the core v sciences etc).

Why do you think that? Columbia is more pre-professional and GPA-obsessed. And, like U of C, it has a Core curriculum. Which is more stressful probably depends on the student. Would you rather struggle to master difficult material or to do better than the kids sitting next to you? Would you be more distracted/seduced by NYC or Chicago?

[Anonymous]

Also consider Swarthmore and Reed.