Niece just finished her freshman year at University of Chicago. She hates it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am waiting to see how many kids who got into high profile college from DD's class find out they hate the school (or can't keep up) and decide to transfer after the first year. These places all look great on paper, but you get the real vibe once you are there, I guess.

U of Chicago certainly isn't in the middle of nowhere.

Campus is in the middle of nowhere to millions who live in Chicago who literally NEVER venture down there. No reason to, there’s nothing there. So of course it’s in the middle of nowhere to wealthy teens from the coasts, especially when most of their friends are at colleges clustered on the costs. Just getting to the airport from campus is a two hour affair.

It's a half hour drive. I think there's even a school shuttle, but it's a half hour in an uber. If you're talking public transportation, then a hell of a lot of colleges are a 2 hour public bus ride from the airport. I live in NYC and NYU or Columbia could easily be a 2 hour bus ride from an airport.

I feel like you people have never been to chicago?

I don't understand why you clinging to non-peak travel times. Either way, a half hour one-way to a college student is a world apart. GU students who think the other side of Key Bridge is a world apart from campus. And you're using a personal car to double down on your weak point, which few students have at top private colleges, so they need pricey Ubers and Lyfts each way to attempt those times. Or take two or three times longer on public transit and risk your life in the process. I am sorry you can't grasp that is not the same as other top 30 universities which offer more safety, a higher quality of life, and closer proximity to thriving neighborhoods.

How many times does a college kid need to get from campus to the airport? Yeah, take a lift to the airport. College is 90k now people. Nobody cares that it costs $60 to get to the airport.

[Anonymous]

UChicago has been pretty well known for happy really solid faculty for at least 50 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is unfortunately what happens when students and families chase prestige instead of fit. Chicago is an excellent school for the right kid. It has always been a bit of a niche school because it leans so intellectual, it’s current emphasis on marketing hasn’t changed that.

Maybe they are chasing more than just prestige. Maybe they are chasing more than just academic prestige. Maybe these students are chasing prestige and job placement with elite (prestigious) employers.

Prestige is neither a dirty word nor a four letter word. Institutions earn the status of being labeled prestigious by producing enviable results.

Which UChicago does not offer. And one of their top prestige employers, Citadel, just moved out of the city to Florida.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UChicago has been pretty well known for happy really solid faculty for at least 50 years.

By happy and solid do you mean abrasive, smug, and hostile pr*cks? There's a reason you can quickly tease out UChicago faculty and graduates at conferences and in the workplace. They are insufferable pr*cks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That stinks. I’m sure she can get into a lot of places as a transfer.

She seemed to think most of the colleges she would consider had transfer deadlines several months ago.

They did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am waiting to see how many kids who got into high profile college from DD's class find out they hate the school (or can't keep up) and decide to transfer after the first year. These places all look great on paper, but you get the real vibe once you are there, I guess.

U of Chicago certainly isn't in the middle of nowhere.

Campus is in the middle of nowhere to millions who live in Chicago who literally NEVER venture down there. No reason to, there’s nothing there. So of course it’s in the middle of nowhere to wealthy teens from the coasts, especially when most of their friends are at colleges clustered on the costs. Just getting to the airport from campus is a two hour affair.

It's a half hour drive. I think there's even a school shuttle, but it's a half hour in an uber. If you're talking public transportation, then a hell of a lot of colleges are a 2 hour public bus ride from the airport. I live in NYC and NYU or Columbia could easily be a 2 hour bus ride from an airport.

I feel like you people have never been to chicago?

I don't understand why you clinging to non-peak travel times. Either way, a half hour one-way to a college student is a world apart. GU students who think the other side of Key Bridge is a world apart from campus. And you're using a personal car to double down on your weak point, which few students have at top private colleges, so they need pricey Ubers and Lyfts each way to attempt those times. Or take two or three times longer on public transit and risk your life in the process. I am sorry you can't grasp that is not the same as other top 30 universities which offer more safety, a higher quality of life, and closer proximity to thriving neighborhoods.

NP. This is ridiculous. I went to the U of C. The handful of times a year I needed to get to the airport, I either took a cab or the 55 bus. Both were fine. I literally never heard anyone complain about the difficulty getting to the airport. It's a non-issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She earned very high marks and she does not wish to return. And not just for known reasons like violent crime, weather, and its isolated location in the Midwest, and more specifically, on the deep south side of Chicago. We had a long lunch and here are her words in quotes: Her classmates are "repulsively obnoxious" and "insufferable," her professors were "checked out" or "barely spoke English," the university seems "unprofessional" and in "disarray," and most of the staff she encountered were "useless" and "incompetent." "It looks like a serious university but it does not operate like a serious university."

It was not her first choice but she was so excited when we met for lunch late last summer. It is sad to see her so unhappy after a year.

You realize it is hard to take you seriously when you lead with “the violent crime” and the “isolated location”.

First, the area around the school has crime, but the school itself is fine.

2nd… a city of 5 million people is hardly an isolated location.

Why even mention those two points…doesn’t sound like they had anything to do with your niece liking or not liking the school.

The location, weather, and crime is why the campus ethos is lacking, from faculty and administrators to low-level staff. If you were a high-flying researcher or administrator, would you prefer the coasts, the warm Sun Belt — or south side Chicago crime and cold weather? If you were a nurse or a random service worker, would you want to work downtown or the wealthy north and western suburbs of Chicago (for more pay!) — or commute down to the dangerous and isolated south side Chicago island the campus is in?

Some students may care a lot about lounging at the pool in the sun, but "high-flying researchers or administrators" would take Hyde Park over backwards, cultural wastelands like Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, etc. any day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is unfortunately what happens when students and families chase prestige instead of fit. Chicago is an excellent school for the right kid. It has always been a bit of a niche school because it leans so intellectual, it’s current emphasis on marketing hasn’t changed that.

Maybe they are chasing more than just prestige. Maybe they are chasing more than just academic prestige. Maybe these students are chasing prestige and job placement with elite (prestigious) employers.

Prestige is neither a dirty word nor a four letter word. Institutions earn the status of being labeled prestigious by producing enviable results.

Jeez, reading comprehension not your thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She earned very high marks and she does not wish to return. And not just for known reasons like violent crime, weather, and its isolated location in the Midwest, and more specifically, on the deep south side of Chicago. We had a long lunch and here are her words in quotes: Her classmates are "repulsively obnoxious" and "insufferable," her professors were "checked out" or "barely spoke English," the university seems "unprofessional" and in "disarray," and most of the staff she encountered were "useless" and "incompetent." "It looks like a serious university but it does not operate like a serious university."

It was not her first choice but she was so excited when we met for lunch late last summer. It is sad to see her so unhappy after a year.

You realize it is hard to take you seriously when you lead with “the violent crime” and the “isolated location”.

First, the area around the school has crime, but the school itself is fine.

2nd… a city of 5 million people is hardly an isolated location.

Why even mention those two points…doesn’t sound like they had anything to do with your niece liking or not liking the school.

The location, weather, and crime is why the campus ethos is lacking, from faculty and administrators to low-level staff. If you were a high-flying researcher or administrator, would you prefer the coasts, the warm Sun Belt — or south side Chicago crime and cold weather? If you were a nurse or a random service worker, would you want to work downtown or the wealthy north and western suburbs of Chicago (for more pay!) — or commute down to the dangerous and isolated south side Chicago island the campus is in?

Some students may care a lot about lounging at the pool in the sun, but "high-flying researchers or administrators" would take Hyde Park over backwards, cultural wastelands like Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, etc. any day.

Researchers are overrated for undergrad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She earned very high marks and she does not wish to return. And not just for known reasons like violent crime, weather, and its isolated location in the Midwest, and more specifically, on the deep south side of Chicago. We had a long lunch and here are her words in quotes: Her classmates are "repulsively obnoxious" and "insufferable," her professors were "checked out" or "barely spoke English," the university seems "unprofessional" and in "disarray," and most of the staff she encountered were "useless" and "incompetent." "It looks like a serious university but it does not operate like a serious university."

It was not her first choice but she was so excited when we met for lunch late last summer. It is sad to see her so unhappy after a year.

You realize it is hard to take you seriously when you lead with “the violent crime” and the “isolated location”.

First, the area around the school has crime, but the school itself is fine.

2nd… a city of 5 million people is hardly an isolated location.

Why even mention those two points…doesn’t sound like they had anything to do with your niece liking or not liking the school.

The location, weather, and crime is why the campus ethos is lacking, from faculty and administrators to low-level staff. If you were a high-flying researcher or administrator, would you prefer the coasts, the warm Sun Belt — or south side Chicago crime and cold weather? If you were a nurse or a random service worker, would you want to work downtown or the wealthy north and western suburbs of Chicago (for more pay!) — or commute down to the dangerous and isolated south side Chicago island the campus is in?

Some students may care a lot about lounging at the pool in the sun, but "high-flying researchers or administrators" would take Hyde Park over backwards, cultural wastelands like Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, etc. any day.

Researchers are overrated for undergrad.

Maybe. But we can agree w PP that no ambitious "researcher or administrator" is choosing Arizona over Chicago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UChicago has been pretty well known for happy really solid faculty for at least 50 years.

By happy and solid do you mean abrasive, smug, and hostile pr*cks? There's a reason you can quickly tease out UChicago faculty and graduates at conferences and in the workplace. They are insufferable pr*cks.

If true, not surprise. DC was completely turned off by the application essay questions. A bit too pretentious for them and seemed indicative of the school’s vibe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She earned very high marks and she does not wish to return. And not just for known reasons like violent crime, weather, and its isolated location in the Midwest, and more specifically, on the deep south side of Chicago. We had a long lunch and here are her words in quotes: Her classmates are "repulsively obnoxious" and "insufferable," her professors were "checked out" or "barely spoke English," the university seems "unprofessional" and in "disarray," and most of the staff she encountered were "useless" and "incompetent." "It looks like a serious university but it does not operate like a serious university."

It was not her first choice but she was so excited when we met for lunch late last summer. It is sad to see her so unhappy after a year.

You realize it is hard to take you seriously when you lead with “the violent crime” and the “isolated location”.

First, the area around the school has crime, but the school itself is fine.

2nd… a city of 5 million people is hardly an isolated location.

Why even mention those two points…doesn’t sound like they had anything to do with your niece liking or not liking the school.

The location, weather, and crime is why the campus ethos is lacking, from faculty and administrators to low-level staff. If you were a high-flying researcher or administrator, would you prefer the coasts, the warm Sun Belt — or south side Chicago crime and cold weather? If you were a nurse or a random service worker, would you want to work downtown or the wealthy north and western suburbs of Chicago (for more pay!) — or commute down to the dangerous and isolated south side Chicago island the campus is in?

Some students may care a lot about lounging at the pool in the sun, but "high-flying researchers or administrators" would take Hyde Park over backwards, cultural wastelands like Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, etc. any day.

California (UCLA, Stanford, UCSD, USC, UCSB) is in the Sun Belt. As are research powerhouses including UT-Austin, Florida, Emory, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Duke and UNC. The booming South is a "wasteland" and talented people who can work anywhere in the nation love the idea of high crime, high taxes, terrible weather, and being on an isolated crime-ridden island in the Midwest. So what's that leave? You overpay for some rock stars but have to scrape the bottom of the talent pool to fill the rest of the roster, which impacts the ethos, vibe and professionalism of your campus. Why would a random talented staffer or service worker commute to the south side when they can make more working downtown or on the north shore? Draw a 5 mile radius around UChicago's campus and that's the bleak local talent pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She earned very high marks and she does not wish to return. And not just for known reasons like violent crime, weather, and its isolated location in the Midwest, and more specifically, on the deep south side of Chicago. We had a long lunch and here are her words in quotes: Her classmates are "repulsively obnoxious" and "insufferable," her professors were "checked out" or "barely spoke English," the university seems "unprofessional" and in "disarray," and most of the staff she encountered were "useless" and "incompetent." "It looks like a serious university but it does not operate like a serious university."

It was not her first choice but she was so excited when we met for lunch late last summer. It is sad to see her so unhappy after a year.

You realize it is hard to take you seriously when you lead with “the violent crime” and the “isolated location”.

First, the area around the school has crime, but the school itself is fine.

2nd… a city of 5 million people is hardly an isolated location.

Why even mention those two points…doesn’t sound like they had anything to do with your niece liking or not liking the school.

The location, weather, and crime is why the campus ethos is lacking, from faculty and administrators to low-level staff. If you were a high-flying researcher or administrator, would you prefer the coasts, the warm Sun Belt — or south side Chicago crime and cold weather? If you were a nurse or a random service worker, would you want to work downtown or the wealthy north and western suburbs of Chicago (for more pay!) — or commute down to the dangerous and isolated south side Chicago island the campus is in?

Some students may care a lot about lounging at the pool in the sun, but "high-flying researchers or administrators" would take Hyde Park over backwards, cultural wastelands like Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, etc. any day.

Researchers are overrated for undergrad.

You clearly don't understand how college rankings work or what makes an alleged elite university elite.

[Anonymous]

OP - I'm sorry she is unhappy and I hope her reflections will help her to find a better fit. Hopefully she knows that every school has pluses and minuses. I'd encourage her to also make a list of good things at Chicago that she would not want to (or might) lose in a transfer to a new school.

To those who are pushing back on her complaints, I agree it sounds excessive and harsh. But I also think it's unfair to judge her when she was venting to a trusted family member in what is likely to be the height of her unhappiness - at the end of a year with wounds still fresh. I doubt she'd want this list of grievances to be publicly attributed to her on the internet.

I'd also like to think she might have better filters in a personal audience of people (wider circle than closest friends and family).

A lot of times when you are in the thick of something and realize you made a choice that makes you unhappy, it's easy for other things pile on. So many of these things might be "I've just had it" comments (again - not meant for public).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UChicago has been pretty well known for happy really solid faculty for at least 50 years.

By happy and solid do you mean abrasive, smug, and hostile pr*cks? There's a reason you can quickly tease out UChicago faculty and graduates at conferences and in the workplace. They are insufferable pr*cks.

If true, not surprise. DC was completely turned off by the application essay questions. A bit too pretentious for them and seemed indicative of the school’s vibe.

Being an anti-social elbowy a-hole is their "thing." They are so insecure that they become unhinged if you pretend to have never heard of their university. "Did you say you work at [or went to] University of Illinois - Chicago?" lol