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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Attracts kids who are serious about education. But IMHO, doesn’t always do right by them. Quarter system sucks — high pressure/no time for reflection, schedule is out of sync with other Unis (which limits summer opportunities). Lots of readings in core courses were fragments (e.g. everyone reads Marx but that can mean 10pp of German Ideology). Lets undergrads TA. Lots of mental health issues, not well handled.  Profs were often great and very supportive. Grad school admissions worked out well. Summer funding was always available.

FWIW, I was educated and/or taught at 3 other Unis of similar size and reputation and am the parent of a very recent UofC grad (PhD-bound STEM major), so that’s my frame of reference. [/quote]

My DH teaches at U of C and this is all pretty accurate IMHO.

He tells me stories of the kinds of things his undergrads produce for their papers and such and I am always blown away. Think: original archival research with foreign language translations. Or, owning your own small business. These are not typical undergrads; many of his students seem truly exceptional.

Hyde Park is cool now -- even in the last 5 years, there are many more restaurants and businesses. There's a brand new undergrad dorm. There's now a TJs and a Whole Foods and a Target, none of which were there even 3 years ago. [/quote]

I went to grad school at UChicago and did enjoy living in Hyde Park. As far as I remember, the TJs/WF/Target were somewhat controversial when they first opened (although I think they opened just as I was leaving) because there were concerns about the neighborhood gentrifying too much. My favorite things about the neighborhood were the small, local shops (especially the bookstores — SO many bookstores!!).

In addition to the neighborhood, things I liked:

- The intellectual rigor. UChicago was one of the most challenging academic experiences I’ve ever had.

- The emphasis on interdisciplinary work. I think UChicago is admirably open-minded about what defines various disciplines. My husband did graduate work in the same discipline as I did at another school (also very well-regarded in the discipline) and said his program was much less flexible.

Things I didn’t like:

- Not enough of an emphasis on supporting students’ mental health. This isn’t something unique to UChicago. I was in a PhD program there (though I ended up leaving after doing the MA because I got my dream job offer). I definitely felt like it was almost a badge of pride to be constantly stressed out and miserable. But again — not really unique to UChicago, when it comes to PhD programs.

- THE WEATHER. Specifically the winters. I’ve lived in cold climates, but there’s something about the combination of the Gothic architecture and the biting cold of Chicago winters that can seriously do a number on your mental health.

My sister went to undergrad at UChicago and I agree with the person who has a kid who graduated from there. She’s done exceptionally well in her post-UChicago career (top 5 PhD program admission, and is now a post-doc at Stanford). I think the school was excellent for her, but she’s very introverted and bookish. It wouldn’t be right for other types of kids. [/quote]

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