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zippy
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| Joined: | Fri Mar 2nd, 2007 |
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Posted: Thu Apr 26th, 2007 04:17 pm |
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Yesterday was a day off of school so I took D and our exchange student to see the U of C. Our exchange student is from Norway and wanted to see an American university and D got interested in the school after going to a Model UN (MUNUC) conference run by the U of C Model UN students. She thought they were the very witty with great senses of humor. I have been to Hyde Park (Chicago neighborhood where school is located) a few times but I have never been in any of the University buildings before. We had a student tour guide and then an info session with the guy who reads the applications from the midwest, other than Illinois.
Tour guide was enthusiastic and bubbly, D liked her (FWIW). After info session both D and exchange student bought the sweatshirt! The U of C has a core curriculum which doesn't seem too unlike what I had to take in college as a liberal arts major, I was trying to find out what kind of math a non-math or science person was required to take but we didn't have time to get the full story. D who doesn't particularly like math (and is now leaning toward an International Studies major) assured me she could get through college calculus!
I loved the buildings on the campus because Gothic is my favorite type of architecture While the tour guide was rattling on I was busy looking at the buildings. It was like going to England but without the musty smell. The tour guide spent quite a bit of time talking about campus safety but since we are from the area we know that Hyde Park is safe, but that it is in a big city and big-city common sense must be used. After tour D said more than once, "I don't know why they say this is where fun comes to die" A dorm room was not included on the tour but there are dorms right in the center of campus. There are some far flung dorms on the lakefront but it may be that the are phasing them out? The private houses and apartments in the neighborhhood are also beautiful, many greystones with curved windows and such. There is a commercial strip on 57th St. , we had lunch at the Medici which is a campus institution.
Regarding the "uncommon" application, adcom member said that it will be in force next year, but that the new president was leaning toward the common application for class of 2013. When president announced there was going to be a change, students protested outside of the administration building because they love their uncommon reputation. Adcom thought the essays required by uncomon app were much more interesting and fun to read than the generic responses to the generic common app questions.
All-in-all, D likes the place, wasn't put off by the core or the quirky reputation, thought all the students walking around looked smart and interesting! Exchange student wishes they had colleges like that in Norway (their uni's don't have dorms and other typical college stuff like sports teams and ec's). If she could get in we will need some FA from them to make it work, but as of now, at the end of 10th grade she wants to apply.
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CarolynLawrence
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| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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Posted: Thu Apr 26th, 2007 06:09 pm |
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| Zippy, Thanks for taking the time to write this great review! I think U of Chicago is one of those places that kids really need to visit to appreciate. So, thanks for your thoughts on the visit!
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scoop
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Posted: Thu Apr 26th, 2007 07:08 pm |
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| I used to leave quite near Chicago but college was way in the future back then. Can you fill me in on why the university has a "quirky reputation"? I know nothing about it and am intrigued.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Thu Apr 26th, 2007 07:21 pm |
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The U of Chicago has a reputation as being a very intellectual place. The joke is "it's the place fun goes to die." They also have used very unusual application essay questions in the past, which has helped build its image as a unique place. Mackinaw's son is a graduate, so perhaps Mackinaw can chime in and tell us whether the rep for quirkiness is warranted. 
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mackinaw
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| Joined: | Mon Mar 6th, 2006 |
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Posted: Thu Apr 26th, 2007 09:08 pm |
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Indeed, my son graduated from UChicago (major in economics). I think UChicago students aren't regarded as quirky in the same way that, say, Reed students are. But they are regarded as intellectual and nerdy, consistent with the rather demanding academic expectations of the faculty and the lack of the kind of social environment that is found at similar caliber institutions that have significant intercollegiate athletic teams or a reputation for partying (or both). Chicago is among the top ten colleges and universities in the percentage of graduates who go on to earn PhD's: http://web.reed.edu/ir/phdrank.html
That said, a substantial number of Chicago students are not "simply" intellectual but very pre-professionally oriented, with an interest in careers medicine or biosciences, business (though no business major, just econ), law, or some other profession.
And Chicago does have intercollegiate athletic teams, though at the D-3 level, for example, in basketball, softball, track, wrestling (not sure about this one) and other areas. And it does have sororities and fraternities that have wild parties. But neither of these types of activity sets the tone for the student body as a whole.
My son certainly found plenty to do off campus and he made the time to do it, in part because of his keen interest in major league sports (and Chicago is a major league sports city) and in part because he didn't want to let his coursework dominate his life as much as it did that of many of his classmates. So he made a point of getting well off campus at least once a week. And he also spent his junior year totally off campus -- at the London School of Economics.
Last edited on Sat Aug 18th, 2007 04:31 am by mackinaw
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Consolation
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| Joined: | Mon Apr 9th, 2007 |
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Posted: Mon Jul 16th, 2007 09:17 pm |
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We visted the U of C just before the Fourth of July. The wonderful atmospheric Gothic campus and tree-shaded quads--with which I was already familiar, because I went to grad school there--looked gorgeous on a lovely sunny day, Hyde Park was nice, as always, and had more restaurants than it used to, and the tour guide was intelligent, quirky, and fun. My son loved it. Not unexpectedly, because it's a perfect fit for him.
I won't describe everything, since it's been done before, but I will note that I gained the impression that undergraduate life is perhaps more multi-faceted and vital than it was in days of yore, and that the university is putting more into it. (This may be simply because I were seeing things from the undergraduate instead of the graduate school point of view for the first time, but I have heard it elsewhere.) There seemed to be far more in the way of sports, for example, including intramural/club offerings as well as varsity.
We did spend some time in the Seminary Coop Bookstore, which I think is new since my time, which our guide raved about to the tour. We absolutely loved it. My son picked out two books, one on practical application of philosophy and the other on the Pythagorean theorem. (Yes, an entire book on the subject,  in which I found him engrossed after a half hour or so of browsing on my part. I told you he was a perfect fit for the U of C  ) While we were in the bookstore, I eavesdropped on a conversation between a professor and someone whom I gathered was a recent PhD student who had just gotten an academic post elsewhere. They were engaged in an enthusiastic discussion of cuneiform. Ya gotta love it. Another difference between the U of C and many other places we visited: when our guide, who was a literature/theater type, discussed the math/science portion of the core, he appeared to be actually interested in it, and didn't assure us that there was some fluffy course that would satisfy the requirement. he took us into a classroom, and described the typical class as discussion-oriented with--I think--fewer than 30 students. ANother noteworthy thing he mentioned was that on-campus jobs were plentiful for students receiving aid, and that many were in fields of interest, such as lab work. (He added that it might be a fairly menial lab job, but that you were there and able to observe, and it certainly beat flipping burgers.)
I picked up a few nuggets of information at the info session. Firstly, they require that you submit one recommendation from an English/Social Studies teacher, and one from a Math/Science teacher. She made it very clear that a French teacher, for example, will not do for the English/Social Studies recommendation, although they may be submitted as a supplemental. Secondly, she very strongly recommended that students NOT attach a resume instead of filling out the forms that request lists of honors or activities or whatever. She said that the forms are taken apart and copied/scanned, and that all too often they end up with a form that says "See attached" but no attachment. Lastly, she said that if you are submitting AP scores as part of your application you should have an official report sent from the College Board, not self-report. (I asked.) She also mentioned that being waitlisted at the U of C was not just a nice way of saying "No." She said it meant that they would really like to admit you, but just don't have room to do so. (If memory serves, she also mentioned that they had ended up over-enrolling the prior year, so that would tend to indicate that your chances of getting in off the wait list are not necessarily great, despite this.)
The U of C went into my son's top 3, and I was ready to re-enroll.
Last edited on Tue Jul 17th, 2007 03:35 am by Consolation
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mackinaw
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| Joined: | Mon Mar 6th, 2006 |
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Posted: Tue Jul 17th, 2007 12:13 am |
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Sounds like if your son were to attend Chicago you would at least get a "Consolation prize."
Regarding the Seminary Coop, if you join once you're a member for life and indeed your entire family gets the discount. A few years ago when my wife decided to take up studying Latin again and also classical Greek, she ordered all her books from the Coop. They are also helpful over the phone, as well as available online: http://semcoop.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp
Last edited on Tue Jul 17th, 2007 12:15 am by mackinaw
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Consolation
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| Joined: | Mon Apr 9th, 2007 |
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Posted: Tue Jul 17th, 2007 01:03 am |
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mackinaw wrote: Sounds like if your son were to attend Chicago you would at least get a "Consolation prize."
Regarding the Seminary Coop, if you join once you're a member for life and indeed your entire family gets the discount. A few years ago when my wife decided to take up studying Latin again and also classical Greek, she ordered all her books from the Coop. They are also helpful over the phone, as well as available online: http://semcoop.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp
Groan! I should have seen that one coming!
One of my relatives by marriage who is leaving the area told my son that if he attended Chicago he would give him his two shares in the Coop. Possibly a powerful inducement.
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Descartes
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Posted: Sun Jul 13th, 2008 10:33 pm |
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My S and I visited The University of Chicago (UoC) under blue skies and puffy white clouds on a perfect early July day of warm sunshine and cool lake breezes. UoC is located on the south side of its namesake city, a few blocks from the famous Museum of Science and Industry and, hence, a few blocks from the Lake Michigan lakeshore. Although in summer recess, campus was active and at least a few of its 4800 undergraduates and 6200 graduate students were present.
History: Founded in 1892 by Standard Oil baron John D. Rockefeller, UoC was conceived of as a school which combined both liberal arts education and advanced research, the emphasis on the latter being unusual for an institution of its time. The school was both co-educational and accepting of minorities from very early in its history.
Location: I am not a regular visitor to the city of Chicago, the effective capital city of the Midwest, but have had occasion to make the trip seemingly every few years since childhood. Consequently the city is not completely foreign to me. Chicago is a robust city with interesting neighborhoods, excellent restaurants, vibrant downtown, wonderful museums, and a fabulous parkway preserved along the Lake Michigan shoreline. There are also some very distressed parts of town. I have always had the impression that race relations were at least superficially cordial but the de facto segregation between the north and south sides put an unfortunate strain on the city’s ambiance, which overall I would characterize as Midwestern friendliness transformed by urban pressures of density and commerce into a kind of coarse politeness.
Infamous for its climate, Chicago’s weather is actually moderated somewhat due to its proximity to the big lake. The inland parts of the upper Midwest are statistically more extreme. I have never had cause to use public transportation there but I am told it is reliable and accessible.
Campus: Campus is in the Hyde Park neighborhood of the city, several miles south of downtown. It was easy to find – south along Lakeshore Drive until the encountering the Museum of Science and Industry, then right up the Midway Plaisance with the museum in your rear view. This takes you right into campus after only a few blocks. The immediate neighborhood (for several blocks around the school) is quite comfortable, although we walked into it only far enough to find lunch (plenty of local restaurants around). Coming from and exiting by Lakeshore Drive as we did does not permit one a more expanded sense of the area.
The campus itself is split by the vast green space of the Midway Plaisance (which accommodated sports fields) into a narrow southern section and a larger northern section. The northern part, where most of the academic buildings were, is composed primarily of large buildings squared out to the edges of city blocks. The buildings are unmistakeably academic: three- to five-stories high of grey stone and gothic detail, including gargoyles, that made it interesting to walk among them. However, there is a nice balance of green space, both in the main quadrangle and in various enclaves and gardens interspersed between the buildings themselves which successfully muted intimidation and enhanced intimacy. Occasional soaring spires punctuated the campus skyline. I would describe the overall feel as “relaxed urban”, distinct from the “great estate” kinds of campuses I have seen elsewhere and quite inviting in its own way.
All the buildings we visited very well maintained and most were gracefully aged, save for the Ratner Athletic Center, which was sparkling new and the most striking I have seen since MIT’s. Not now known for its sports tradition, UoC nevertheless has had a place in collegiate sports history which Ratner preserves and presents to its visitors. The inspiring Rockefeller Chapel is worth a visit on its own merit; it was impressive even though much of its stained glass was blocked from view by restoration construction.
Students: Stopping at the nearly empty student-run coffee shop in the basement of Cobb Hall when first on campus, we were immediately exposed to some of the pervading atmosphere. Irony seemed to be the principle means by which students deal with their lives, but it tended to be a self-deprecating irony rather than a sarcastic one. On the door a hand-drawn poster depicted the chemical structure of caffeine, followed by a detailed report of its physiological effects and then a highly speculative analysis of its sociological implications. Inside a wretchedly bad horror movie played on the television behind the counter. Some of the political posters bore comments that required a few moments thought before their wry point of view was understood. It was all clever and entertaining but none of it meant to be instantly accessible.
We took a student-led tour and attended an information session. The group of thirty-or-so participants waiting that morning was broken into three manageable chunks, each led by a different guide. Surprisingly (to me, at least) none of the guides were theater majors and instead they represented the disciplines of sociology, public policy, and English literature. We toured for an hour, seeing some classroom buildings (no dorms) and stopping for about 15 minutes so the guide could explain some of UoC’s complicated graduation requirements. At another point of the tour she also took time to comment on the slogan “Where fun comes to die,” explaining that it was invented by UoC students who meant it as a joke, thereby ironically demonstrating that humor does indeed exist at the supposedly too-serious school. The t-shirts bearing it still sell very well.
Afterward in the information session two more students joined the three tour guides to form a panel. They all took some care to explain that, while they worked hard, their study commitment did not amount to a depressing grind preventing them from participating in other activities and from taking advantage of Chicago’s attractions. They also had a few words to say about how much support they thought they received from UoC’s faculty. TA’s are used for grading and support (which is appreciated) but not to teach classes. The panel, multi-racial as well as multi-regional, came across as unaffected and genuine to me, serious but friendly students who could be excellent partners with whom to spend a quarter in the classroom.
Academics: Walk not too far on campus and there can be little doubt: UoC reveres the life of the mind. In the physics building there is a plaque commemorating Milikan’s measurement of the charge of the electron. A Moore sculpture stands on the site of the first sustained nuclear reaction. The discipline of sociology was invented here, and they have had 25 Economics Nobel laureates on their faculty (six currently). One might expect rigor, carefulness, and formality to trump all here, including human relationships, but I did not get that sense. Rather, through the stories I have heard about the collegiality of academic rivals and the inclusiveness extended to undergraduates, I perceived a spirit of respectful cordiality permeates, as if all questions are still open and all approaches welcome.
There is NO engineering school nor department. It seems to be a point of pride.
The remainder of the information session was less satisfactory than the student panel. An admissions officer spent some time going through the mechanics of application whereas I would have preferred she spend some time telling us what, in her opinion, made UoC exceptional. She did mention the need for two letters of recommendation but without the stipulation about what kind of teachers they must be from. That stipulation is still on their Website but not on their Common Application criteria. That kind of restriction would not align them with the flexibility most other Common App schools extend to their applicants in this regard, so I wonder if they have not dropped it in deference to the adoption of the Common App this year and have not as yet updated their Website.
Overall: There was certainly a sense of boundlessness: no undergraduate need fear the possibility of exhausting either the breadth or depth of the curricula they have to offer. Nor would one be able to grow bored exploring what the city of Chicago has to offer during their student career. S, already interested in the school when we arrived, was even more so when we departed.
If I had to make tentative distinctions between the atmosphere of these three famously intellectual colleges I have now visited, Reed, Swarthmore, and UoC, it would be these. UoC students are less self-consciously individualistic than are those at Reed. They are just as committed to their studies but, out of some combination of self-confidence and reticence, are not as inclined to be unconventional, outrageous, nor socially critical. This might actually make for a broader spectrum of personalities and ideas to encounter, more so than even the school’s much larger size could account for, because conventional, even conservative approaches are more in evidence. I am even less sure of comparisons with Swarthmore as I observed very few Swarthmore students, but I did not feel that the political activism for which Swarthmore students are sometimes noted was as much present at UoC. And, for me, there was a Midwestern familiarity to UoC that was absent at Swarthmore.
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Deja
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Posted: Mon Jul 14th, 2008 08:47 pm |
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Thank you so much for your review of UChicago. In my opinion, UChicago is the place where my senior son would thrive the most -- "the life of the mind" and all of that. I've felt that for some months now.
He probably won't visit it, though, until and unless he gets accepted and the finaid would make it possible for him to go there.
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Consolation
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Posted: Mon Jul 14th, 2008 10:20 pm |
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I still can't quite believe that my S chose not to go there. Not that I'm unhappy with his choice. But the U of C is such a great place, and seemingly so perfect for him.
Oh well, there's always grad school.
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outwest
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Posted: Sun Jul 20th, 2008 04:17 am |
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My D looked seriously at U of C, requesting all the pamphlets and emailing with questions. In the end she felt the weather may be too much for her, the intensity not quite right and she was not convinced she could get in. I loved Descartes comparison between Reed, Swarthmore and U of C. I think of them in the same thought, but there are obvious differences. My D chose not to apply to either Reed or Swarthmore for similar reasons to U of C, but is already talking about taking a class at Swarthmore as part of the consortium between Univ of Penn, Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr and Haverford. That consortium is in Swarthmores favor and expands their offerings exponentially for little more effort than a short bus ride that makes a loop between the three LACs and a subsidized train ride to U of Penn. Reed is truly small and intimate in comparison.
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mmaah
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Posted: Sun Jul 20th, 2008 05:45 pm |
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I heartily endorse Descartes review of UC (in Chicago, UC is Chicago, not California...). For a kid who wants qualities of a LAC and city life combined, Chicago has so much to offer and it is such a vibrant academic community while still being funny and low key. Public transport in Chicago is good and it is an amazing city.
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