The academics at the University of Chicago are tough but excellent. On one hand, there are the classes like calculus and chemistry which can seem impossible. Calculus is difficult because the university requires that all first-year students learn how to do proofs (i.e. proofs by induction, delta-epsilon proofs, etc.--not the easy things you do in geometry) and all first-year calculus courses are taught by graduate students who don't always speak English very well. Chemistry is difficult because of the subject material and the time commitment. For example, labs last about three and a half hours each week, and students go into exams worrying that the fourteen hours they spent studying weren't enough. Calculus, chemistry, economics, and some other classes are graded on a curve, which is good in the sense that getting a 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} on a midterm might earn you a B+, but it also means that the number of A's and B's awarded is limited.
On the other hand, there are classes that are as awesome as calculus can be awful. This year I took a social science sequence called Self, Culture, and Society. We read books like Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Emile Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, and Michel Foucault’s Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. The books and the class discussion about them were fascinating. Going to Self became one of the best parts of my week.
Students here study a ton. We still have fun, but getting away with not studying for an exam or not doing extra problems to understand the material just does not happen. Most weeks students go out to frat parties or other events on Friday nights, but then they stay in on Saturday nights to get work done.
The University of Chicago fosters an excellent learning environment, so students here are not very competitive. Although in some classes like chemistry and economics students are competing with their classmates for the higher grades, mostly the attitude is that "we're all in this together," where "this" is surviving exams, studying for crazy amounts of time, and making it through this school. Also, with so many student organizations (over 500) and other things to be involved in, everyone can excel in their own way, so neither the academic or extracurricular environments are highly competitive.
Professors are very accessible, and they are always available to help you and answer your questions. Many classes, such as calculus and chemistry, also include discussion sessions and problem sessions led by T.A.s that are designed to help students better understand the course material. Granted, these sessions are not always useful, but in the case that they aren't, there are college tutors and other resources for students.
The university puts forth equally as much effort and resources toward creating a thriving learning community as it does toward preparing its students for post-graducaiton. The Career Advising and Planning Services (CAPS) is absolutely outstanding. CAPS advisors are available to help students write excellent resumes and cover letters and work on interview skills. Also, the Chicago Careers In... (CCI) programs are truly incredible. They are an excellent way to explore careers, make connections, and get internships and jobs. The CCI programs consistently hold events designed to give students the opportunity to talk to people in different fields, hear experts speak, and network. For example, over spring break, I went to Washington, D.C., with Chicago Careers in Public and Social Service (CCIPSS). We met with alumni at the White House, State Department, Peace Corps, USAID, the Brookings Institute, and Senator Durbin’s office. We had lunch with a Senior Advisor to the President and dinner with a Foreign Affairs Officer with the State Department who spent six months in Iraq working directly for General Patreus. The university completely understands the importance of career exploration and networking in order to get internships and jobs. CAPS also runs Chicago Career Connection (CCC), an online resource for students. Through CCC, students can schedule appointments with CAPS advisors and research and apply for thousands of jobs (there are at least 60,000 posted on CCC). The only downside to CAPS is that it takes about two weeks to get an appointment.