University of Chicago Top Questions

as an undergrad, students can take seminars with huge names, and get one-on-one contact. the faculty is amazing, and their willingness, and even eagerness to interact with the student body is kickass.

Small classes, accessible professors, LOTS of homework. But you know what, it works. You start a language in 101, and walk out of the classroom on the first day being able to speak it with the right accent. Your professors CARE about what they teach, and they want you to go to office hours. You meet people that just utterly amaze you with their devotion and intelligence. And you work your ass off to get good grades. But so does everyone else. Plus, the CORE is an experience that shows you things that you want to do for the rest of your life, and things that you never want to go anywhere near again. Plus.... You end up reallllllyyyyy good at Scrabble! :)

UChicago=academics. There is no doubt that you are getting a liberal arts education here; the Core is the general education requirement, and it will be a large part of your first and second years. It includes a foreign language requirement, a humanities sequence, a social science sequence, a civilizations sequence, a music/art/drama requirement, physical and biological science sequences, a math sequence, and even physical education. The Hume and Sosc classes are known for being small discussion classes (less than 20 students usually) taught by renowned professors as well as legitimate grad students. Math, science, and history classes tend to be a bit bigger (anywhere from 30-200, depending on the class), but the professors are almost always approachable no matter what the class size. TAs are also helpful in the event you can't speak to a professor. The workload varies, but I'd say it's more than almost any other college around. Luckily, I find most of the readings, problem sets, and essays to be helpful and somewhat fulfilling rather than just busy work. To end with a cliche, UChicago's slogan "The Life of the Mind" really is an accurate depiction of the academics.

What can I say? Amazing. My whole outlook on Biology and the study of Biology changed a few weeks into my Chicago education. My outstanding teachers and amazing peers opened up a view of this subject that I had been searching for unsuccessfully all through high school. Although the class itself was extremely challenging for me, someone who had never encountered this way of thinking, I developed a true, intense intellectual interest in the subject. The entire approach to biology was brilliant and I will always remember this class (AP Fundamentals sequence) in a fond way. My other classes have been rewarding, albeit in different ways. I truly enjoy the very discussion-based atmosphere of all of the classes I've taken so far, even if the content wasn't as interesting to me. I feel as if it makes the classes that much more interesting for those who are interested in it and bearable for those who have interests that lie elsewhere. And I'm not going to stretch the truth -- there are days when some classes are an extreme bore, but on the whole I have been extremely impressed with the academic culture at Chicago.

The Core. That is probably the most distinguished aspect of the academic life in the UofC. Each student are expected to read Classics, like the works of Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek academia, study the Social Science inquiries, and equip ourselves with a language and knowledge on civilizations. What makes these Core Classes interesting is the fact that they are discussion-based classes, but that also means an average weekly read of at least 100pages. That may be a pain in the neck, especially when you have to juggle two essays, calculus problem sets, and lab reports at the same time. Hell yeah, we take pride in believing that "Hell does freeze over" here in the UofC.

Academics are hardcore, though not as killer as some make them out to be. To be honest, many here enjoy or are amused by the stereotypical rigor of our classes, and play up these stereotypes for the sake of humor or self-pity. Class discussion reveals the presence of both the super-brilliant and the relatively dense. Professors are, on the whole, great, but there are certainly a few duds. Most are very accessible, and usually know students' names, as the classes are smaller than one would expect at a school of this size. Learning here definitely focuses on the theoretical over the practical, sometimes to a comical degree, and other times to a seemingly tragic one as graduates shop around resumes which show them to be very well-educated but ill-prepared for employment. Most students, despite their complaints, like it this way. Many find jobs, but most go on to graduate or professional school. The standard liberal arts majors abound, but nothing resembling pre-professional. Interdisciplinary and self-directed majors are numerous and relatively popular. Many students appreciate the common core, but end up resenting it because of its narrow restriction of study the first few years. It assures a good distribution of classes, but the classes which constitute it are too narrowly defined.

The Core: I didn't really like the core. It was too little options and being forced to take classes that aren't that worthwhile. I'm all for branching out, it is just that instead of being able to take classes that interested me outside of my discipline, I had to take ones from specific sequences. That being said it is nice knowing you have read a broad base of historical literature. Theory: That is pretty much all that is taught here. Physics classes, writing classes, they all revolve around theory. Professors: I don't think the profs here are much greater than anywhere else. Some are good, some are terrible, so I would guess the same as any other school. Quarter System: No matter what they tell you, you really aren't getting that many more classes out of the quarter system than elsewhere. For electives it is better because you can take more individual classes. On the other hand a year of introductory physics here is the same as anywhere else, even if it is broken into three classes instead of two. And in that sense you actually take less classes, because you can only fit so many sequences in your schedule on top of the core. I found that there were many classes I wish I could have taken but didn't have the time, and I blame it on the quarter system and the time. The name UofC might not carry much weight with your friends, or people who confuse with UIC, but for internships I think people will recognize the name, especially for physics.

Professors are excellent, and most definitely know my name. They really make an effort to be available. Class participation is extremely common and high encouraged. UChicago students DO have intellectual conversations outside of class, as their reputation holds. And the best part about this is that it's not a bunch of pretentious snobs speaking to hear their own voice but really have no idea what they are talking about - these intellectual conversations are grounded on and based firmly in the academic experience acquired here at UChicago.

The academics are amazing, but waaaaaaaaay to intense, needlessly so. One thing that attracted me to this school was the extensive core classes -- I wanted to be as they say here a "Renaissance Man" (well-rounded and learned). Sadly, the core is possibly the worst part of U of C's academics. You will be taught these classes by new teachers (who have just gotten out of graduate school and want you to suffer just as much as they did), who are inexperienced and do not want to teach the subject. And, they rush you through material so fast that you cannot actually think about or internalize the knowledge you are supposed to be learning. I am a sociology major, because I took an amazing class "Inequality: Race, Gender, and Neighborhood" by Mario Small which changed my perspective on the world.

Good. Very!

I feel that professors know my name, but I think that is because I am a hard worker and I strive to show them that I am learning the material that they dispense to us. I truly believe that if you show your professors that you are passionate about your learning experience at this University then one way or another you will be recognized by them. The University of Chicago prides itself on learning and I definitely feel that the professors teach by that motto.

I chose UChicago because of it's academic reputation. I originally wanted to be a doctor. I've changed my concentration now, but after taking science classes here, I know that they are geared towards people who would like to pursue graduate studies in sciences not for pre-med students. I am now a political science major, music minor. For the most part, my professors know my name and make an effort to know as much as they can about me and my interests. I love the level that I am being challenged on. I never feel as though I know enough and my classmates challenge me just as much if not more than my professors. UChicago breaks down the ideas you had coming in here and rebuilds them. The school teaches you how to think. I am very proud to go here. I can see how my ideas are constantly evolving and my analytical skills are being strengthened.

Most of my classes are really small--20 students max. So the professors get to know you fairly well. The biggest class I've taken so far had 75 students, but it was a class on Tolkien, which was too amazing to not take. People study a lot, but most people find a good balance between work and fun. It's also nice that the students aren't competitive here, because the academics are so intense that you might go insane if everyone were constantly trying to one-up each other. But people are really chill about helping each other in class. It's not unusual to see a group of people studying together or correcting each others' essays. The Spanish and Italian departments are amazing. The teachers in all the languages are all really engaging and friendly. They all obviously love to teach and love to talk with students after class. We're not a pre-professional college...people want to learn for the sake of learning.

I'm not going to lie and say that UChicago is easy because it's not. If you come here, expect to work hard. You may get by with a couple "easy" classes, but you won't be so lucky for very long. This school challenges you--tremendously. In all my eighteen years, I had never seen a "C" on my report card before I came here. However, I wasn't devastated like I thought I would be because I felt like I couldn't have done better. I had given it my best and a "C" is what I got. My least favorite classes are my music classes. I have not gotten a very good vibe from the Music department here, and that really bothers me because I was thinking of majoring in Music. The instructors for the music classes seem a bit condescending and expect you to come into the class knowing more than most people know. I would find that normal if the prerequisite for MUSI 10300 was perhaps "a previous class in music theory," but no, the prereq for MUSI 10300 is "nothing." Luckily, I already knew how to read music!

The school tends to be really theoretical and big on studying everything academically. We don't have a lot of practical programs that other schools do (e.g., we don't have an undegrad business degree or an engineering department). I'm a math major who can't solve an ordinary differential equation or do a bunch of multivariable calculus operations that any math major should be able to solve. On the other hand, we have an excellent theoretical math program with amazing professors and bright students. Most of our departments are stellar--we have some of the brightest minds in a lot of fields teaching here, and they're by and large very accessible.

There's an extensive core curriculum which is not that rigorous or stimulating. The core will have a very great share of boring and big lectures in subjects you won't care about, as well as a few genuinely valuable intro survey courses about things you find engaging. But once you are past the core, the academics will take you pretty much as far as you want to take yourself, in pretty much any area of study (making it a good place to be if you are undecided about what you want to study). The advantage of being at one of the biggest research institutions in the world is that if you want to do research, (especially in the sciences) it's really really easy to get those opportunities. You can also take grad school classes if you exhaust the undergrad options.

3 out of 4 of the professors know my name: for the most part (i.e. 97{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}) the faculty are incredibly helpful and nice and they really want you to learn as much as possible and they are willing to do whatever it takes to help you in that process. My favorite class is called Introduction to Humanities which may sound quite boring, but the two professors are fantastic teachers: they're engaging, smart, clever, and incredibly good at teaching. They also have an outstanding love for their subjects and their students: it's great. My least favorite is my core social sciences class mostly because I feel that my professor fails to explain how anything we discuss in class is significant or even in any way relevant. Furthermore, she's obviously extremely jaded with the subject and does not enjoy teaching as much as my other professors. The study time you see in students varies tremendously. But, for the most part, students always put at least some effort in all their classes--although it is true that some put a lot more than others. However, it appears to me that everyone legitimately cares about their grades and classes. Class participation is pretty common; but in some classes where the professor does not demand it or bring it out of the students, then it lags.

The core may be quick to spark a nasty comment from those that do not intend to major in that field, but they will also admit that it was atleast an interesting experience. Coming into college I had no idea what I wanted to major in and because of the core got to try out a lot of different classes and landed on psychology, which combined the various things that I liked from the core.

UChicago students definitely have philosophical conversations outside of class, even at parties. The teachers are great, though sometimes the classes are dry. It's a little frustrating to have to go through the core requirements because you don't get to take classes you're completely interested in until 2nd or 3rd year, but there are enough choices to make the classes you do take worthwhile and interesting. Education here is definitely about learning for its own sake and learning to love learning.

Most of my professors know my name. It is easier to make a connection with a professor in a small classroom setting, more so than in a lecture. My two favorite classes were Racialization in the Private Sphere in the U.S. and Contemporary African-American Fiction. These were the first two classes that I was taking that wasn't a part of the core curriculum. One of these classes was towards my major and one was towards my minor. I enjoyed these classes because they were discussion-based, the readings were captivating, and the teachers were very passionate about the material. Students are constantly studying. There is very little idle time at this school, unless the student is making a conscious decision to not study. However, we all understand that we are at this school for a reason, and that graduating with our degree from U of C is the main priority. My motto is work hard, play hard. Students are very competitive as a result of the rigorous curriculum, where, for example, some may be jealous if you have a better connection with a teacher than they do. The only time I would spend with professors outside of class would be to go to their office hours to either review material from class or ask for help with an assignment. I have mixed feelings about U Chicago's academic requirements. Part of me doesn't mind the core because I like being exposed to different academic areas. However, it can still be a problem when those classes are very difficult and they aren't anything I'm interested in, for example biology. The education at U Chicago is geared toward learning for its own sake, as there are no pre-professional majors at the school. Therefore, students cannot major in fields such as business, finance, engineering, or journalism.

Many people come here thinking that the academics are well worth the lack of social life. However, remember that the school is not nearly as selective as others ranked similarly. There are plenty of smart people here, but there are plenty of really unintelligent people, many of whom will dominate discussions and point them in irrelevant directions. I have heard many people voice complaints the professors seem to allow this to go on. The University really likes to play up its core, but it is important to know that not all core courses are created equal. My Core Bio class was taught by an illiterate, barely intelligible graduate student whom many of the undergrads had to correct from time to time. Humanities classes are often taught by uninterested professors who lead trivial discussions with bored students. Remember that 15 of your 42 classes will be core, and some (but not all) of these are a true waste of time and money. All that said, I'm sure there are many of you aspiring economists, businessmen, investment bankers, and young financial analysts who want the best education possible, to be in the position to vault to the top of whatever field you choose. If this is your goal in life then you're not much different from me, and if you come to UC, you WILL get the best education in the branching fields of economics … probably better than anywhere else in the world. And I am not throwing out propaganda. I came here not really knowing what the expectations were for an econ degree, but I soon learned that there are reasons why UC is considered the best place for such study. The econ that is taught here is completely different from other schools because econ is not taught as a social science, but rather as more of an extension of the mathematical and statistical sciences. If you are interested in graduate study, you'll be taking courses such as Analysis in Rn (some choose to go on to Abstract Algebra to get a specialization in Math with their Econ degree), a formal approach to Game Theory, several econometrics courses, and many excruciatingly difficult statistics courses. And all the while, remember you'll need to finish your core requirements in social science, humanities, a second language, drama and the arts, biology, and the physical sciences. Then in your last year, you had better get started on writing a BA research paper, which requires the approval of the econ department in order for you to get the "Honors" tag on your Econ degree (which helps a lot in getting into grad school). Note that you don't have to do all this. There are many, many econ students here, and obviously most of them simply can't or don't want to handle all of this. Most of them study econ just so they can have the prestige of having a degree in Economics from UC. For those students, they get an econ education much like at other schools because they study econ as though it's supposed to be an tool used in public policy. But if you really want to have best undergraduate education in the study of economics and like the idea of being able to chat with 5 different nobel laureates in the field in one day, then UC will be a good school for you. But if you're looking for a good time. Go elsewhere, and I mean it.

UChicago is a place that knows and loves it's academic/intellectual traditions. in the public consciousness, this school is associated with Friedman economics and the Chicago School. Two thoughts on this: one, this school's more lasting and estimable intellectual tradition is that of respecting the classical origins of Western Thought, to err on the side of the Greeks. secondly, the econ department is by and large the most daring and innovative thinkers that i've seen, it used to be my major. As one professor put it "the people who are most inclined to question and challenge neo-classical theory are those who are REALLY INTO neo-classical theory..."

Classes are extremely small and the ties that everyone has the opportunity to make with their professors is great. Students often have intense conversations about the subject matter outside of class.

I know all my professors personally, and they know me (and yes, they're all professors, not grad students). My Greek Thought and Literature professor (a core-requirement) had the whole class over to his house for dinner each quarter. Every school likes to brag about that kind of stuff, but most of it is exaggerated. Here, it is quite common, since so many professors live near campus. You really get to know them on a personal basis. But it is a lot of work. I know everyone knows its a lot of work at UChicago, but its more than you can really imagine, more than is really healthy even. But at the same time its a good social thing, as I've met many more people through studying and such than I have at parties or something. The Core requirements, though numerous, are great because they give everyone a common base of knowledge for your upper level classes. I mean, basically everyone upon graduation will have read The Iliad, The Wealth of Nations, The Communist Manifesto, and The Republic at the very least.

Let's put it this way: the all-night level of the library is one of the most social places on campus. We study hard, but we play hard too; studying is often a joint experience since there is so much work that it has to be combined with hanging-out time as well. Class participation is common, and particularly after first year students get over themselves, very insightful and informed. Students are competitive, but more often they are perfectionists of their own work and less interested in beating other people. There's a high personal standard throughout the school. The Core Curriculum is a bore, but once through it, there are plenty of wacky classes to be had. In the past two days I've dissected monkeys, spoken Latin and listened to a professor tell stories about his childhood in the Great Depression. The attitude is totally learning for its own sake, and it seems that most if not all students feel strongly that this is the correct attitude.

Like I said, classes are hard. It's silly, they are hard for the sake of being hard. There is no reason to make the core this intense because I feel like I'm learning more about how to handle these ridiculously hard classes in fields I'll never use than than I'm learning about the actual material.

The U of C classes are of varying importance to the student body. Some students take their academic careers extremely seriously, regard their undergraduate experience as the basis for their futures as intellectuals and absolutely spend Friday night talking about Foucault. On the other hand, there are a large number of students who enjoy class while they're there but are by no means slaves to their education, whether they prefer to spend time with extra-curricular groups of partying. There's also a reasonable population of people with practical majors--like Econ or the hard sciences--who are here for professional training and are interested in building resumes and careers.

classes are good, except there are one too many kids in every class who love to hear their own voice.

Fantastic. Like I already wrote: Great class selection. Great professors. Small classes. One other thing you need to know about academics at U of C: the Core. The Core is a bunch of required classes that run the gamut from sciences to foreign language to humanities and art. You can test out of some of them upon entrance (or with AP credit for some, I think). I think it’s a great requirement but it is time consuming. Realistically your first two years at the school will be taken up with a majority of Core classes. The Core classes (with the exception of math) are all taught by real professors. Most majors require a require a final thesis paper (which is a great and worthwhile process). U of C is on the quarter system. Which means three ten week academic quarters. A very short reading period for studying for finals and then 2 weeks for finals. The up-shot is that we take more classes than students at schools with the semester system, and our holidays are scheduled a little differently.

You'll take great classes and bad classes - most of mine have been great, but the occasional stinker is inevitable. It's a nice surprise that some of the required gen-ed stuff (the "Core") is well-taught and thought-provoking, and disappointing when an exclusive class taught by a famous academic sucks. The education is *definitely* geared towards "learning for its own sake," no question about it. This ends up being fine for most people, because the majority of jobs (outside of specific industries like medicine) are going to care what your degree is in. The point of undergrad is really to get a well-rounded education and develop skills; you worry about applicable stuff when you go to grad or enter the job market.

No, favorite class was History of Philosophy I, least favorite 3rd quarter Hume, students study a lot, class participation varies, yes, yes, i dont know, i have no major, no, the science core sucks, learning for its own sake

Students study all the time. Period. Class participation is mandatory if you want a good grade. Period. As for the intllectual conversations outside of class, yes. In fact, sometimes my friends and I will look at each other in the middle of a conversation and just say WOW, this is a UChicago conversation! Walk across the quads and you hear everything from Super String Theory to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, to a psychoanalysis of Anna Karenina, to commentary on the new U.S. Mint. Yeah, we're quirky and weird, but it's in a good way. This university doesn't believe in teaching anything for nothing. Here we learn not what to think, but HOW to think. They encourage us to have opinions and ideas and pull thoughts out of us that we didn't know we had. They don't care if you want to go to Law School, Business School, Peace Corp, whatever. They want you to think and learn for thinking and learning's sakes. Period.

My favorite class was an English class on D.H.Lawrence. Taught by a graduate student, the teacher projected his enthusiasm unto the class and made us all appreciate the author through biographical anecdotes, personal opinions, dramatic readings and patient discussion. Of course, English classes tend to be laid back and open to interpretations, but this class was not intimidating while I still learned a lot. Other classes have tended toward the more competitive side, especially in the math and science fields. Grades are a fought for and if grading is on a curved scale then you don't have a chance unless you spend entire days and nights in the library. The pressure is so great that I am sometimes made to feel inferior, or at least lazy and not dedicated enough, if I find myself relaxing and watching a movie during midterm week. The fact that the university is so expensive also make s me feel guilty if I don't earn at least a B+ in a class that I could have worked harder for. Is it worth it? I think so, but I have worked hard to maintain a healthy balance between classwork, extracurriculars, a social life, keeping in touch with my family and friends from home, spending time with my boyfriend, babysitting and working for the university. When I read literature with subtle references to past novels or theories that I have actually read before, I can reflect and realize that I have learned a lot already. Not only have I learned in class, but I really do learn a lot from my classmates and friends here. They are always discussing current events and big issues; we all take such different course work that just speaking about our respective lessons contributes to my education. I have met so many people from other cultures that makes it interesting just to hear about their lives at home. So as long as I don't develop an ulcer or induce constant migraines from being in this environment for four years, I think it will be worth it.

What kind of class do you want to take? Because it's here. It's not guaranteed to be practical, or even useful, but when else can you take a class called "Staging Terror" and get credit for it? I watched monster movies for class, and then wrote an academic paper on them, the same quarter I took a class in Catalan that was taught by comparing it to the other romance languages. The Core is both the most loved and most hated thing on campus. Roughly speaking, it's a set of required classes that will take up about a third of your time here. It's great because it saves first-years (what we call freshman) from actually having to decide what classes they want to take. It sucks because second year everyone is over having their decisions made for them. That being said, Core is a common experience for all undergrads-something you can talk about with whoever you meet. Not necessarily the case for advanced class discussion between a Chem major and an English major. The classes are hard. They demand your attention an respect. They will teach you how to prioritize and condense your work, or you will never sleep. That being said, you still won't sleep as much as you like. But the 3am conversations when everyone's trying to finish a 7pg paper before 8 in the morning are worth it. And the papers normally turn out okay, too.

Colonizations is the worst class ive ever taken. About 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are what you might call "openly" competitive, meaning they will frequently stress about their grades and make subtle attempts to pry into other people's academic agenda. Professor office hours are generally a good experience.

Everyone studies all the time. Well, not all the time, but a good portion of it. I'm a big procrastinator, so it both helps to motivate me and makes me bored because there isn't anyone to just goof off with sometimes. The only complaint that I have is that students are highly competitive and the really hard workers are usually the only ones willing to help others out. The competitive ones tend to take help from other people and then ignore others when they ask for help. You really have to make friends in class that are reliable and helpful so that you don't miss anything, or you have to take classes with your friends. That's nice, except when you have to take a class where you don't know anyone and you are having trouble understanding the concepts fully.

Professors know students names in most classes. Humanities are terrible, and there are very few art classes offered, but I really enjoy the art history classes, especially African Art. UChicago students are always talking about school, no matter where they are. Students can be competitive, but they are not bad towards their fellow students. They would not usually try to hurt someone else to get ahead. The Biological Sciences department is very well rounded with great teachers. There are a lot of courses, with great research and work opportunities. The only complaint I have is the lack of jobs available for science graduates through the advising office, as there is for other majors. The requirements are hefty and overwhelming at times, but they seem to prepare students very well for the future. The education is whatever you make of it. It can be for the sake of learning, or if you want, it can prepare you immensely for a career right after school.

Generally great classes. Very competitive students. A lot of discussion based classes. Great stuff in general. Awesome especially if you love arguments. You can argue with your prof in class. However, things are leaning toward getting a job instead of learning for its own sake.

The professors I've had have all been great, but I also get a lot of postdocs teaching me which isn't the best. They're pretty hit or miss but even when they hit I feel like a professor would still be better. People study all the time here--most people don't party except for the weekends and people frequently spend all weekend working anyway.

the professors remember you several years afterwards. students are not that competitive

Although professors can be rather involved with their own research, once I got past intro-level courses, all my classes have been small enough that interactions with professors are personal. I love the breadth of the curriculum-studying the economics of Ancient Rome, Islamic Gardens, Ancient Greek, and cutting edge biology.

Yes I know my professors names. My favorite class is Arabic there's a lot of action in that class. My least favorite class was Chemistry I don't think the teacher knew I existed even though I used to ask questions everyday. Students study daily, if not every other day. I study everyday then give myself a break on Friday and Saturday, unless I have something big going on. I believe most students participate in class. We have intellectual conversations in our dorms at times along with a whole lot of not so intellectual conversations, no one wants to be serious all of the time (well some people do, just not me). I think this is a competitive environment, but it hasn't been too intimidating yet. Reading Cultures I really enjoy all of the interesting topics in that class. I usually go to my teacher's office hours especially for calc and chem. It is not really geared toward getting its students jobs, because if it were there would be grade inflation.

My favorite class so far would be my introduction to linguistics class -- no surprise, since I'm a ling major! My least favorite would probably be Spanish, which is unfortunately structured like a high school class...lots of busywork and group projects.