University of Chicago | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Cela

Class: Sophomore
Major: History
Gender: F

High School: Harvard-Westlake School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

I think U Chicago is just the right size. It's not too small where you know everyone, but it's not too large that you might get lost. Well, people in California don't really know of the school. So when I was first telling people that I was going to attend the school, most of them just warned me about the weather and said bring a heavy coat. Out here, however, people often mistake U of C for UIC and it can be very annoying. Not there this anything wrong with UIC but it's just not the school that I go to. People who understand that I mean University of Chicago usually assume that I must be smart and probably think I might be stuck up. On campus, I tend to be in the library a lot unless I'm running to class or different meetings. I also spend time in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs building and also the University Community Service Center. Since we are div. III, there's not an overwhelming amount of school spirit on campus. However, there are people that faithfully attend athletic events and I would say they exhibit the most school pride. U Chicago tends to pride itself on being uncommon or unusual. One thing that is unusual is the quarter system and the rigorous, infamous core curriculum. One time that I'll always remember is O Week or the freshman orientation week, because that is the only time when you'll just be on campus with absolutely nothing to do! And even then we had required meetings we had to go to!

Academic Life

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.

Student Body

A lot of the extra-curricular activities that I'm involved with on campus are cultural-based. For example I am a member of the Organization of Black Students and I am a part of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs Student Advisory Board. My experiences have been very positive with these two groups and I find that as a student of color it is important to have a support system at a mostly white institution. Most students don't care what they wear to class, as some where pajamas.