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E-PrinceTwo weeks ago, I visited a friend at the University of Chicago. A renowned research institution, Chicago's undergraduate program is better known as the school "where fun goes to die." With a quarter system, Chicago students endure three sets ...
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Hey! We also have blistering cold winters (snots freeze) and murdered/robbed/raped students! I hear you guys have awesome dining halls; we have rotational dog food! There is zero school spirit!
...somehow you learn to like it though. really, but I'd rather have what you guys have at princeton...kind of.
I love this article.
i loved every part of my chicago experience -- including (read: especially) the parts that i complain about.
the crime is no worse than any other urban college neighborhood, nor is the suicide rate any worse than national averages.
but we have a special brand of masochism -- we're rigorous and dedicated and do it for our own benefit. who wants it easy?? to quote a uofc shirt that made great sales: "the university of chicago: if it were easy, it'd be your mom."
we have inordinate amounts of school spirit -- it's just not for sports. it gets labeled "snobbery," "elitism," or (gasp) "intellectual superiority."
like our dear old president used to say, "the university of chicago is not a great school. it's just the best there is."
Wow, you hit the nail on the head regarding my masochistic classmates here in Chicago. It's true, Chicago students take a perverse pleasure in inflicting horrible academic injury upon ourselves.
And you're right, all of that intellectual masochism is largely compensation for other things we don't do so well. I would kill for a school newspaper half as good as the Princetonian.
But, let the students and Princeton complain, because god knows, we complain incessantly in Chicago. I can hardly name a student here who hasn't at one time or another looked longingly to the Ivy League universities or superb liberal arts colleges that most of us were, or could have been, admitted to and cried "WHY?" bitterly into the icy wind.
You make superb points; school isn't a job, we have no right to demand leniency, but still, everyone needs something to bitch about. And if we couldn't complain about the U of C here... well, we'd have to complain about how easy those suckers at Princeton have it.
I feel the need to correct some misconceptions about the U of C.
I resent the implication that the U of C has a particularly high suicide rate. I'm pretty sure this has never been the case, though I do know MIT at least used to be known for theirs.
And while we do enjoy reveling in intellectual masochism, there is also much fun to be had at the U of C for those who choose it... in many instances spawning from the channeling of that same intellectual intensity into feats of intense creativity.
But yes: we've got it worse than you Princeton, so suck it up.
:)
I actually had the interesting experience of having a professor last quarter who used to teach at Princeton. From her perspective, she certainly felt that UChicago was more immediately rigorous, but overall, I don't think she felt that one school was necessarily better than the other. Her one comment though was that she preferred her Chicago students because they were used to working more quickly due to the quarter system, which meant she had the opportunity to cover material more quickly.
And yes, we did have a week of sub-zero high temperatures at the end of January. Also, the "Suicide Prevention Day" mentioned in the article is officially College Break Day, which means that grad students don't even get it.
to comment on the last post, suicide prevention day is only for students of the College however most of the suicides that occur at Chicago are the in the graduate schools. problem!
As a first year student and recently-hired tour guide at the University of Chicago, I've had many people ask, "Does fun really die?" Students at the University of Chicago understand our many slogans ("If I'd wanted an A, I would've gone to Harvard," "Where the only thing that goes down on you is your GPA," "The circle that Dante forgot," "Hell really does freeze over," etc.) as self-deprecating humor. To people outside the University, however, our slogans sometimes convey the wrong message. Yes, the classes are hard, but many students choose the University of Chicago over other schools because they want an academic experience that caters to their intellectual curiosity and challenges them. Although the classes are tough, people find LOTS of ways to get involved--we have over 400 RSOs (Recognized Student Organizations...many of them have equally overcomplicated acronyms, tee hee), and if for whatever reason nothing on campus pops your kernels, we're in CHICAGO, you can hop on a train/bus and go explore.
As for the "uchicago senior's" sentiment, "We also have blistering cold winters (snots freeze) and murdered/robbed/raped students!" safety on campus is another concern raised on tours. Even coming from rural Southern Virginia where I don't have to lock my car (or house) doors at night, I feel very safe on campus and in Hyde Park. Obviously, I have to take more safety precautions than back home, but that's to be expected on ANY urban campus, not just the University of Chicago. Even having endured the snot-freezing Chicago winter, I would not trade my experience here for the world.
Sometimes, midterms start as early as 3rd week (or even 2nd week for some) all the way up to 10th week. 11th week is finals week.
During reading period, we didn't even have the free time to study on our own. Reading period = review session
Even though review sessions are optional, everyone still attends the classes. So in reality, we have zero free days to study.
So Princeton kids, be happy where you are.
Our reading period also will periodically consist of finals for classes with professors who are anxious to begin their quarter-long vacations.
At least we have the city. Chicago, the city, is a fantastic experience.
Too bad I'm stuck in Hyde Park because I have too much work from about second week through finals.