College Discussion - View Single Post

unalove · 03-20-2008, 10:35 AM

* What are the most common issues and problems that first-years at Chicago run into?

I've been around the block a bit in terms of working with first years, and here are the most common issues I see in the first few weeks of school.

1) People don't feel like they've found "their group." I have to remind people that the first year of college is, in many ways, like the first year of high school, and you're the new kid all over again. In the first few weeks, students tend to divide themselves according to social habits, because that's what's most convenient-- i.e., people who like to party a lot become friends with people who like to party a lot, people who rather sit in and watch a movie become friends with other people who like to sit in and watch a movie. These initial groups tend to break down a little bit after a month or so, as it takes about that long to realize that you get along well with the kids in your lab section, etc.

Some students also find that Chicago is a lot different socially from their high school. Chicago is going to be different from your high school, exactly in what ways, I can't say. You will find people, though, who like the same things as you like. On any given weekend night in my house, there are people drinking, people playing video games, people downtown, and people watching Enchanted at Doc.

2) People have to weather their first non-A grade, or a prof who seems pretensious/unfuzzy. I would again suggest that people not take their grades as a measure of their self-worth, understand that their prof, even with the non-A grade, probably liked the paper a lot (and explained so in the comments). It's up to students to follow up with the prof.... office hours, rewrites, tutors, etc. Core WILL teach you how to read and it WILL teach you how to write, but you have to be patient with yourself and not demand the utmost.

3) People have roommate/hallmate issues. RA's and RH's can be good at helping solve these issues. Living with other people is lots of fun-- every night at college is a sleepover. Sometimes it's not, like when your hallmate decides that it's appropriate to play electric guitar at 3am.

4) People realize that what they thought was their major isn't working out. A lot of students who initially start out the pre-med track lose heart and don't finish.... this happens at every school. I would say don't force yourself to take classes for a major just because... let yourself explore. You don't have to go to med school. There are only hundreds of thousands of other career opportunities.

* What are some popular on-campus jobs?

Check out studentemployment.uchicago.edu and read bulletin boards. I have friends who have scored cushy jobs in such places like the Center for Research Libraries (not affiliated with the U of C, but blocks from campus), the Court Theater, the Smart Museum, the Oriental Institute.

The Decision Research Lab at the Graduate School of Business alllllways needs undergraduate peons to help carry out (and do) studies.

Neighborhood Schools Program (nsp.uchicago.edu) will pay you to work in a school.

* What sort of pre-professional programs does Chicago offer?

We have a new program called Chicago Careers in Business, that's a joint venture with the undergrad and the GSB. I don't really get what it's all about, but if business is your thing, this program is designed to help you launch yourself. There's a similar program with the med school. If you are interested in either program, PM me and I'll give you a contact.

* What's career advising like?

caps.uchicago.edu

CAPS offers a lot of neat services, you just have to be proactive about using them. You can get resume-writing help (and how!), go to career fairs, get mock interviews in, use their career database. Poster CesareBorgia has pointed out that CAPS's pull in the ubercompetitive business sector isn't where it could be, but I think that might have more to do with the undergrads themselves rather than career services. My impression is that business requires a combination of academic and natural suaveness, and, according to a Chicago alum who works at Goldman Sachs, Chicago candidates tend to be extremely academically qualified, but not as polished. (This seems to make sense: my i-banker friends have a certain charm to them). As the composition of Chicago undergrads changes over the years, I imagine that more students who want to pursue high-end business careers will be able to. In any way, the Chicago degree is certainly recognized among top firms.

For those of us who aren't interested in high-end business, CAPS is great at suggesting other potential careers.

* What do Chicago kids do immediately after graduation?

A lot go on to grad school, grad school of all sorts. (PhD, MPP, JD, MD, you name it). My friends have all really done well in grad school admissions. Some are taking a year off before grad school to travel. One of my friends is doing Teach For America, another is doing Peace Corps, another is going into consulting, another into publishing.

03-20-2008, 10:35 AM	#39
unalove Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: U of C Posts: 2,938	* What are the most common issues and problems that first-years at Chicago run into? I've been around the block a bit in terms of working with first years, and here are the most common issues I see in the first few weeks of school. 1) People don't feel like they've found "their group." I have to remind people that the first year of college is, in many ways, like the first year of high school, and you're the new kid all over again. In the first few weeks, students tend to divide themselves according to social habits, because that's what's most convenient-- i.e., people who like to party a lot become friends with people who like to party a lot, people who rather sit in and watch a movie become friends with other people who like to sit in and watch a movie. These initial groups tend to break down a little bit after a month or so, as it takes about that long to realize that you get along well with the kids in your lab section, etc. Some students also find that Chicago is a lot different socially from their high school. Chicago is going to be different from your high school, exactly in what ways, I can't say. You will find people, though, who like the same things as you like. On any given weekend night in my house, there are people drinking, people playing video games, people downtown, and people watching Enchanted at Doc. 2) People have to weather their first non-A grade, or a prof who seems pretensious/unfuzzy. I would again suggest that people not take their grades as a measure of their self-worth, understand that their prof, even with the non-A grade, probably liked the paper a lot (and explained so in the comments). It's up to students to follow up with the prof.... office hours, rewrites, tutors, etc. Core WILL teach you how to read and it WILL teach you how to write, but you have to be patient with yourself and not demand the utmost. 3) People have roommate/hallmate issues. RA's and RH's can be good at helping solve these issues. Living with other people is lots of fun-- every night at college is a sleepover. Sometimes it's not, like when your hallmate decides that it's appropriate to play electric guitar at 3am. 4) People realize that what they thought was their major isn't working out. A lot of students who initially start out the pre-med track lose heart and don't finish.... this happens at every school. I would say don't force yourself to take classes for a major just because... let yourself explore. You don't have to go to med school. There are only hundreds of thousands of other career opportunities. * What are some popular on-campus jobs? Check out studentemployment.uchicago.edu and read bulletin boards. I have friends who have scored cushy jobs in such places like the Center for Research Libraries (not affiliated with the U of C, but blocks from campus), the Court Theater, the Smart Museum, the Oriental Institute. The Decision Research Lab at the Graduate School of Business alllllways needs undergraduate peons to help carry out (and do) studies. Neighborhood Schools Program (nsp.uchicago.edu) will pay you to work in a school. * What sort of pre-professional programs does Chicago offer? We have a new program called Chicago Careers in Business, that's a joint venture with the undergrad and the GSB. I don't really get what it's all about, but if business is your thing, this program is designed to help you launch yourself. There's a similar program with the med school. If you are interested in either program, PM me and I'll give you a contact. * What's career advising like? caps.uchicago.edu CAPS offers a lot of neat services, you just have to be proactive about using them. You can get resume-writing help (and how!), go to career fairs, get mock interviews in, use their career database. Poster CesareBorgia has pointed out that CAPS's pull in the ubercompetitive business sector isn't where it could be, but I think that might have more to do with the undergrads themselves rather than career services. My impression is that business requires a combination of academic and natural suaveness, and, according to a Chicago alum who works at Goldman Sachs, Chicago candidates tend to be extremely academically qualified, but not as polished. (This seems to make sense: my i-banker friends have a certain charm to them). As the composition of Chicago undergrads changes over the years, I imagine that more students who want to pursue high-end business careers will be able to. In any way, the Chicago degree is certainly recognized among top firms. For those of us who aren't interested in high-end business, CAPS is great at suggesting other potential careers. * What do Chicago kids do immediately after graduation? A lot go on to grad school, grad school of all sorts. (PhD, MPP, JD, MD, you name it). My friends have all really done well in grad school admissions. Some are taking a year off before grad school to travel. One of my friends is doing Teach For America, another is doing Peace Corps, another is going into consulting, another into publishing.