Answering questions for incoming 1st years...

hmlee · 08-29-2007, 04:03 PM

So it came to my attention that O-week is rapidly approaching for any of you new 1st years out there. Scary, huh? I was scared too when I went into o-week (3 years ago)...

With all that in mind I decided to start a thread for any questions from incoming first years or parents of incoming first years. I suppose I could answer admission-style questions too, but I think those would probably be best directed at the kindly admissions people with threads of their own...

Ask away!

(Background info on me: I'm now entering my 4th year at the U of C. I'll be graduating in spring '08 with a B.A. in Political Science, hopefully with honors in the major. I plan to take a year off before going to graduate school - either a dual degree program with a J.D. / Ph.D. in Poli Sci or just one of the two. In my years at the U of C I've done quite a bit... varsity swimming, doc films, studying abroad in Paris are a few examples...)

metonymy · 08-29-2007, 04:07 PM

ok, I'll start :]

Does the University sell Microsoft Office with a less-than-exorbitant price tag? I know some campuses offer students Office for around $30 and some sell it for about five times that much... so what's the case for Chicago?

glasses · 08-29-2007, 04:10 PM

I know they do --- my son just told me that he bought it 5 minutes ago!

He also ordered "mathmatica"-- what ever that is. He said it was cheap though the U of C.

hmlee · 08-29-2007, 04:11 PM

Yes. Both are available from the Campus Computing store once you get here for o-week. When I bought my copies three years ago they were $25 each (I got one set of office disks and one set of windows XP disks). You have to sign a waiver when you buy them stating you won't do illegal things, but that's about it. As well, I think there is a limit as to how many copies a single student can purchase - it's either one or two.

jack4640 · 08-29-2007, 05:29 PM

Would it be worth checking out Doc if I have an interest in, but not an obsession with, classic cinema? What does being in Doc entail, anyway?

Not an incoming first-year, but you know.

hmlee · 08-29-2007, 06:06 PM

Yeah, I'd definitely suggest checking us out this fall - either go to some of our shows, or come to one of the new-volunteer meetings. There are definitely some people in our organization who are a little film crazy (I'm not one of them...), but doc is filled with all types. Getting involved with doc usually entails one of two things: being a volunteer, or joining the programming board (it is possible to do both, though, if you like).

The volunteers are the people who run our shows and there are several different types of positions open that have different time commitments (I'm an A.P - assistant/apprentice projectionist...). Other jobs include ticket selling, fire guarding, show captaining, and even putting up posters around campus for us. The programming board is a little different - they're the people who put together the series for doc and make decisions about what movies to show.

All in all, the best way to get involved is to go to the fall volunteer thing. There'll be a whole heap of info there for prospective doc volunteers, and if you're interested in the programming board you can get info there too.

unalove · 08-29-2007, 06:08 PM

http://docfilms.uchicago.edu/volunteers.shtml

And for incoming or prospective students, doc films is one of the greatest things ever. Movies every single night-- each one of them is fantastic.

hmlee · 08-30-2007, 03:38 PM

Thanks for posting that link unalove. On doc's website you can also find an updated calendar with show times and info about all of the movies we're screening. Big name recent movies are usually shown on a friday-saturday schedule, and our more eclectic series are shown during the week...

Any other questions? I'm kind of surprised that noone else has asked anything yet!

DannonWater · 08-30-2007, 05:35 PM

I'm aiming to be a bio major and I have a few questions if you don't mind:

How far do I need to go in language, Intros or Intermediate(spanish/latin)?

What is the difference between Biology 80’s and Biology 90’s?

What is the difference between the Chemistry sequences?

What’s the difference between Physics Variant A and Variant B?

Do I need to take Gen Chemistry AND gen physics, or just pick one?

How does AP credit in General Education factor in? I thought all of the classes were required. Can I use my credit to not do one of the classes?

How does AP credit in Electives factor in?

Can I take lower level biology classes as my electives if I plan to major in it?

hmlee · 08-30-2007, 05:58 PM

Dannon, lots of questions there but I'll do my best to answer them all. As you're planning on being a bio major I'm going to ask my roommate about your bio questions as she is one also (assuming I can pry her away from her MCAT studies for 5 minutes tonight...)

As for the rest though,

Language: There is a language requirement at the school as part of the core. It consists of two things: taking language courses, and passing a competency exam. One of the placement tests you have the option of taking during o-week is for language. That test will determine what level of language you will be placed in - usual placements tend to fluctuate between 102 (the second intro class) and 202 (the second advanced class). You can fulfill the language requirement with a language you have not taken, however, by taking the 100s sequence (101-102-103) in that language. No matter what you do, you will have to pass the competency exam in the language... the formats of that are different for every language department.

As for AP credit... it's kinda weird here. The U of C doesn't take much from AP scores (when I came here, my AP credits would have given me soph. standing at UW Madison, at the U of C I only received 3 elective credits) but sometimes you can get credit for part of a core requirement, or between 1 and 3 elective credits. Your academic adviser will be able to tell you what scores confer what type of credit...

hmlee · 08-30-2007, 06:54 PM

My bio roomie says:

Between 80's and 90's - no real difference. 90's is "advanced" but because so many people are bio majors there's no real difference. The AP 5 series is the "honors" bio - which is considerably harder - only take that if you are a double major or a bio major planning on bio research and not pre-med.

Chem sequences: I guess B is more mathematical than A so you should take A...

Physics: Again, more math... 130s (B) is mostly for physics majors.

Gen. Chem / Gen. Physics you need both.

But really, don't worry about classes too much right now. I'd spend time figuring out other things about campus/the area. Even though it seems like you don't have a lot of time to get used to registering for class and the like, the academic advisers are surprisingly good at bringing 1st years in now

...

metonymy · 08-30-2007, 07:59 PM

I'm thinking food...

Any good franchisey restaurants nearby not called Subway?

How many times per day can you eat at Barlett on the first-year Barlett plan?

Do kitchens come equipped with pans and such?

Oh, also-- how high can the beds be lofted, specifically in Hitchcock?

menloparkmom · 08-30-2007, 08:10 PM

Hmlee, quick question re: your statement-" No matter what you do, you will have to pass the competency exam in the language... the formats of that are different for every language department."
Both my son and I were under the impression that because he received a score of 4 on the AP Latin test, he would not have to take the Latin placement test, as those scores fulfill the graduation requirement for Language. Is this not correct? I pasted the following from the catalog:

"AP in any language: A score of 3 meets the College language requirement; however, no credit is granted."

hmlee · 08-30-2007, 08:12 PM

No clue on the Hitchcock one - that's a question that's best directed at your RH... when I lived in the dorms I lived in the Shoreland, so I don't know much about dorms other than that one.

As for Bartlett, it works a little bit differently from Pierce or BJ as it's more a la carte than the other two, which are all-you-can-eat but only 3 swipes per day. The frosh meal plans are quite large though, so I think it could actually be possible to go to Bartlett three times per day and eat full meals without running out of money.

Not necessarily sure what you mean by franchisey restaurants, but several of the favorite student places in the area are:

(On 57th): The Medici, Cafe Florian, Salonica, Noodles Etc. (thai/vietnamese)
(On 55th): Kikuya (sushi/japanese), The Snail (thai), Thai 55, Morry's Deli
(On 53rd): Noodles Etc. (location #2), Valois (cafeteria style), Pizza Capri, Giordano's

Kitchens, it depends on whether you're referring to an individual kitchen or a house kitchen. Individual room kitchens tend *not* to come equipped with pots/pans/utensils unless the previous occupant is especially generous. If you're talking house kitchens, then, yeah, usually there's at least some sort of equipment available, but it's not necessarily going to be up to your standards if you want to cook.

hmlee · 08-30-2007, 08:23 PM

Menlo: If your son's academic adviser confirms that his AP credit will take care of the language requirement, then that means he wouldn't have to take the actual classes. AFAIK, however, (and I may be wrong, but this knowledge is gleaned from the experiences of myself and my close friends - some of whom also took the AP language sequences/tests) he still has to pass the competency exam (different from the placement exam - important to note).

If he took the AP language sequence and the SAT IIs, though, he should have no trouble passing the competency exam. The competency is designed to be passed by students who have taken the intro (101-102-103) sequence in a language at the University. More than that is not usually necessary to pass.

Edit: P.S. menlo: Menlo Park, CA? I have an aunt and uncle who live out in Portola Valley (if that means anything...)