Visit Report by om2tbdf (Member since January 05 2007 with 1 posts) Visit Date - April 2008
Visit to University of Chicago in April 2008 by om2tbdf (Student, HS Class of 2008)
Visit Activities:
Campus Tour:
Yes - I knew more about the school than my freshman tour guide, but that was my fault for over-preparing more than any fault of her own. Classroom Visit:
Yes - The professor was beyond nice and made me feel at home there. Some students were very into participating and some weren't but all said something (smart) at some point. More details below.
University of Chicago Campus:
Friendliness/Courtesy of Students: 4 - Very Good -
They weren't really rah-rah I love everything and everyone types, but I liked that better than other schools I've been to where there's also a certain degree of fakeness, which Chicago
Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff: 5 - Excellent -
Every single adult I talked to was Impressive. Ted O'Neill (dean of admissions) just came up and started talking to my dad and me, professors were nice, I had zero bad experiences.
Appearance of Campus: 5 - Excellent -
No matter how many times I walked across the quad, I couldn't get used to the incredible Gothic architecture. I took so many pictures. The seminary co-op, too, is how my house is going to look.
Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness: 4 - Very Good -
It's definitely not brand new, but a lot of buildings looked new inside while still maintaining the old stone facades which was nice. Cleaner than any other school I visited. Lots of construction
Dormitories: 5 - Excellent -
Lots of range--something for everybody. You can have brand new and hotel-like (Max P) or ancient and full of character (S-H) or anything in between. Everyone I talked to liked their dorm.
Security/Safety: 5 - Excellent -
So many options: safe ride shuttle services, umbrella service (police will drive along side you as you walk home), etc., plus the largest private police force besides the Vatican. No complaints.
Overall Campus Impression: 5 - Excellent -
Everything I expected and more, because you hear all about the "amazing Gothic architecture" but actually being there in front of it never gets old.
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 4 - Very Good -
Drove through some run-down neighborhoods on the way from Midway Airport (by that I mean billboards, tenement-like buildings, generally beat-up looking) but the campus itself is beautiful.
City/Town/Community: 5 - Excellent -
Lots of stores around Hyde Park that you can take the bus or shuttles to, easy access to the city (took me 15 minutes to get downtown during rush hour following a really glitchy GPS device).
Campus Visit Notes for University of Chicago:
Visit Description:
My visit was one of the April Visit Days programs for admitted students. We had all kinds of organized activities like classroom visits, dorm and campus tours, and sessions like the "Aims of a Chicago Education" address.
I sat in on a Core class (Humanities division). They were talking about Plato's Phaedrus. Everyone was so much more mature than kids are in high school--they talked about some embarrassing stuff and no one laughed awkwardly or made jokes or anything. Plus, it was clear that everyone still had fun. One girl was in the middle of a game of assassins and was dressed in black and cradling her nerf gun to protect her from attacks during class time. The teacher was so cool about it--the door to the classroom was down a corridor that only the teacher could see down, so when a kid came in late, she said to the assassins girl "Oh no, here they come," and got her all nervous that the attack was about to come...and then it was just a classmate. That was funny. The teacher also knew all about her students' lives, like one who had surgery coming up.
When I first entered the classroom, there were these jocks joking around with each other and, thinking of high school kids I knew, I got worried--but as soon as class began, they started making these amazing insights and it was so surprising--at Chicago, you can be cool AND smart.
That was the thing that really made me love Chicago--there was no "typical" college student there. As my dad said, they came in "all shapes and sizes," but above all, every type of person was respected. It wasn't like in high school, where certain people would never dream of talking to certain other people. Baseball players talked easily with physics majors and outgoing econ major freshmen talk with cynical third-years...I could go on and on.
I was talking to my dad in the International House and I got kind of excited about describing something to him, and I must have jumped around a little bit, because when I left to go on a dorm tour a man stopped me and introduced himself as the head of the International House and asked me why I was dancing. I told him about how I was so excited to be there, but the cost was the only thing that would hold me back from Chicago. He then went into this really detailed description of a program the International House has that is a good way of reducing the cost of Chicago...basically, he went way out of his way to help out some stranger he didn't even need to talk to...that's how people were there.
My trip transformed my feeling about Chicago from a "wow this is so cool on paper/the Internet" feeling to a more realistic "I could really be happy here for these reasons" feeling. Now I just need my financial aid estimate!
Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:
I stayed at the International House. It can't be beat for closeness to campus, but my dad did not appreciate going down the hall for the bathroom. Also, the TV did not have a remote. Minor detail
Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):
We rented a car and spent ten minutes parallel parking it (the only spot left near our hotel was a bit small) but that's to be expected in a city. I would recommend just taking a taxi or shuttle
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They weren't really rah-rah I love everything and everyone types, but I liked that better than other schools I've been to where there's also a certain degree of fakeness, which Chicago
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Every single adult I talked to was Impressive. Ted O'Neill (dean of admissions) just came up and started talking to my dad and me, professors were nice, I had zero bad experiences.