A few more questions for current students =)

corranged
Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:55:14 +0000

Yes, the campus is reasonably safe. You can search past posts for a full run-down on safety measures, but the school is very active in keeping students safe. There are free shuttles around Hyde Park, a late night shuttle service that runs door-to-door, and a police umbrella service. There is a very large police presence around campus, and the UCPD are very nice and helpful. The dorms have very tight security. There are some muggings and occasional break-ins of off-campus apartments (most often during school breaks), but these events are relatively rare and certainly won’t effect your day-to-day life. You of course need to pay attention to your surroundings, but I think that’s true in all areas.
Yes. Definitely. I get invited to so many events that I couldn’t possibly go to them all. Speakers are the real specialty, and many student groups bring speakers to campus regularly. Professors and visiting professors often give talks as well. Some big name musical groups come every year. A few months ago Ben Folds gave a concert, and there are other artists coming this Spring.
Well, I know very few people who aren’t involved in any group on campus. Actually, I can’t think of anyone who’s not. I can think of some people who are very involved, either involved in multiple groups or very devoted to one group. The major players are Model UN and related groups, Mock Trial, club and Varsity sports, on campus jobs, tutoring, arts groups (improv, orchestra, dance, etc.), political groups, and religious organizations.
That’s an interesting question. The University as an institution probably doesn’t go very far out of its way to purposefully promote diversity, but I think it happens naturally. There are many international students from a variety of countries around the world, as well as a pretty good number of black and Hispanic students. There are many classes devoted to the study of minority groups in various contexts that you could take, and you can also major in a subject such as African American Studies. Diversity in the core varies with the course, I think. My hum was very focused on American and Western European literature, but other courses (Readings in World Literature comes to mind) are not. My sosc class, on the other hand, included extensive readings about other cultures and various values. In terms of non-academic life, there are student groups dedicated to many different cultural identities that are very visible on campus.