A Subjective Account of UofC Stereotypes

Colleges & Universities University of Chicago
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<p>In my experience here, I have created a list of UChicago stereotypes. Some of these are new, and some credit or discredit preexisting ones.</p>

<h1>1. Rule of thumb: every hour of fun is an hour lost from sleep.</h1>

<h1>2. The squirrels are NOT cuter than the girls.</h1>

<h1>3. However, the squirrels ARE unusually friendly and abundant.</h1>

<h1>4. UofC students brush the full two minutes.</h1>

<h1>5. UofC students have a knack for solving problems, analyzing texts, and stopping up toilets.</h1>

<h1>6. Tucker Max is pretty pass</h1>

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<p>i disagree with almost all of these, with exceptions maybe to 2 and 7</p>

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<h1>11. A UChicago student will always find something to disagree with.</h1>

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<p>Oh wow…</p>

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<p>Abridging #1: Rule of thumb: every hour of fun is an hour lost from sleep or studying.</p>

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<h1>12. U of C students love to complain, but they would never imagine being anywhere else.</h1>

<h1>13. All U of C students live in the best house on campus in the best dorm on campus.</h1>

<h1>14. U of C students think that waking up at 5:30 am for a whole week to do yoga with Susan Art and Teddy O. is fun <strong><em>shameless plug for Kuvia/Kangeiko</em></strong>***</h1>

<h1>15. U of C students will do anything for a free t-shirt (see #14) and will even pay 30 bucks to get a sweatshirt that says “Where Fun Comes to Die”</h1>

<h1>16. U of C students think that languages like Arabic are boring and that languages like Uzbek, Tibetan, Urdu, and Akkadian are interesting.</h1>

<h1>17. U of C students will compare anything to anything-- Gossip Girl to Charlie’s Angels, The Devil Wears Prada to Durkheim.</h1>

<h1>18. U of C students wonder what’s so special about Goldman Sachs.</h1>

<h1>19. U of C students think about specializations for grad school before they even declare a major.</h1>

<h1>20. U of C students felt out of place in high school, even if they made lots of friends.</h1>

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<h1>21. Holding strong opinions about books you have not yet read, or know you will never read, mostly based on limited second source commentary or other cultural references.</h1>

<p>(I think this comes from the Divinity School Caf</p>

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<h1>22. UofC students think up T-Shirt slogans before they’re even accepted.</h1>

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<h1>23. U of C prospies are most afraid of the PE core requirement-- they’re pretty sure the rest of it will be okay.</h1>

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<p>^Amen to that! PE = scary.</p>

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<h1>7. Academic jokes and puns arise spontaneously.</h1>

<p>Yes, yes, yes!!!</p>

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<h1>7. Academic jokes and puns arise spontaneously.</h1>

<h1>22 UofC students think up T-Shirt slogans before they’re even accepted.</h1>

<p>These are only a couple of the many aspects of this university that make me really really want to attend (if accepted)!</p>

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<h1>20. U of C students felt out of place in high school, even if they made lots of friends.</h1>

<p>That pretty much describes my life here in Idaho ;)</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Sorry to hijack this thread, but what does the PE requirement entail, exactly? Any alumni / current students, please? (PLEASE do not say swimming, running laps, climbing a nasty rope… or anything exercise-related! LOL.)</p>

<p>My brother was going to attend U of C until he was waitlisted and accepted at Duke. He tells me what made up his mind was the PE requirement at U of C! Hahaha. The scaredy-cat.</p>

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<p>You take a fitness test during orientation, which consists of cardio, strength, and flexibility components. Depending on your score at the end (you earn points based on how you do with each exercise), you can place out of 1, 2, or all 3 required PE credits. You also must take a swim test. If you fail the swim test or choose not to take it, you are required to take an introductory swim class, regardless of how you did on the rest of the PE placement test. If, after the PE placement fitness test, you are told you need to fulfill 2 or all 3 quarters of PE (and assuming you passed the swim test), one of your required 2 or 3 PE credits must fall under the “physical fitness” category, which includes jogging, weight lifting, conditioning, etc. For your remaining quarters–or your single quarter, if you place out of 2 PE courses and are left with 1 to fulfill–you can choose to take one of those physical fitness courses or a more fun PE, such as archery, social dance, or tennis. </p>

<p>In my experience, it’s pretty unexpected who will and will not pass out of their PE courses. Students who never exercise but are flexible and in reasonable physical shape may pass out of all 3 courses, while someone who is strong and works out may fail the flexibility portion of the exam and still be required to take 1-2 quarters of PE. </p>

<p>It sounds confusing to write it out, but it’s pretty simple, and it’s not a very big deal.</p>

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<p>I think I’d be one of the few people who would look forward to the PE requirement…</p>

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<p>Judging from the experience of a certain student I know, I would say that no one should be too worried about Chicago’s PE requirement. He passed the swimming test after having not swum a stroke in many years, and he satisfied his one-course PE requirement by taking badminton, which may even have been fun on occasion .</p>

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<p>How flexible do you have to be? I workout (lift and bike) 4 days a week, but with that I have lost lots of flexibility in my legs. Do you do like a v-sit and reach?</p>

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<p>See, I told you so!</p>

<p>If you’re going to worry about anything, you’re probably better off worrying about how you’re going to get through Marx or Locke, not whether you can pass out of some PE requirements.</p>

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<p>An important question: Can one read a book while doing laps on the track in PE? Inquiring minds want to know!</p>