<p>Current UChicago student with some comments here. I’</p>
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<li>It’s fine to not know what you want to do or study. I find it laughable that so many incoming freshmen think they know what they want to study. Even if you think you know what you want to study right now, you’ll probably change your mind. So don’t feel nervous about it.</li>
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<p>And, as someone else pointed out, the Core is a great way to be introduced to many different fields of study. I would never have even considered my current major had it not been for the Core.</p>
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<li>UChicago actually has a subpar reputation amongst pre-med students. Because of its (alleged) grade deflation and (alleged) lack of a well-organized pre-med support, I believe the record isn’t that great.</li>
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<p>In terms of your prospects getting a job right out of college, it depends on what you end up wanting to do. It is stronger in some fields more than others. But, generally, employers hold U of C grads very highly, so you’re in a good place if you were to come here.</p>
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<li><p>We are a “nerdy” school and are proud of it. That is not to say that we do not have “normal” students, but the experience here (in general) is definitely not the typical college experience in terms of partying, etc. </p></li>
<li><p>Class size and style depends mainly on your major, as is the case at many universities. Sciences classes will obviously be bigger, while humanities and social sciences classes will be smaller. </p></li>
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<p>All humanities and social sciences are capped at 19 people. And yes, you will need to participate. Actively. </p>
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<li>Peoples’ appearance depends highly on what week of the quarter it is. By midterm week, most everyone looks terrible. Believe me, you’ll stop caring about your looks as well if you have a ten page comparative paper on Marx and Hegel, a math midterm, and another ten page paper on the meaning of American democracy in Tocqueville and Franklin in one week. I’m not trying to scare you off. It’s just the reality.</li>
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<p>WITH THAT SAID, the whole idea is that U of C kids all know it’s tough and weather it together. There’s something to be said about going through difficult times together. The most memorable moments I have with my best friends are in the Reg studying late nights or pulling all nighters. You’ll also be surprised by what you enjoy and what you don’t–they often diverge from your expectations.</p>