Chicago FAQ

Colleges & Universities University of Chicago
221

<p>I just want to wish all you first years the best of luck. My D had a great 4 years at Chicago. The U, Hyde Park and the city itself all have a lot of charms, give you lots to do and many places to explore. For instance, my D was taking violin lessons in Wicker Park her first year and fell in love with the cafes there. Later Istria opened in Hyde Park, right across the street from her apartment. Then there are the various campus cafes which are great spots to study, socialize, drink, eat all at the same time.</p>

<p>Relax and take time to explore the world outside your dorm (and outside the Reg…). You will have a great time.</p>

222

<p>I have a stupid question…what was the purpose of the Bio placement test? If it doesn’t get one out of the requirement and doesn’t change your placement based on your AP score, why bother?</p>

<p>The other placement tests make sense to me, but this one didn’t.</p>

223

<p>I have no idea.</p>

224

<p>It is a captive audience. Maybe somebody is doing some research.</p>

225

<p>J’adoube, that thought did cross my mind. All the other placement exams are for credit/placement in the correct sequence, but since that isn’t the case with Bio (except life science majors vs. non), it left us scratching our heads.<br>
In any event, S hasn’t had Bio since soph year, so he didn’t care about accelerated placement there anyway. </p>

<p>Is anyone else’s S/D planning to waive taking the swim test?</p>

226

<p>Both my kids were certified lifeguards and PADI certified divers and, as such, were eligible to waive the swim test…and did.</p>

<p>As for the bio test, this is from the catalogue:</p>

<p>**On the basis of their performance, students who do not plan to concentrate in the biological sciences may meet the general education requirement in the biological sciences.</p>

<p>Students who concentrate in the biological sciences, however, must complete one of the Biological Sciences 170s, 180s, or 190s sequences to meet the general education requirement. For these students, a high score on the placement test confers credit for three quarters of electives.**</p>

<p>I suspect that in reality, a student who did not take AP Bio, but performed well on the test might be able to get out of Core Bio and move directly to the Bio elective as do kids who score well on the AP exam. I’m sure a call to the College could clear this up for anyone who is interested.</p>

227

<p>How early should we get to Rockefeller Chapel to be able to get nice seats?</p>

228

<p>At least an hour early, J’adoube. I got there an hour early, and I got a seat 5 rows from the front, but there weren’t many remaining, even at an hour to go. If you want a good seat, I’d say an hour; if you want a seat, then you’d better be there at least a half-hour early.</p>

229

<p>Thanks phuriku. Can you drive the car to the door of the dorms (Max P in our case) to leave the stuff off? And then where would it be a good place to park?</p>

230

<ol>
<li><p>Yes. And you will see lots of cadets in the Orientation Army there to be cheery and to facilitate move-in and carry boxes. Don’t think that’s going to happen to you in subsequent years.</p></li>
<li><p>Parking. Hah. Try the U of C Hospitals lot, the 55th and Ellis lot, or maybe south of the midway (61-62nd street). Follow the signs for “Museum of Science and Industry Alternative Parking” along 60th street a little bit east of campus and you might find a few lots in that area. If you set low expectations, you will be pleasantly surprised with your parking space, but that gem of advice is coming straight from a New Yorker, so don’t trust anything I say.</p></li>
</ol>

231

<p>Will most people be there right at 8am (congestion) or does first-year delivery spread over the morning?</p>

232

<p>I’m not in the best position to answer that, as both years I was absent from the move-in crunch. What I do know is that everybody is settled by noon or so. But, then again, that experience could vary by dorm. Max P has a lot of kids moving in and who knows how those students and parents stagger themselves, and Shoreland-- I don’t want to think about Shoreland.</p>

<p>Also think about how many items you have and how much psychological comfort you have with regards to different strategies. (Wake up super-early? Get everything unpacked? Wait around with nothing to do? Or come later? Keep everything in boxes? Get all the other things done?)</p>

<p>Just don’t miss the speech. Parents, your kids can do a lot of the unpacking later (or maybe never), but Dean O’Neill’s speech is always a treat.</p>

233

<p>Another question I’ve been asked in PM:</p>

<p>What if my dorm and room assignment is my last choice dorm, last choice room?</p>

<p>There’s no way of me saying this without sounding very fuzzy, but there is no “bad” dorm at Chicago. I’ve been to almost every dorm and have admired/envied what every dorm has to contribute and how it’s different from mine.</p>

<p>But I’m in the Shoreland! It’s so far! The 171 bus is pretty reliable, as tons and tons of students take it, and Shorelanders become good at minimizing trips to and fro. If you want storage space on campus, the Reg rents out sizable lockers quarterly. Shoreland has a lot of appeal, and its distance could be one of them, as it has the feel of an off-campus apartment building, only it’s flooded with current students and pretty dormy. Also, the distance is not unwalkably or unbikably far, and you’re closer to downtown transportation and Hyde Park eating.</p>

<p>But I’m in Pierce! The rooms are so small! Complaining about a Pierce housing assignment is a bit like complaining about being knighted by the Queen. You don’t know it yet, but you have nothing to complain about, nothing at all. Pierce is a fun, wacky, spirited dorm.</p>

<p>But I’m in Maclean/Breck/Blackstone! Nobody ever talks about them! Maclean and Breck are both free-standing dorms that are house-sized (not physical houses, but residential college houses), so when you’re discussing dorms with 700 kids in them (Max, Shoreland) or 150-300 kids (BJ, Snitch, Pierce), Breck, Maclean, and Blackstone fall off the map. I know VERY cool people who live in each dorm and are a part of each dorm’s community. They aren’t going to be destination dorms for dorm parties, which is probably why a lot of people don’t know about them, but there is still a lot of in-dorm socializing.</p>

<p>Entering students will soon realize how the house system gives them a huge social bonus, and that they will make friends independently of the house system, but because of it, they will feel at home sooner and hang out with other people faster, if only because house members will be eating their meals at the house table.</p>

<p>Beyond that, the house system is completely take it or leave it, so students can decide that there’s too much drama/housecest going on and find friends through extracurriculars, etc. or they can decide to invest every fiber of their being in the house system.</p>

234

<p>If you do not like your dorm, switching into a different dorm is not particularly difficult. I’m pretty sure with the exception of Snell/Hitchcock (why on earth you would want to live there I have no idea), all of the dorms will have spots that open up throughout the year. I have a friend who switched into BJ (from the Shoreland) during 2nd quarter and another friend who switched into Max P (from BJ) during 2nd quarter.</p>

<p>J’adoube, a lot of people will be there at 8am.</p>

235

<p>Regarding move-in parking: At least at Max P, which we experienced personally one year and watched another, O aids limit parking in front of the dorm to unloading, with help from U police as needed. Since they have various carts and bins available, the unloading and transporting goes pretty fast, although sometimes you may need to leave part of a load on the grass for a bit, so an extra body, like a sib, to watch the stuff while you run a load up can be helpful.</p>

<p>Believe it or not, everyone tries to get an early start at unloading, so it is actually more jammed first thing. OTOH, being first before your roomie does have advantages. </p>

<p>Regarding parking, 1/2 block north of Max P is a large garage that is free on move in day. It sits just west of Pierce and across ellis from the gym. And I never saw it fill up. That’s where you will park.</p>

236

<p>If you don’t get a seat for the speech in Rockefeller don’t despair. We watched with the overflow crowd in the theater and it was still fabulous.</p>

237

<p>Re: What if my dorm and room assignment is my last choice dorm, last choice room?</p>

<p>You will be ok with whatever dorm/room you are assigned to for a quarter at least. As was said before, there is no bad dorm… Each has its pros and cons. If at the end of the first quarter you aren’t happy with your dorm/room, you can change. A friend in BJ changed to Max P after a quarter; it isn’t difficult to do. You can even switch houses if you want to. </p>

<p>Also, even if a certain dorm is your last choice and you are placed there, you may grow to like it and be proud to be there after living there for a little while. What might seem like your last choice now may turn into a good place for you after you give it a chance. It is difficult to know how you will feel about living somewhere before you actually live there for a little while, get to know the place/people…</p>

238

<p>We are staying at Wooded Isle and S is in Breck (how convenient! We didn’t know his dorm assignment when we made reservations!). Should we even bother driving to Breck or should we beg/borrow carts from our neighbors and push everything down the street?</p>

<p>Runnersmom – S doesn’t swim and therefore plans to take the swim class, assuming he can stay warm enough to get through it. (He has a very hard time maintaining body temp in water because his BMI is so low.) He’s not a bio major and didn’t take AP Bio, so the placement exam won’t have any effect on his. Thanks for the info!</p>

239

<p>I was at a summer course for 3 weeks. Will admission officers look down if i get a recommendation from my teacher for a period this short? Also, is it okay if I submit 3 recommendations instead of 2?</p>

240

<p>It probably won’t make much of a difference.</p>