<p>The short answer to your question is, no, U of C is obviously not boring. </p>
<p>However, I actually think too many of the posts here (aside from IHateUofC who, as always, stays true to his moniker) are too pro-Chicago on the “is this school boring?” front. As I often disclaim, I only know Chicago and Penn well (went to U of C for undergrad and UPenn for grad school). I loved my experience at Chicago (especially my academic experience), BUT, from talking to numerous friends at other top schools and experiencing life at another good (but not quite as good! I still have tremendous allegiance to Chicago) university, I have to say:</p>
<p>1.) While the Chicago experience is not boring, I also don’t think the U of C college experience hits the “highs” you can find at most other colleges, mainly because…</p>
<p>2.) There is NO connecting social fabric at the school. I’ve mentioned this before, but I think applicants should know the consequences of this before seriously considering Chicago.</p>
<p>What I mean is, outside of academics, there really is nothing that connects students at U of C at all. For every event that garners enthusiasm on campus (like scav hunt), you can find literally hundreds - if not thousands - of naysayers to the event. So, whenever I talk to kids from most other top schools, they always rave about these “signature” events that really seem to highlight their time at a specific place. Penn kids enthusiastically talk about spring fling (a big spring concert) or Hey Day (kind of a college campus-wide party for juniors and seniors), Dartmouth kids talk about bonfire parties and getting drunk while tubing down the river, Michigan kids talk about big football games, Princeton kids talk about “the street” and eating clubs parties, etc. </p>
<p>Chicago just doesn’t have anything like this. When I think back to my time at U of C, I recall enjoyable dinners with friends, small apartment parties that were a lot of fun, maybe going to a summer breeze concert one year, but, as these examples show, Chicago kids DO THEIR OWN THING, and there’s no connecting fabric present at the school, at least socially. Now, some may hail this feature of the school, but I do think it’s a bit unfortunate that Chicago doesn’t have at least some connecting themes. Yes, some people do scav hunt or the winter festival or summer breeze, but you can always find lots of people who just categorically ignore all this stuff. </p>
<p>To add to the lack of a connecting theme, since academics really is at the core at U of C, extra-curricular activities don’t feature the sheer quality that you find at other top schools. For example, the student newspaper at Chicago is pretty poor, it just comes out twice a week, and even then is pretty sparse. The DIII sports teams are pretty mediocre, even for DIII (most other academically strong DIII liberal arts schools, like Wash U or Emory or Williams have strong sports teams), in terms of singing groups or other extra-curriculars, Chicago students just don’t devote themselves as much to these pursuits, and most of our extra-curriculars don’t have the sheen found at other schools (save for the academic extra-curriculars, like college bowl or model UN or mock trial). </p>
<p>The emphasis on academics and emphasis on social individualism make Chicago a unique place, but it’s not for everyone. You’re never going to have the party where you feel unified with your class (that only happens for an academic speech - the aims of education address), and you’re never going to go see a group perform or a sports team play and feel that these groups have some sort of firm entrenched chicago tradition.</p>
<p>Case in point, a capella has been growing at Chicago of late, and the best group on campus is this group called voices in your head.</p>
<p>Here’s their website: [University</a> of Chicago Voices In Your Head - Home](<a href=“http://voicesinyourhead.org/]University”>http://voicesinyourhead.org/)</p>
<p>Now, at Penn, there’s an a capella group at Penn called Penn Masala, and it’s a hindi-pop fusion a capella group. Here’s their website:</p>
<p>[Penn</a> Masala](<a href=“http://www.pennmasala.com/]Penn”>http://www.pennmasala.com/)</p>
<p>Spend maybe 5 min on each site to get a feel for the groups, and see what you think. To me, the difference is striking: the Penn group is just really really impressive, and perhaps near-professional in their abilities and qualities and dedication. Penn Masala tours all over the world, sings at the White House, and has active alumni ties. On the other hand, the Chicago group feels like a group of smart kids who just happen to like singing. Put another way, at other top colleges, there are a lot of really exciting offerings and opportunities that enhance the life of the college and bring people together. I remember going to a Penn Masala concert, and there were literally thousands of people there. Yes, Penn is bigger, but I can’t really think of a student group at Chicago that can draw out 30% of the school. </p>
<p>Also, at the concert, I remembered thinking, WOW, these guys are REALLY good. At all the Chicago events I went to, all I really thought was, here are some smart kids who like to… play soccer or sing or play guitar or whatever. </p>
<p>I enjoyed my time at Chicago because the school was a great fit for me, but when people ask about the social life at the school, I think a fair response is: it’s subdued. Yah Chicago kids do all the things other 18-22 yr olds do, but I don’t get the sense they pursue their passions on the non-academic front as well or as fervently as their peers at other colleges overall. Yes, Chicago kids love performing and singing and playing sports and having sex and partying and drinking, but you’re going to get a more vibrant scene on pretty much all these fronts somewhere else. Chicago parties aren’t as intense as those found elsewhere, the sports and singing and newspaper and chorus or whatever won’t be at as high a level because, well, Chicago kids are students first, and everything else second. At other schools, I think the identity of a student is a bit different. The Penn Masala kid is almost a member of his group FIRST (bc it’s such a committment) and a Penn student 2nd. The Michigan football player is a football player first, student second. The Princeton rower is… well, you get the picture. </p>
<p>Again, Chicago can be a great fit for the right type of student, but I think applicants should still know that Chicago is STILL (i believe, yes, STILL) distinct from many of its peer schools on the overall life front. Personally, I enjoyed having a chill social atmosphere where I was pretty much left to do whatever I wanted, but this sort of scene certainly isn’t for everyone.</p>