<p>Oh, good grief, DS1 is going to need to get a JOB to pay for these shirts! (And all the humanities/Dante references are getting DS2’s attention, too…)</p>
<p>does anyone have pictures of any of these shirts? I would love to see how they look like, haha.</p>
<p>About the uncommon shirt… I don’t think it’s snobby and pretentious whatever it’s original purpose. The reason I like it is because I tend to think of the typical Uchicago student (or at least everyone I know) as slightly quirky. I think the shirt sums up that quirkiness as opposed to any academic elitism. Most of the people I’ve met in my over three years here have been noticeably lacking in the pretentiousness that comes with Uchicago’s reputation. However, what’s worrying me about this college discussion board for prospective students is that the school and its students come off as incredibly pretentious and arrogant.</p>
<p>JHS, Corranged, they are all snobby and pretentious. However, I am uncommon to me sums up the character of the school, much better than Where fun comes to die etc. It is a good description of the school. However, I don’t understand the need to attack someone’s opinion.</p>
<p>Well, the other shirts all have humor to them. Some of the academically-slanted ones can be pretentious by pointing out harsh grading or books we have to read, but they’re done in a very funny way; they show a group making fun of themselves. The Uncommon shirt, on the other hand, is very seriously saying or implying: “I am Uncommon, and you are not (directed to students at other schools). We are too good for the Common Application.” Yes, on the whole students here are quirkier than students at other schools, but overall we are not all that different than students at Columbia, MIT, or JHU. JHS brought up a good point in that the shirt is almost pathetically desperate. It shows students who are desperate to be different than their peers at other schools. It’s true that atmosphere here is a little different than the atmospheres at other schools, but there is a unique atmosphere at almost any school; you can’t transplant the students at Yale and Dartmouth and end up with the same school you had before because each schools attracts smart–but different–students. UChicago students aren’t all that different than students at other schools. We are not inherently better or more unique than students at our peer schools, and I think that’s what the “I am Uncommon” shirts communicate.</p>
<p>I’ve definitely run into many students who are academic elitists or who believe that the University of Chicago is wholly unique and superior to peer schools. I think that U of C students are less pretentious about some things and more pretentious about other things. Some of it bothers me; some of it doesn’t. The attitude that U of C students are better than students at other schools does bother me, and I have seen it.</p>
<p>This isn’t, by the way, attacking someone’s opinions, Toshima. I’m saying I don’t like a t shirt, and I’m saying why. I’m not saying you can’t disagree. </p>
<p>I don’t mean to come off as “incredibly pretentious and arrogant,” as Buster implied. I post on this board to help prospective students, and I get countless PMs from prospies and their parents thanking me for my input on this board. I’m sure the same is true with Unalove and other frequent posters. If you don’t like the way we come across, and you care, then start posting your own thoughts and opinions.</p>
<p>Damn, I’m gonna have to figure out how to get some shirts quickly should I be accepted.
About the “I am Uncommon” shirt. While the shirt does sound quite pretentious, it is unfortunate that the Uncommon Application is giving way to the Common App.</p>
<p>Corranged, have you gone to the Prospective students link on Chicago’s website. There is the Uncommon Tour, The Uncommon Blog, The Uncommon application, and Chicago even sends out literature that says, “Are you Uncommon?” Obviously, the school feels it is a good characterization. The school does not claim to be any more uncommon than any other school.
On the other hand, in my opinion Dante’s level of Hell, GPA shirts, and where fun comes to die are far more arrogant. They insinuate that Chicago students are the only students reading classics and putting knowledge ahead of partying.
As far as post. I have not posted for several years. I could never post advice that I was not 100% sure was accurate. I feel that unalove is very factual and as a result can be helpful to prospective students.</p>
<p>If you go to an accepted student weekend and visit Bartlett (a dining hall) and Reynold’s Club (sort of our student center) during peak hours, you’ll probably see a few different ones being sold. </p>
<p>I like the Uncommon Application. Hopefully the U of C will be able to come up with a way to keep a similar feel to the application by having a supplemental section.</p>
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<p>haha i’d wear that</p>
<p>I’m not a huge fan of that admissions material, either. I wasn’t when I got it as a prospie, and I’m not now. It’s a little too “we are special” for me, though I guess all schools do that in one way or another. Anyway, I think the other shirts are less pretentious, as I’ve said, because they are obviously humorous; you are not supposed to take the shirts seriously. Some of those other shirts are pretentious, but it’s in a fun, self-deprecating sort of way. I’m OK with agreeing to disagree. We were talking about our favorite t-shirts. I said that one was “actually my least favorite.” That’s not an attack. I’m OK with you liking different t-shirts than I like, and I’m OK with you hating t-shirts that I like. We obviously have different opinions about the messages different shirts send–and perhaps the messages that the shirts should send. </p>
<p>I think that Unalove is a great help to students. She is not always factual; she posts her experiences and opinions all the time. That’s great, and I think it’s helpful for students. I’ve also posted my experiences and thoughts. Sometimes they’re the same as Unalove’s, or Jack’s, or one of the other posters; sometimes they’re different. Different students should have different experiences at the same college, though I think we all tend to agree on the big things. </p>
<p>I post advice all the time that I’m not sure is 100% accurate. I rarely am completely sure that advice is exactly right. I post my thoughts on a situation or question after thinking about my own experiences, what I’ve heard from other people, what I’ve read on the UChicago website, etc. I don’t think advice needs to always be 100% accurate. Most of the time there isn’t a “right” answer to someone’s question or concern, so I post what I think. The prospective students are smart enough to know that I’m not god and what I’m saying is only based on my knowledge, thoughts, and experiences. I actually think it’s strange that you could only give advice if you were sure it was completely right. When one of my friends doesn’t know what to do about a guy she’s dating, I give advice based on my understanding of the situation, my own experiences, and outside knowledge. I mean, I give advice that I feel is accurate, but I rarely know for sure that it’s exactly right.</p>
<p>Hey, you’re talking about me! </p>
<p>Other than that this website is my primary procrastination and zoneout mechanism (I spend barely any time on facebook/youtube/etc.) I guess I just like answering questions and being the prospie gerbil every once in a while. I try not to answer questions that I don’t have the authority to answer (questions about admissions, med school, etc.) sometimes it’s too hard not to supply an answer-- maybe not factual, but a very educated guess.</p>
<p>If people ask a factual question, I’m bound to give a factual answer/reference a website. If people ask an opinion question (“Say, is this really Where Fun Comes to Die?”), then I’m bound to give my opinion (Only if you want it to be). My opinions are incredibly biased, and as you do not know me and I do not know you, they may be hard to evaluate. Just the way you’ll always see a movie if friend A recommends it and you’ll know to avoid it if friend B recommends it, I have no idea if my reflections will be at all important, significant, or meaningful to you.</p>
<p>**</p>
<p>When I was looking at schools, Chicago was the only “personality” school I had on my list and the rest were your standard-fare elite schools. Now, having done lots and lots of college research retroactively through this website and sources like Fiske Guide (which I didn’t open until after I started college… hmmm), I think I would have been better off had I had more schools with “personality” on my college list, as the Uncommon gimmick appeals to me, as pretentious as it can be. Part of our personality, I think, is pretension, to the extent that pretentious people tend to be forward about being academic, even when the social context may point towards toning down the smart-level. This goes back to my other comments about social awkwardness: I’m pretty sure that most of the students at Chicago who come off as pretentious have no idea that they come off that way, as to them, grilling their friends and acquaintances or pointing out grammar errors is a lot of fun and what they do naturally. </p>
<p>What I don’t like, on the other hand, is the “Life of the Mind” slogan. That’s the “we’re so above you because we’re smart” slogan to me. On the other hand, it seems to appeal to a lot of prospies. If the prospies like it, it’s no big deal by me.</p>
<p>Corranged , I am a 50+ alum, so I am very confident that I should not be responding to posts. Sometimes the best advice you can give is to point the student in the right direction: admissions, admissions blog, advisors etc. False information is a huge problem for any organization. Post requesting impressions and opinions are one thing but there are some posts that want or need facts and ( especially in the area of personal safety) it is best to let those in the know handle the concern.</p>
<p>It sounds like you’re thinking of a particular post of mine. First of all, if you are talking about any post I made in relation to Cisse’s shooting, you should know that I posted the story of the incident word-for-word from the university, and any information I gave about it or related incidents was the way I understood them at the time. If you are talking about a post I made in relation to Cisse’s shooting, you should recognize that not all information was clear at the time, different stories were floating around campus, and it was a tragic, rare, and confusing situation in general. </p>
<p>In general I try to answer all factual questions with factual replies, often with links to the Admissions site stating the same answer (sometimes I just quote the site directly). If you looked through the replies I’ve given to factual questions on here, I think you’d find that the vast majority of the time I give factual answers, sometimes followed by my personal opinion on the same subject. On occasion, however, I’m in a rush, or it’s late at night, or I mis-read a post. I have just about 3,000 posts, not including any posts in any of the cafes, which aren’t included in post counts. There have been posts in that 3,000 where I have not given perfect advice. There have been posts were I’ve been completely wrong. There have also been posts where I’ve given out information that differs from official university word, sometimes because I’m mistaken, and more rarely because my experiences differ from whatever the university says (my goal in posting here is not to just give out whatever answers I think Zimmer would say). Of course, I also trust prospective students to make an effort to seek out the answers to factual questions themselves if the answers are easy to find. So, I don’t know which post of mine you are thinking about–feel free to PM me with if if you’d like. You should know, though, that I do make an effort to give out correct information, but in the end I’m a very busy college student, and you get what you pay for.</p>
<p>you guys are taking this way too far. They’re t-shirts. any college could make the…I personally love them.</p>
<p>My D and I really enjoy the postings made by current students, their parents and alumni. Your insight has been very helpful and interesting. I think most prospies are smart enough to know that what is posted are opinions from each person’s perspective and that it’s wise to do your own research when it comes to the important stuff.</p>
<p>Back to T-shirts…I think it sounds like a great way for the Houses to fundraise. Do they create new ones each year, or are Houses tied to one particular shirt?</p>
<p>Well, I passed my 28-yr-old (ACK) UChicago T-shirt that I bought during my prospie weekend to my daughter (she’s applying EA this year).</p>
<p>Had a great gargoyle on the front and said “U of Chicago: we’re funnier than you think” – or something along those lines.</p>
<p>This is definitely an <em>old</em> tradition. Sigh.</p>
<p>JT</p>
<p>Houses that make t shirts claim their mottos, so my house couldn’t go make the “Where fun comes to die” shirt. The same t shirts are usually made every year, though new ones crop up pretty often. The t shirts have to be approved before they’re sold, which is why you won’t see people walking about with the unprotected sex one I mentioned in my first post. The shirts are only really sold once or twice a year; it’s hard to manage because students don’t want to sit and sell t shirts in between classes, so it’s often difficult to get people to work at the tables to sell them. It is a good fundraiser, though.</p>
<p>I read that there is one that says “University of Chicago/if it were easy it’d be your mom” - is there really such a shirt?? (because if there is i need to find a way to get one)</p>
<p>I kind of regret not getting some kind of shirt when I visited. But I think I’d feel weird wearing one if they don’t accept me or if I don’t end up going there. I think it’s best to keep a slight distance from these dreams!</p>
<p>Yes, UNEP, that shirt exists.</p>