hmm.

Colleges & Universities University of Chicago
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<p>I just got rejected from my top choice ED school and am starting my RD apps. Chicago is my #2 choice (I visited a couple months ago). I was planning on applying early action, but due to certain circumstances was unable to.</p>

<p>I’m feeling really down-in-the dumps about getting rejected and can only think of negative things about U of C, even though deep down I know it’s amazing.
Can people cheer me up by telling me awesome things about it to make me want to work on my app more, and get more excited for applying there?</p>

<p>Also…I met some guys there who were really awesome, but then my friend said when he visited overnight it was not fun at all (not just in the sense that nobody gets wasted). Is it true (as I’ve read in some places) that there are a REALLY small amount of parties / social events not sponsored by the school? (I know this question gets asked a lot and it makes me sound * really * shallow, but I’m curious…)</p>

<p>I was thinking of getting a bicycle ** IF ** I get accepted there, because there’s a lot of walking…do a lot of people have bikes? Are they looked down upon?</p>

<p>Does UofC favor IB or AP? I’ve heard the Core Curriculum is a lot like the IB program, but when I asked an admish counselor, she said she didn’t think they were that similar. Most schools don’t say explicitly which one they prefer…but does U of C prefer one or the other?</p>

<p>Are interviews recommended? How much weight do they have on decisions? Are they like the ones at some top schools – where it only helps out if it’s absolutely incredible, or is it not that important at all, and if one screws it up they aren’t in a lot of trouble?</p>

<p>Are supplemental recs looked down upon as much at they are at some other schools?</p>

<p>Finally, what are the coolest places to eat/hang out/whatever around campus?</p>

<p>I know this post is long and kind of convoluted, but if anyone can help me with any of the above, I will be VERY :)</p>

<p>** OH! ** Can anyone give me the link for last year’s RD acceptance stats so I know what kind of people get accepted here?</p>

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<p>IMO, UChicago is the school as good as as any school you have applied for or would apply for in terms of providing the best quality of education. IMO, as long as concerned you are looking for a fun, this is not the place. This is a hard working people’s city. Biking? What a beautiful. I don’t know the UChicago’s weight on the interview and everybody knows it’s getting very tough this year, but, I still think UChicago is trying their best to recruiting the best young folks around the world competing with Harvard et al. That being said, IMHumbleO, you are to do your best for the interview. IMO, the best food in Chicago is the cornbeef around the Saint Patrick’s Day sometime in probably April.</p>

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<p>This is probably the best information out there on admittances. The CC threads are extremely biased and self-selecting… they don’t give an accurate representation of an admitted student.</p>

<p>[Chicago:</a> Cost of Attendance](<a href=“http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/level3.asp?id=377]Chicago:”>http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/level3.asp?id=377)</p>

<p>Chicago? Fun? Yes. Fun in the way of parties? Yes, depending on the dorm. Fun as a prospie? Maybe, maybe not. A lot of my friends who are current students had horrendous prospie experiences and still ended up loving the school.</p>

<p>Many current students find it hard to “babysit” a prospie for an evening, and so unless a prospie takes initiative to meet people and do things, he or she could end up being dragged along to a sketchy party or could feel trapped in the house lounge with the TV. I wouldn’t be that concerned that one host or a group of students wasn’t able to spend time with a prospie on a Thursday or Friday night… it’s sometimes hard for a college student to share his or her college experiences with a total stranger.</p>

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<p>I haven’t neeeded a bicycle. You could bring one if you want to, but it is not necessary to use one to get around campus.</p>

<p>Fun? It depends on what you are looking for. I transferred from a university where “fun” consisted of working hard during the week and partying it up starting Thursday night (read: alcohol. Lots of it.). While this occurs at Chicago too, it is certainly not the center of the social scene, and the city of Chicago offers many opportunities. I have worked harder here, yes, but I have also had fun. </p>

<p>If you are concerned about a mix of fun and academic rigor, consider colleges like Carleton, Swarthmore, or Haverford.</p>

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<p>In response to unalove saying "Chicago? Fun? Yes. Fun in the way of parties? Yes, depending on the dorm. "</p>

<p>Do you know which dorms are the more social dorms or the more fun? I am really hoping to get in, and I’ve already been contemplating what dorm would be my first choice. </p>

<p>Max P are, admittedly, not very aesthetically pleasing from the outside, but the insides have great amenities (like every suite having its own bathroom).</p>

<p>Snell-Hitchcock is beautiful and right on campus, but I hear it is very “cultish.” What does that mean? </p>

<p>BJ is beautiful, but it is across the Midway (I’m sure it’s a brutal commute in the winter). I don’t know what the new residence hall that will be connected to BJ is called, but I can imagine that it would have great amenities. It also means that the other side of the Midway will probably become more social. But, do you really want to be in a brand new residence hall with brand new Houses without any real traditions?</p>

<p>What are your guys’ thoughts?</p>

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<p>Contemplating dorms already?</p>

<p>I’ve been doing the same with the course catalog… it was on my bedside table for a while, but last night I shoved it in a drawer in the hopes that I could possibly stop thinking about Chicago (as I’ve been checking the blog and this forum every 10 minutes all night, I have, evidently, failed). I know thinking about this definitely will not help prepare me for a rejection or deferral, though…</p>

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<p>Great questions, I’m going to make a dorm thread right now instead of answering it here, because I’m sure that many people want to know what you’re asking.</p>