Is chicago right for me?

unalove
Sun, 16 Dec 2007 12:22:22 +0000

Chicago has changed over the years. (Even over the past 3-4 years… recent alumni do not even recognize their institution!) I think your interviewer was just being honest with you about her experiences, and letting you know that if you choose to attend, you will be doing quite a bit of work.

I don’t think Chicago is the kind of school you can “sell” very well. It’s right for some people and it isn’t as right for others. If it’s right for you, or if you find what you like about it and ignore what you don’t, I don’t think there is a better place on earth. I think it’s almost perfectly right for me, but I think that’s also because I know when to put down the books and when to knock around downtown or watch a stupid movie on TV with housemates. School and schoolwork doesn’t really stress me out, even when I have a lot of it to do.

You’ll find kids doing all sorts of things on Friday and Saturday nights. Some do work sometimes, but most don’t. I think that’s normal for almost any college. I don’t think I’ve ever done work on a Friday and Saturday night, and I’ve never felt like I had to. The students whom I see as working the hardest and getting the most stressed out about working are usually first-years who are pre-med. Balancing science courses, core courses, the stress of a new school, and the rigor of the school is difficult. I was concerned about a few of my first-year housemates towards the beginning of the quarter, but towards the end they began to get the hang of things and seem to be much more relaxed and happier. They’ve made friends, they’ve found things that de-stress them (playing with the resident heads’ baby, knitting, watching reruns of Grey’s Anatomy, listening to bad 80’s music) and they’re having a good time.