<p>I agree with JHS. Also, remember that Chicago is a major research university, and perhaps more than any other university, the faculty is absolutely the crown jewel of the school because of the research they do. The faculty - especially the young faculty - is there first to conduct high level research.</p>
<p>So, with that being said, know that Chicago isn’t Williams or Dartmouth or some other LAC-y type place that has more of a “theme” of commitment to teaching undergrads. There are certainly professors who love teaching undergrads, but its by their own volition and not because of any sort of overarching ethos at the school. As JHS said, it then varies by the professor and his/her personality. There’s no general mantra from the school encouraging professors to act a certain way. </p>
<p>During my time at Chicago, the professors varied in their approachability. They all had to hold office hours, but you could tell which ones enjoyed meeting with students and which ones saw it as a needless exercise. All the professors and grad students I had, though, were more or less on the same page for this: conducting high level classes that were pretty engaging and thought provoking. Sure, there a couple exceptions to this, but most of the faculty I had were pretty committed to the Chicago mantra of providing academics at a high level. The approachability part, well, that just varied.</p>
<p>To sum up, think of what you want from your undergrad academic experience. I really, really wanted exposure to the top minds in different fields. That to me was more important than having coffee with a professor or nice conversation during office hours. Given the research orientation, opportunities, and pay provided by U of C, I simply couldn’t get that sort of exposure at a LAC-y type place such as a Williams or Dartmouth. The faculties at those schools, in comparison to Chicago, are, well, a bit more junior varsity. I wanted to learn from the guys that pioneered and lead fields like sociology and poli sci and biology and physics. There are maybe only a handful of schools that offer a faculty comparable to Chicago’s.</p>