Tips for the University of Chicago Transition

Colleges & Universities University of Chicago
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<p>Considering how many parents of current students we have floating around on these boards, it would be great to get some perspective from them as well on how best to transition to college.</p>

<p>First things first: going from high school to college is NOT easy for ANYBODY. It might take you a few days, a few weeks, or even a whole quarter to feel at home. For evidence of this, I invite you to poke around the other school-specific forums to read up on students who have just started school. </p>

<p>Take comfort in O-Week and the fact that you’ll have nine days to mentally transition yourself into college before you even start school. In this regard, I think Chicago is exceptional, because it gives students a nine-day pseudo-vacation. Some parts of O-Week might be stressful and busy, but there will be plenty of downtime and city adventures.</p>

<p><em>SOCIAL TRANSITIONS</em></p>

<p>O-Week might feel a little bit like summer camp: you’ll be spending a lot of time with your house (your “bunk”) and your House Orientation Aides (the “camp counselors”). You might, like me, feel like you’re walking in a dream for a couple of days just getting used to the amazing and unusual people who surround you before you even start to think about becoming friends with them. You might feel completely out of place. You might feel like the admissions counselors made a mistake in admitting you.</p>

<p>(My resident heads, the house “parents,” told me that every year at least one resident comes to them in tears because he or she is convinced that he or she doesn’t belong here. It’s a perfectly natural feeling, and I would expect it to be dramatic particularly for students who finished at or towards the top of their high school class, and I would say that part of the fun is figuring out why you WERE admitted).</p>

<p>You’ll be encouraged to eat meals with your house, too, which might seem too summer camp-y to you, but that encouragement is for a reason. The first week of college is too soon to ward yourself off and isolate yourself. You might decide later on that you and your housemates don’t click, but that decision doesn’t happen during O-Week.</p>

<p>ALSO-- I almost forgot about this-- people will tend to “show off” more during O-Week than they will the rest of the year. I think it’s a result of a lot of insecure and intelligent people meeting each other for the first time and finding the need to validate themselves among peers. So you might feel like some people are showing off for the sake of showing off. I can promise you two things: 1) the show-offs will tone it down dramatically after O-Week and even more dramatically throughout the year, and 2) you’re going to find a lot of people who resent the show-offs.</p>

<p>Here’s a parody of the kind of show-offness you might encounter. The fact that it’s parodied says more about the feelings of the student body as a whole rather than a few individuals within it:</p>

<p>[YouTube</a> - “That Guy” Action Figure - UChicago Scav Hunt 2008 - BJ](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBO7pphKTtU]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBO7pphKTtU)</p>

<p>Other things: one of the truly incredible things about going to college is meeting students from different backgrounds. And when I say different backgrounds, I mean that many of my friends are the first in their families to go to college, some were star athletes in high school, some are from low-income backgrounds, some have had drug problems in the past, some have looming family issues. It’s important to be sensitive to these differences and remember that some students come from a good amount of struggle and hardship</p>

<p>Don’t discuss finances, and don’t make assumptions. Because I dress simply and spend my money carefully, one of my friends assumed that I was in a similar social class to him (lower-middle class). He felt it comfortable to say something to the effect of, “Don’t you hate all the kids who aren’t on financial aid?” and I felt extroadinarily uncomfortable letting him know that I was a “rich kid” by any definition and that I was not on financial aid. 50% are, 50% aren’t. At the same time, I don’t think it would be appropriate to propose a house trip to a restaurant like Fogo de Chao ($50 a head) where most students wouldn’t be able to afford the cost. However, if you’re in Tufts house, and you’re using the profits of the “Where Fun Comes to Die” shirts to subsidize your trip…</p>

<p>Don’t expect to make friends immediately. I was extremely lucky in that I made one of my closest friends right away, but it took me about 3-4 weeks to feel companionship with somebody else. I was also lucky in that I knew a handful of people attending before I came, so I spent my first weeks hanging out with them as well. The first close friends was in my house, and the next friends were in my core humanities class. The next friends came in through extracurriculars and the friends after that came through parties and social gatherings. You will become friends with people who know people who know other people. I’ve made a lot of friends and acquaintances here, a lot of people I’d love to meet for coffee, and I <em>still</em> consider myself an introvert.</p>

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<p><em>ACADEMIC TRANSITIONS</em></p>

<p>Again, it’s nice that you don’t have to worry about this one too much right from the outset, but you do realize at some point that you are at school to go to school.</p>

<p>The students who will have the hardest academic transition are those who sailed effortlessly through high school. The students who will have the easiest transition are the ones who have worked hard all along, sometimes for high grades and sometimes not.</p>

<p>The first thing students should do is scale their expectations. You can assume that every student at Chicago could have been valedictorian of a high school somewhere, if not their own. So if you were one of the lucky stiffs who had a 4.0 in high school, realize that you won’t get a 4.0 here.</p>

<p>Your GPA is a combination of many factors, probably first and foremost is your drive to get a good grade. Next might be the grading curve of your professor, your major, etc. It’s hard to give estimates of the average GPA, as I think that students have a higher GPA than the one reported in 1999. (Newmassdad has some thoughts on this one). I’ve reviewed resumes for my friends, though, and it seems like my friends who care a lot about schoolwork but still socialize a lot have about a 3.4-3.8 GPA. That’s very high.</p>

<p>My GPA is more in the 3.0-3.2 range. I don’t work as hard as some students, and I don’t have as much horsepower. I love going to class and doing the readings, I don’t see “the point” of caring about grades. The 3.4-3.8 kids put a lot more time into manicuring their work than I do. I wish I had a little bit more of that academic drive, while one of my 3.8 friends wishes she were a little more laid-back.</p>

<p>You might also think of GPA in terms of milestones.</p>

<p>3.0-- Considered a “good” GPA by national standards, and a lot of the grad programs I’ve researched require either a 3.0 minimum or a similar GRE cutoff.</p>

<p>3.25-- Dean’s list.</p>

<p>3.25-3.5-- Minimum departmental GPA for honors-- check out the departments you’re interested in and use their GPA cutoff for honors as a goal, if you like.</p>

<p>So…</p>

<p>I think most of the professors follow from this general standard. If you receive a “B” or higher on an assignment, you should be proud of yourself for the work you’ve done. If you receive lower than a “B,” it’s probably a sign that there might be a concept your professor would like you to review.</p>

<p>Every written assignment I’ve gotten back here has had lots and lots of comments on it. Some professors give out grading rubrics and some don’t, but in either case, I’ve always been CLEAR on why I got the grade I got. If you are upset about a grade or feel you deserved better, you should schedule a meeting with your prof or the writing TA. IT’S IMPORTANT TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE WELL, AND IF YOU SEEK HELP-- IN THE FORM OF OFFICE HOURS OR HARPER TUTORS, YOU WILL BE HAPPY YOU DID.</p>

<p>Oh, Harper Tutors, how I love thee. Harper Tutors are grad students who are available for tutoring in different core subjects and intro-level sequences.</p>

<p>If you are in gen chem/ math/ econ/ physics, consider forming a study group for problem sets. Chances are a lot of your housemates will be in your class, or, if not, make a date with a few kids on the A-level of the Reg. Even if you’re not in a math/science/problem set class, there’s a feature on Chalk (the university’s web portal for classes) that allows you to e-mail all the students in your class. For one of my English classes, we all went to the Medici to discuss our final papers and eat pizza. For one of my Art History classes, we helped each other memorize slides for the final exam in one of the study rooms in the Reg. Both events were student-initiated, and the prof stopped by at both events to answer questions!</p>

<p>…</p>

<p>The point of college is not to work as hard as humanly possible. Not even here. If you’re of the ambitious variety, make sure you schedule in some downtime. Take a PE class, get involved with an intramural sport, cook for house study breaks, watch a TV show, plan SOMETHING to break up your academic week. Get sleep. Prioritize. If you’ve accepted the fact that you won’t be a straight-A student, you’ve also accepted the fact that you won’t get everything done 100% perfectly 100% of the time. John Mellencamp once sang, “Yeah, life goes on…” Guess what? It does.</p>

<p>If you find yourself in an exceptional crunch of OMIGODIwenttobarnightatAlphaDeltandthenofftoAePiandIwatchedawholeseasonofanawfulshowandIhaven’tdonesoscreadingsince2ndweekandIhaveapaperdue,set realistic goals for yourself. </p>

<p>If you’re behind, you might need to sacrifice some of Friday night, but don’t sacrifice all of it! Tell yourself you’ll work until 10-11pm or so (in my house, the time between 7 and 11pm on Friday is pretty dull anyway… it’s watching a movie and a lot of people asking each other if/when they are going to go out).</p>

<p>And pick some things that will <em>always</em> come before schoolwork. Don’t miss something you adore because you “have work to do.” We ALL have “work to do!” Better you go back to that work refreshed after having spent a few hours doing something else than sacrifice that thing you love and use those few hours unproductively.</p>

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<p><em>CITY LIFE TRANSITIONS</em></p>

<p>Pay attention during O-Week at the city life meeting. That way, when you’re at the Shoreland, it’s 3am, you’ve had six gin and Red Bulls, and you’re thinking of making that 20-minute walk to Pierce to play Smash Bros., you’ll have two very important phone numbers on hand:</p>

<p>(773) 702-2022-- SafeRide or “Drunk Van.” Good news: they drive you places. Bad news: they can take a while, up to half an hour, because they are first-come, first-serve. However, wait+ SafeRide is often shorter than walking anyway.</p>

<p>(773) 702-8181-- University of Chicago Police Department. They will “escort” you, which, depending on the officer and the context, means give you a ride or walk alongside you. They’re very happy to do these shuttles, because they’re bored to tears and looking for something to do and somebody to chat to.</p>

<p>I’ll be proud to say that I’ve spent a lot of time in Hyde Park and haven’t once seen anything even remotely sketchy, but I’ll also say that I’m not blind to the fact that things can happen. I could walk home alone late at night down a dark alley drunk and with my iPod earbuds on and be almost positive that nothing would happen to me, but if I call the police or the SafeRide, I’m 100% sure. Thus, I don’t like using “feel” to assess situations. Crime happens everywhere, even in the wealthy neighborhood I live in.</p>

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<p><em>MAJOR/CAREER TRANSITIONS</em></p>

<p>Lots of people assume there are only three professions in the world: doctors, lawyers, and businessmen. They also assume that there are only three majors that lead to these goals: economics/math, political science, and biology.</p>

<p>None of that is true. (With the exception that aspiring doctors need the pre-med courses, but aspiring doctors can combine pre-med courses with a non-science major).</p>

<p>Some of my economics major friends have no idea what they want to do with their life. They might do business, they might not.</p>

<p>Some of my philosophy major friends are in Chicago Careers in Business. You can apply to join CCiB a sort of elite pre-business society, from ANY MAJOR. Hear that? ANY MAJOR.</p>

<p>One of my friends who is currently in med school was a Slavic Languages and Literature major. Yes.</p>

<p>Another of my friends who was considering law school was a math major. He’s now doing consulting straight out of school.</p>

<p>It’s important to major in something you enjoy… AND get career-related experiences. You might say you want to be a doctor, but until you work at the UC Hospitals, how are you supposed to know? </p>

<p>Don’t feel like you’re tied down to something, either. I have a friend at another school who doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life… but he might go to med school anyway. (He’s a very, very, very smart kid). I’ve been trying to tell him that’s not a good idea-- going to med school and not being sure you want to be a doctor sounds like a lot of debt and unhappiness to me.</p>

<p>Both of my parents majored in something “unemployable” and both found their ways into their career paths. My dad does the perfect job for him-- my dad is intellectual, loves to talk, is very focused and very individual. My mom is incredibly loving and patient. </p>

<p>So think about your skills and think about what sorts of career fields play into those skills. You will have incredible opportunities to reflect on this time and time again throughout college and throughout your life, so no need to decide so early.</p>

<p>My advice on choosing a major is similar-- do whatever suits you best. The Core curriculum will give you insights into how you work best (humanities? social sciences? arts? biology? math? physics?) and you will find yourself using your positive (and negative) core experiences to inform you.</p>

<p>Also examine interdisciplinary major options that need to declared early on: Fundamentals, Law, Letters, Society, and Inderdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities. You may also want to check out some of the minors.</p>

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<p>wow. props to you, unalove. I mean, i knew you loved the university and that you’re dedicated to CC before you posted this, but wow, it’s at a new level.</p>

<p>this is helpful for more than just students entering UChi, but students going to almost any college.
thanks</p>

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<p>This is why having a late start of school is wonderful. I have nothing better to do than think about going back to school…</p>

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<p>Unalove,
Love, love love the Fagles references! S2’s IB English classes use only Fagles translations and aren’t shy about being snobbish in that regard. S2 will have a good laugh over that video…
Heaven help me if BOTH my kids wind up there…
Seriously, great posts.</p>

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<p>Thanks Unalove. A really great post.</p>

<p>Any additional thoughts for the kids already on campus for pre-season sports? My daughter is already at Max P with the cross country team – they start four weeks earlier than O week, and have already begun a transition of sorts. I will definitely steer her to this thread.</p>

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<p>She’s bound to run (haha, punny) into a few of my friends on the team.</p>

<p>Being a student-athlete at a school like Chicago is as challenging as it is rewarding. Your D will have social networks among the team, among other varsity athletes, and then, when O-Week begins in earnest, she’ll have the additional layers of housemates and classmates.</p>

<p>Because varsity athletes are used to balancing schoolwork and sports from high school, I think they have an easier transition overall. Also, the varsity athletes I know absolutely adore their sport and see most of the time on their field as play, and they enjoy the community of the team. Because the athletes need to time-manage more carefully, because they need to devote energy to something that’s not work, and because they’re being fulfilled extracurricularly, I think they tend to be a little happier than the typical student and also better in class.</p>

<p>At the same time, I can imagine being at a mostly uninhabited school can be unfriendly and daunting. A school minus its students isn’t really a school anymore, and your d could be experiencing the sort of “summer camp” syndrome I talked about earlier. And, depending on your d’s personality, it might be rough for her to “jump right in” to a social situation with teammates.</p>

<p>For most of first year, I found college social life to be a small minus and a major plus. The small minus was that I didn’t have a readymade social “clique” for me anymore, like I did in high school. In high school, I hung out with a bunch of different “cliques,” I found one I liked the most, and I stayed there. I college I found myself out on my own, unmoored, and sometimes a little lonely. </p>

<p>The major plus was that I began to feel a lot more myself. This is one of those life changes that’s harder to put into words, but I think it’s fair to say that I started holding my head a lot higher and I started voicing my feelings a lot more. I stopped pretending I was somebody I wasn’t, and I walked around the quads and felt optimistic. I started feeling like everybody I crossed paths with had the potential to be my best friend. And, over time, I started saying hi to more and more people. </p>

<p>My housemates are not my best friends and will probably never be my best friends, but they provide a community in which I truly feel like I belong. Perhaps your D might develop a similar relationship with her teammates.</p>

<p>Second year went so fast that I think it’s fair to say it was more successful for me socially. Basically, I remember being at home for the summer, yearning to go back to school, and then all of a sudden I’m home for the summer again, and again yearning to go back.</p>

<p>So what I’m saying is that the transition is that-- a transition. It isn’t a teleportation and it isn’t a gearshift. “High school” becomes “college” over a period of time, and that period is different for everybody.</p>

<p>If your D is having a rough transition, I suggest her making a list of negative and positive feelings and experiences. Why were the negative ones negative, possibly, and what can she do to start following those positive ones? For example, I realized my first week that there was somebody in my house I found nearly unbearably unpleasant, so I decided to minimize her from my mind and focus on people who I found awesome and interesting. Though my inability to spend time with that person and that group of friends might have stinted me a little socially at the beginning, it made no dent in the long term (plus, I wasn’t involved in all the ensuing friendship drama!)</p>

<p>Personally, I like to know I have a safety net watching out for me, so she might also want to think about a coach or an older teammate she might be able to talk to.</p>

<p>Academically, your D should take advantage of the quarter system to take only 3 classes this fall to get used to the pace of one given class. Because the first quarter is really filled with so many non-academic stresses, I think it’s wise to take it easy as long as you think you won’t bask in easy.</p>

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<p>Most perceptive and thoughtful advice, which I wish I’d had when I was 18!</p>

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<p>do you think a unalove fan club could count as an RSO? thanks for the info!</p>

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<p>this was a lovely post unalove. thanks! i’ll have to bookmark it and reread it again next september since i’m deferring my studies for a year :)</p>

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<p>For parents who just dropped their kids off yesterday…O Week can be great, or it can be TOO long. I was just talking to my D (rising second year) about it yesterday as she thought about the kids moving into her dorm. Her feeling was that the nights were great, there was always something to do and people to hang out with. However, the days seemed very long to her. Once the placement tests were done there wasn’t enough to keep her busy and she felt lonely and sad. That lasted as long as orientation did, and she hasn’t looked back since. Just be sensitive to your students’ feelings during this week and if they are unhappy at all remind them that once the upperclassmen arrive, and classes start, it’s a whole new ball game!</p>

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<p>^^^ That’s so true. The last few days of O-Week, I had an "is it over yet?"itis. </p>

<p>But some people really need that full week to discover the city and the university, and they get a lot of breathing room to relax before classes start.</p>

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<p>Enjoy the weather this week!</p>

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<p>BUMPing this thread up because it is an amazing post by unalove and I can’t wait to attend UChicago in the fall!</p>

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<p>Thanks jpdreamer Very nice post to bump for us!</p>

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<p>I’m so glad I came across this thread. It definitely deserves a bump, and I think everyone attending should read it.</p>

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<p>awesome thread, amazingly helpful, not just for uchicago students, but for any freshman thinking about the transition to college</p>

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<p>Random contribution… although it was not a program I did, there’s the CAAP (Chicago Academic Achievement Program) available for the summer before first years. In a nutshell, it’s a program where the students take UChicago classes for no credit, just for practice, in order to acclimate to the level of work expected. It also gives you a group of friends before you arrive and lets you explore the city a little early. I think you apply in May/early June. Though the website says it’s solely for lower income/poorer high school kids, really anyone can go.</p>