<p>As a parent of Chicago students, I used to think “Where Fun Comes To Die” was terribly unfair. Both of my kids have had plenty of fun, maybe even shading over into too much fun at times. However, I have come to appreciate the screening function of that slogan. First, anyone who doesn’t appreciate the joke probably doesn’t belong at Chicago. Second, I don’t particularly mind if people for whom “Fun” is job #1 decide not to apply there, or attend. </p>
<p>Anyway, my kids’ social experience at Chicago has been great. Lots of friends, lots of things to do with them, lots of social relationships centering around activities or shared academic interests. What there isn’t much of is drinking (or the equivalent) as the principal focus of an evening. People certainly do drink, but it doesn’t seem to be an end unto itself. And kids who don’t want to drink aren’t excluded from or uncomfortable at most activities. It’s not so much a “work hard, play hard” place as a “work hard, kick back and relax or do something else interesting” place. </p>
<p>On the whole, students come to Chicago, most of them, because they have serious academic/intellectual interests. Social life there is not separate from academic and intellectual interests; students’ work (or personalities) carry over into their social lives. The shared frame of reference provided by the Core facilitates that. Some kids thrive on that; some would no doubt find it oppressive.</p>