<p>Current first year–
Don’t get your hopes up on trying to carry a full load (3-4) classes, as well as carry on as many extracurriculars as you did in high school. I would say most people do 1-2 extracurriculars. But some (few, I’d say) do more, and some do none. Personally, I’m in one, and find that I still have plenty of time to do work, hang out, have fun, and get a reasonable amount of sleep. Two to three hours of work a night is definitely below what most people do here. Granted, we aren’t at school or in class from 8 am to 8 pm (I have usually 2-4 hours of class a day). But I’d say I probably put it in a good 4-5 hours a night when it’s not midterms, however, this number certainly fluctuates given what part of the quarter it is, what classes you’re taking, and how nice your professors are. And oh yes, there will be nights when you stay up 'til 6 or 7 in the morning (or all night) finishing a paper, doing a problem set, or both. As scary as that seems, this is a great school. I feel like I’ve learned quite a bit in the 5 months I’ve been here, and putting in the hours reading, writing, and proving really just means that you learn more… and that’s why you’re going to college, right?</p>
<p>Social life–there are numerous threads about this, but I’ll say a short piece. It’s fine. Some dorms are better than others, but if you want to party, then you can party. If you want to be a loner, you can be a loner. If you want middle ground, you can find it. There are so many people here, some more social than others, so you will definitely find a group of people you like and have fun with. My friends and I have fun all the time, but, I think, we all maintain pretty good grades and do our fair share of work. </p>
<p>Math is hard. Unless you’re in the lower calc sequences (which for some people are still hard). If you’re thinking about a math major and get a 5 on BC, you’ll probably start off with Honors Calculus (MATH 161-162-163). It is a beast. It is hard. It sometimes makes people cry. But it is rewarding. There is no better feeling in the world, guaranteed, than staring at Spivak for four hours, trying to figure out a problem, and then suddenly getting it right. Tough, but rewarding class. The rest of the math classes, I’ve heard, are just as good. Econ, needless to say, is superb. I feel like a lot of Econ majors go on to PhD programs or work for small to large companies doing analysis (notably I-banking). Math, I think, has a higher percentage who go on to PhD programs, but I think some also go on to do actuarial type things. There are also quite a few Math-Econ majors. </p>
<p>Name recognition is a minor annoyance. Even the cashier at Chipotle downtown has never heard of UChicago, but you get over it. The people who will be hiring you or admitting you to law/med/grad school know the school. </p>
<p>Math and Econ departments are, canonically speaking, both in the top 5 in the country, in their respective fields. That being said, Amherst and Brown are not… but I imagine both have pretty decent to solid programs.</p>