What I Wish I Knew Then...

amykins
Mon, 02 Oct 2006 19:30:20 +0000

Hi there,

I used to be a semi-regular on this site, but as real life went on and I got into college (I had applied EA and it was my first choice, so I was extremely happy) I visited the site less and less often. However, I do remember how I felt my senior year, before I had applied, before I had even made decisions. So I thought I’d give a few words of advice.

1) I’m sure a lot of you are asking (and re-asking, and re-re-asking, because you don’t think you’re getting the right response from Chicagoans) if Chicago is any “fun.” Yes, Chicago is very, very fun, and it even offers different types of fun! If drinking to oblivion is your thing, you can definitely find it here-- check out Pierce and Max P if you’re into partying. Most people here do attend some kind of party event somewhat regularly and consume some amount of alcohol. (Again, the “if you want it, you’ll find it” reigns supreme. If drinking is not your thing, however, you’ll never feel pressured to do it and you’ll never feel alone on a weekend night.) If you’re up for a ginormous game of Illuminati or Diplomacy on a Friday night, make sure you visit Snitchcock and you’ll make instant friends. Also, intramural sports between houses are a pretty big thing here, as is Scav Hunt… I think you get the point about fun.

2) Don’t be fooled by the big hospital, the kickass law library, or the cars driving by on the Midway-- Chicago feels more like a liberal arts college than a large research university. You’ll have a house in your dorm, so you’ll get to be in a close-knit community (you’ll eat with your house at almost every meal) and you’ll be in small Core classes. The students here, too, emit a very distinct liberal arts vibe-- many of them chose Chicago over schools like Oberlin, Reed, Sarah Lawrence, Kenyon, Carleton, etc. (the other students chose Chicago over Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, WashU, etc., so you get a really funky blend here.)

3) Be ready to read and write and be ready to learn how to be a better person. Be ready to challenge yourself and your assumptions. You’ll do fine in class.

4) Don’t blow off your uncommon essay, even if Chicago is a relative safety for you-- I’ve seen and heard about some some pretty interesting decisions made based on the strengths (and weaknesses) of essays. Your essay is good when you’re happy with it, not your parents or your admissions counselor or your nextdoor neighbor. Make sure you submit something that is quintessential you-- it doesn’t have to be perfect.

5) Most importantly of all… once you’re on campus, you will spend more time thinking about broken laundry machines and free beer than you will saying to yourself how happy you are than you’re at such-and-such university, ranked such-and-such in this magazine. College is in many ways a universal experience, and even if you end up at a school that wasn’t your first choice there will be many, many ways that you can make it your home for the next four years.