Would I Fit In?

tikiman53
Sat, 04 Dec 2010 18:46:10 +0000

Hey guys, I just wanna start off by saying that most of what I know about University of Chicago comes from the Internet and various things my friends have told me. An admissions officer visited my school and gave me some info as well, but I learned more about the curriculum and stuff, and I’m more interested in the atmosphere. I’ve never visited and I don’t know any students there who I can talk to, so please don’t be offended if something I say is wrong. Also, I’ve searched through CC end to end, and couldn’t find some answers to my questions, so please do not tell me to simply use the search feature.

I’m a Korean-American guy, and I’m a pretty good student. I’ve had lots and lots of late nights studying for tests and finishing up assignments. It’s not unusual for me to be up until like 3 or 4 AM. I go to a really tough, high-up-there public school, and the courseload is difficult. That said, I am sick and tired of that. I love learning, I love discussing, and I love writing, but I hate being constantly tired and I hate being stuck to my desk and not being able to go out and do interesting things, especially when I spent the whole night doing things I’m not particularly interested in, like calculus or doing busy work. I keep hearing from all over the place that University of Chicago is very rigorous school where most people are constantly studying, to the point where the social atmosphere is dead. I’ve also heard that the people are very offbeat, quirky, and socially awkward. I’ve heard that the kids are generally very intellectual and they care a lot about matters outside of themselves. But I’ve also heard that it’s to the point where sometimes gets pretentious and many people try very hard to fit that stereotype by puffing up their chests and pretending to care about world issues that they don’t actually care about.

The thing is, I like being around offbeat, quirky kids. I think I’m kinda like that. I’m into art and philosophy and puns and I don’t care about wearing a certain brand of clothing and things like that. I would rather be around interesting kids who don’t conform to society. And I love learning and talking about philosophy and whatnot. But I don’t want to spend the next four years just studying nonstop, even if it is something that I’m passionate about. I mean, I love writing, I love environmental science, but I don’t want it to totally dominate my life. I want to try ultimate frisbee. I want to have time to work out. I want to join an acapella (sp?). I want time to play my guitar. And while I’m not exactly a party animal, I’d like to go to one every now and then.

Can you guys refute or validate the things I’ve heard? And do you think, given the information, I would fit in at University of Chicago? It’s alright to say no. I wouldn’t be mortally offended. I know it’s a great school, but I don’t want to go if it’s not my cup of tea.