University of Chicago

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School Says - General Information
A private university chartered in 1890, the University of Chicago quickly became a world leader in research. In addition, UChicago's coherent program of general education for undergraduates has been replicated throughout the nation. Drawn to theoretical inquiry and open discussion, UChicago's 5,000 undergraduates enjoy small classes and spirited give-and-take discussions where they are free to break down artificial disciplinary barriers and frequently explore research and coursework outside their selected fields. This atmosphere of free and open inquiry not only attracts exceptional students and faculty from around the globe, including at total of 85 Nobel laureates, but has also led to the development of academic disciplines in fields ranging from literary criticism and urban sociology to ecology and the study of religions, as well as world-renowned programs in anthropology, physics, and economics.

The University of Chicago encourages a close-knit learning environment on campus, and promotes this by guaranteeing each student on-campus housing for four years. Chicago's ten residence halls, including modern dorm complexes and neo-Gothic buildings, are distinct communities made up of undergraduate students as well as Resident Heads, who are advanced graduate students or faculty members. These communities are a focal point for campus life and, along with hundreds of clubs and organizations, uphold the traditions of the College.

School Says - Student Body
Chicago students are involved in more than 400 student organizations. Community service, academic interest, and cultural awareness groups provide a wide range of opportunities, perspectives, and support. In addition to three student newspapers, a campus radio station, and music, art, theater, and film organizations, the award-winning Model United Nations Team, Debate Society, and College Bowl Team offer forums for competition. An annual scavenger hunt and the winter festival Kuviasungnerk (from an Eskimo word roughly translated as "pursuit of happiness") are among the traditional "UChicago" events on campus. With one of the most extensive intramural and club sports programs in the country, Chicago students take athletics seriously, and more than 70 percent participate in intramurals. Varsity athletics attract 14 percent of the undergraduate student population, where competition at the NCAA Division III level has resulted in numerous Academic All-American awards plus team league championships in women's cross-country, soccer, softball and tennis, and men's basketball, wrestling, and cross country and national champions in track and field and women's tennis in the past year.

School Says - Academics
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees are awarded in the following programs:

Anthropology
Archeology*
Art History
Astronomy and Astrophysics*
Big Problems*
Biological Chemistry
Biological Sciences
Chemistry
Chicago Studies*
Cinema and Media Studies
Classical Studies
Comparative Human Development
Comparative Literature
Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies*
Computer Science
Computational Neuroscience*
Creative Writing*
Early Christian Literature
East Asian Languages and Civilization
Economics
Education*
English and Creative Writing (minor only)
English Language and Literature
Environmental Studies
Fundamentals: Issues and Texts
Gender Studies
Geographical Studies
Geophysical Sciences
Germanic Studies
History
History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences (HIPS)
Human Rights*
Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities
International Studies
Jewish Studies
Latin American Studies
Law, Letters, and Society
Linguistics
Mathematics
Medieval Studies
Music
Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
Norwegian Studies (minor only)
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Public Policy Studies
Religion and the Humanities
Religious Studies
Romance Languages and Literatures
Russian Civilization
Slavic Languages and Literatures
Sociology
South Asian Languages and Civilizations
Statistics
Tutorial Studies
Theatre and Performance Studies (tutorial and theatre are out of order)
Visual Arts
*Interdisciplinary option

School Says - Admissions
No formula exists for the successful UChicago student; all have displayed the capacity to inquire, to contribute to their schools and communities, and to succeed at the tasks before them. Approximately 85 percent graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. The middle 50 percent of admitted students had a combined score of between 1400 and 1530 on the SAT-I or between 30 and 34 on the ACT.

To apply for admission or to obtain more information about the University of Chicago, visit: collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu

School Says - Campus Life
The University's neighborhood, Hyde Park, is a vibrant yet relaxed residential community, seven miles from downtown Chicago. More than 60% of the faculty and their families call Hyde Park home. The University's 211-acre campus is distinguished by its English Gothic style architecture and its designation as a botanic garden. With its stimulating diversity Hyde Park boasts a thriving cultural scene ranging from the Checkerboard Blues Lounge and the Museum of Science and Industry to The Point, a park on a promontory extending into Lake Michigan and a site for sunbathing and barbeques. Hyde Park is home to a community whose common bond is a shared passion for the type of invigorating discussion bred by such close proximity to UChicago's many educational resources.

School Says - Cost Aid
For freshmen living on campus, the cost of attending the University of Chicago for the 2011-2012 academic year is $55,416. Of that, tuition amounts to $41,853, room and board and fees total $13,563. Living expenses and books are estimated to cost $3,396.UChicago is need-blind for US citizens and permanent residents; need-sensitive for international applicants. UChicago also meets 100% of demonstrated need, and awarded over $80 million in financial aid in 2010. Thanks to an anonymous $100 million donation in 2007, UChicago also eliminates loans for low and middle income families.

Students Say - Academics
Dedication to enriching the 'life of the mind' is palpable at the "incomparable" University of Chicago. It is home to "the best economics department in the country," and one of the best (and most monstrously ugly) main libraries on Earth. UChicago students believe that "no university offers a better academic experience," and there is "an unexpectedly vibrant school spirit that comes not from athletics, but [a] shared academic involvement." Undergraduates must complete an intense, "interdisciplinary" core curriculum that "teaches them how to think about literature and philosophy and science." The core is "rigorous" and "you will spend about a third of your time here on it. But it's [also] fantastic, and you come out an incredibly well-rounded thinker with opinions on a wide variety of subjects." Naturally, "courses are tough." "Once you're out of the fire," though, "you realize how much more enriched you've become intellectually, with respect [as] to how to learn and...knowledge itself." Professors at UChicago "are the best in the world" and are "real celebrities in their fields of study," but they "make every effort to help every student who asks." Still, "there are duds." "Not everyone with the intelligence to do amazing research is capable of teaching." The "incredibly supportive" administration "takes pains to engage the entire campus in a sort of collective, community-wide conversation....They bring in all sorts of speakers, allow student groups almost absolute freedom, and are very supportive of student initiatives."

Students Say - Campus Life
The quarter system "makes for a particularly fast-paced" schedule. "We wear T-shirts that say 'U of C: Where fun comes to die,' and we're proud of it," explains a first-year student. "Don't come here if you don't plan to work very hard," an economics major warns. "We spend a large chunk of our time studying and should be studying much of the time that we are not." However, according to one student, "As much as a lot of people complain about the extremely rigorous academics at this school, we all secretly love it or we wouldn't be here." And "contrary to popular belief," students "certainly do know how to have fun." There are "concerts, plays, movies," and "tons of truly brilliant events on campus." Students also spend a lot of time "just talking" with "fascinating" classmates "who can hold their own on any topic under the sun." "The frat party scene is not much at all compared to other schools, but it's still there. Room parties with extended friends and random people from the building are usually more popular." While "scorn for the lovely neighbor- hood" surrounding the campus is "exceedingly common," downtown Chicago is "very accessible." The city "is a huge asset and resource," "whether it's for an internship," "a night out," or "just a day away from campus."

Students Say - Student Body
Students at UChicago are "intense," "opinionated," "engaged with the world around them," and "somewhat zany." "Most everyone has a quirk," a senior reports, "like the center on the football team who's really into Dungeons & Dragons." Without question, "the popular stereotype" of the Chicago student is "a nerdy, socially awkward person." Living up to the hype are an abundance of students "religiously dedicated to academic performance" and "a bunch of strange people," "usually clutching some fantastic book." However, "there aren't as many extremely strange and nerdy students as there have been in the past," and many say the stereotype is increasingly inaccurate. "There are loads of people who are fascinating," a sophomore writes, including many who are "cool and attractive." There are "artists, communists, fashionistas, activists." "Everyone who is at the University of Chicago considers themselves at the best possible university," concludes one student. "It's a self-selecting group," and most people are "happy to be here." UChicago students "look down on other schools, particularly the Ivies."

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