University of Chicago Top Questions

Of course, most of us have heard the infamous saying, "University of Chicago - the place where fun comes to die." As true as that may have been in the past, currently the university has seen a dramatic shift in terms of the student population and sociability. Within the last decade, dozens of new buildings have been erected in UChicago's gorgeous Hyde Park campus, including: Gerald Ratner Athletic Center, Max Palevsky dormitory, South Campus dormitory and dining hall, the Gordon Center for Integrative Research, the Mansueto Library (endearingly called the "reg egg" after the Regenstein Library to which it is connected), and finally the brand new Logan Arts Center. Collectively, these additions have made UChicago a more appealing option for many prospective students and brought more viable resources to the campus. But to answer the original question at hand, at UChicago it is very difficult to pinpoint one stereotype. The university presents an international, eclectic mix of students; 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} are from Chicago while the remaining 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} are from all corners of the world, representing all 50 states and over 70 countries. Because of this cosmopolitan "melting pot," students frequently break through common stereotypes and work together on problem sets, play on intramural sports teams, and yes, go out together too. While it is only natural that students eventually form their own groups and such, the university does not reinforce the typical stereotypes of the jock, frat kid, or geek, but instead allows for ample opportunity to meet students from all walks of life. To some, it can be even seen as the place where "fun comes to thrive."

One of the sayings we love here at the University of Chicago is "where fun comes to die." Most people probably view people at the University of Chicago as nerds who are up all night studying in some masochistic hell in vain search of some ill-defined enlightenment called "the life of the mind." I'm not saying that's not true to some extent, but I do want to stress that while we do love learning here and while those sad nights in the Regenstein Library do happen (more often than most of us would like), most of us do know how to live a little and have fun! We're in a wonderful city filled with great things, and when we have the time (and even at times when we don't!), most of us love to explore it.

Some common stereotypes about UChicago students are that we are nerds, anti-social, and spend all of our time locked up in our room studying. This could not be farther from the truth! While it's true that most people here are nerds about one thing or another (and proud of it), there are plenty of social people and social events to attend every week. The work load here can be a bit heavy, but I don't know anyone who doesn't have at least a few hours every week for some fun. A much more accurate description of UChicago students would be to say that we love learning, we all have fun in our own way, and we take on our challenging schedules eagerly.

The typical stereotype for a "Uchicago kid" goes right along with the slogan that the university of Chicago is the place where "fun goes to die." Although i would be lying if I said there are not a good amount of geeks at this school, there is plenty of fun to be had. The nice thing about this school is you will not ever be lured into doing something you do not have to do. Because the curriculum here is indeed so challenging, if you have a midterm on the upcoming Monday and there is a party that Saturday night, everyone understands that you need to stay in and study and get some rest. With that said, there are three main fraternities that throw parties generally every Friday and Saturday which are all open any kid in the school. Personally I like this a lot, because I know at big schools such as Ohio State a lot of times the party's are invite only, and at apartments. With all of this taken into account, at Uchicago there are definitely plenty of kids whose only priority is school, but if you want to come here and still have a good time, there is a good time to be had.

I think that the stereotype of uchicago students is that we're too busy slaving away at our mammoth course-load to ever have any fun. After all, the unofficial slogan is that this the place "where fun comes to die." There is, unfortunately, some validity to this claim. Uchicago is hard, probably as hard as it gets. We do a lot of work, and have only limited free time. However, we make the most of what we get. Parties most certainly do happen here, and when I compare my notes with friends at other schools, it seems that if anything, ours are more intense, if more infrequent. The city of Chicago provides a number of exciting options, from world-class museums to excellent theatrical productions to fantastic food. When you get down to it, most uchicago students have a positive outlook, despite all the work.

I think that the stereotype of uchicago students is that we're too busy slaving away at our mammoth course-load to ever have any fun. After all, the unofficial slogan is that this the place "where fun comes to die." There is, unfortunately, some validity to this claim. Uchicago is hard, probably as hard as it gets. We do a lot of work, and have only limited free time. However, we make the most of what we get. Parties most certainly do happen here, and when I compare my notes with friends at other schools, it seems that if anything, ours are more intense, if more infrequent. The city of Chicago provides a number of exciting options, from world-class museums to excellent theatrical productions to fantastic food. When you get down to it, most uchicago students have a positive outlook, despite all the work.

Common stereotype: Nerds, hipsters, socially awkward True on the most part. There are a few fratty/sorority types, but the stereotype holds true in most cases.

UChicago has a very defined stereotype. We even put it on our T-shirts: Where Fun Goes To Die. According to the stereotype, we're boring, smelly, neurotic nerds who never do anything but study. Also, we talk about Marx and Plato for fun. Also, we're weird. There is some truth to the stereotype, of course. They're not kidding about the academic rigor, I promise. You will be stressed. You will be utterly miserable at times. You will turn down invitations because you have two hundred pages of Plato to read before the next morning and two papers to write over the weekend. And the kind of kids who are drawn to the sort of school that UChicago is are at least a little bit nerdy. Some are more overt about it, but many aren't. You can have the typical college experience at UChicago -- if that's what you want. There are parties in dorms, in frats, at apartments. But it's equally easy to completely avoid parties, if your idea of fun is more along the lines of watching bad movies with your friends or having arguments about philosophy until three in the morning. Fun doesn't die -- it just takes different forms.

The stereotype of students at the University of Chicago is that we are all a bunch of nerdy, freaky rich kids. The University gets the unkind motto: "Where fun comes to die." Although the students here are very smart, there is still a LOT of fun to be had at the University of Chicago. Obviously, at any good school, you are going to have your "weird" kids and "nerds" who do nothing but study in the library. But the overall student population is pretty social and smart, making it a good balance for everyone.

There typical stereotype for UChicago would definitely be "nerd." Or, "super nerd." Everyone has heard the famous slogans such as "Where fun comes to die" or my personal favorite, "Where the squirrels are prettier than the girls." I'll be honest, there are reasons why those stereotypes exist....they are based on truth...we study here, A LOT. That being said, I have been consistently impressed with the diversity in the student body despite the very clear cut UChicago "type." There are jocks (they mostly stick together), hipsters, nerds, stoners, divas, and etc. etc. and a mix of everything above. What's more, everyone is here for a reason...because they are SMART, so even if they do fit into a certain stereotype it is easy to have a meaningful conversation with anyone.

U of C is known for workaholic, socially incompetent geeks. What you're more likely to find, however, is a mass of smart kids across the social competency scale. Sure, there are some kids who look like they could be on the Big Bang Theory. But there are also sorority girls who could be on Greek. The great thing about Chicago is that everyone you meet, no matter what they look like, ends up being smart and interesting -- otherwise they wouldn't have gotten in!

We all hear the same self-deprecating UChicago joke, "UChicago: Where fun comes to die" and the equally self-deprecating quote, "UChicago: Where the squirrels are cuter than the girls/Where the squirrels are more aggressive than the boys." Truth is, the squirrels are just unnaturally cute in Chicago with their ungodly furry tails (I swear, you've never seen anything fluffier and quite dangerous too), and, like any college, fun comes to die(t) once in a while (it's not all fun and games like the movie "College" makes you believe). What binds all UChicago students together is, at the same time, what makes us all different; we are unique in our thinking and quirky in expressing our thoughts. The quintessential UChicago student is not just one person, it is a combination of football players, Model UN-ers, Human v. Zombie-ers, musicians, community activists, sorority girls, artists, and intellectuals, all aspiring to transform the world with their knowledge and actions. There is no stereotypical UChicago student, unless you consider being fabulous stereotypical.

We all hear the same self-deprecating UChicago joke, "UChicago: Where fun comes to die" and the equally self-deprecating quote, "UChicago: Where the squirrels are cuter than the girls/Where the squirrels are more aggressive than the boys." Truth is, the squirrels are just unnaturally cute in Chicago with their ungodly furry tails (I swear, you've never seen anything fluffier) and quite dangerous too), and, like any college, fun comes to die(t) once in a while (it's not all fun and games like the movie "College" makes you believe). What binds all UChicago students together is, at the same time, what makes us all different; we are unique in our thinking and quirky in expressing our thoughts. The quintessential UChicago student is not just one person, it is a combination of football players, Model UN-ers, Human v. Zombie-ers, musicians, community activists, sorority girls, artists, and intellectuals, all aspiring to transform the world with their knowledge and actions. There is no stereotypical UChicago student, unless you consider being fabulous stereotypical.

I recently found a website that ranked schools based on "The Number of Nerdiest Students." Needless to say, the University of Chicago was ranked number one. U.Chicago is supposedly known for having students that love to spend time in the library and in conversations with their friends, discuss the thoughts of Plato and Aristotle. We are known to only study and not participate in school activities or sports. In fact, it seems like people think that people who graduate don't find jobs because we don't have pre-professional majors like Finance or Engineering. All of these things are true, but that isn't the average U.Chicago student. I would be lying if I said that I had never walked buy a lunch table that had students fervently arguing about a humanities subject, but that doesn't mean that everyone does. In fact, it isn't that students at the University of Chicago like to spend time in the library, but it is more that we like to learn and accept the challenges that our professors pose on us. We may not have the best sports team, but our sports team dominate our division. We have one of the best women Volleyball teams in our division and our schools has one of the best Intramural sports programs that hundreds of students participate in. We have school formals, an active greek life and parties every weekend! Our housing system allows for people to make great friends and we have hundreds of student organizations for every kind of person. As for the rumor about pre-professional majors, yes, we are a liberal arts school. But that doesn't mean we graduate without jobs. In fact, the top corporations come recruit from our student population because we have been taught to learn quickly and to think differently from our peers at other schools. U.Chicago students know how to face a challenge and that is why we dominate in school and once we graduate as well, whether it is in Grad School or in the work force. In fact, U.Chicago has the #1 Business School (Booth School of Business) and amazing Medical and Law schools as well that love to recruit from the undergraduate program. So in all, yes we are nerdy. But we welcome every kind of person. Whether you think you will be a frat brother, a nerd, a jock, or a class clown, we welcome you. The University of Chicago is for every kind of person and we love to prove our stereotype wrong!

For the longest time, UChicago was known as the place "Where fun comes to die." The stereotypical student was nerdy, unattractive, and socially awkward. This may have been true in the past, but things have changed in the last few years. There is a new admissions director and high schoolers apply using the Common App, so as a result the student body as a whole has become more socially diverse.

UChicago students are stereotyped as bookworms with no social lives; and admittedly, one need only read "Where the only thing that goes down on you is your GPA" on a student-sold t-shirt to glean that we're not shy about our commitment to intellectualism. But if there's any common trait among UChicago students, it's a love of learning - beyond just in books. UChicago students are of all types and love meeting new people. There are partyers and those who stay in and read; campus-dwellers and those who like to explore the city; Chicago natives and international students; straight-edge and druggies alike. The fact that all types are around makes it an extremely tolerant place of whatever you want to be or do.

Students at University of Chicago are really intellectual and focused on schoolwork. This isn't all bad though--they actually love discussing hot button issues, debating everything from politics to philosophy to this year's Oscar picks at the dining table.

There are two stereotypes of the UChicago student. The more widespread one is that of the geeky nose-in-a-book type whose idea of fun is to power through mathematical proofs. He may also translate obscure Greek poetry for kicks. The second type is the super-hipster, big-sweater wearing, Foucault obsessed kind of kid. He spends much of his time at the cooler coffee shops on campus and thinking deeply while smoking a handrolled cigarette. Neither of these stereotypes is particularly accurate. While classes at UChicago are very demanding, and students certainly experience academic pursuits as fun, most people manage a good balance of schoolwork and social life. As for the second type, it is inevitable that even the ones wearing the skinniest jeans and most ironic t-shirts are individuals with a great deal of depth and diverse interests, just like every other student at UChicago.

There is perhaps no other school in the United States that has as specific a stereotype as the University of Chicago. Rather than the general opinions of certain types of school, UChicago has been transformed, at least in lore, to a type of its own: "Where Fun Comes to Die". While most reflect on the college years as a time of unabashed excitement and freedom, most also imagine that nothing positive can overcome the soul-crushing workload and cold of the UofC. This, however, is simply not the case. Although one could make the claim that the population here is perhaps a little more invested in the "Life of the Mind" than the average collegian, I would say that the real classification of the UChicago student ends there. As part of our intense investment in intellectual life comes intense investment in all walks of life, many even that can classify as good-ole-traditional fun. Those whom only know the University by rumor would be surprised to know that fun does live here, and in ample and varied opportunities. Yes, some of us are "geeks", but mainly in our commitment to our beloved pursuits: from theater to investment, and everything in between. There are jocks too, but also those who simply love sports. There are frat kids, but also those whom love a different ancient greece. You can find stoners too, and those committed to changing society's "foundations". In short (certainly something foreign to UChicagoan writing), there is perhaps less of a real "type" here than most places. Sure, most come here to be immersed in learning, but that learning is by no means independent, or mutually exclusive, or "fun".

When people think of the University of Chicago, they almost always bring up out school's unofficial motto - "Where fun comes to die". With our strong academics, fast-paced schedule, reputation, and even climate, people get the impression that all we do is work hard and stress out. In realty, of course, life is never that difficult. Like any other school, we have demanding classes and sometimes work long hours, but we also have plenty of fun. There are a number of greek organizations on campus, arts groups, sporting events, concerts, plus a lot of really interesting, unique, kids and, of course, the city of Chicago! Fun is in the eye of the beholder, and most people at UChicago would tell you that if you're open to it, there are tons of opportunities for fun on campus .