Academics

The University is EXTREMELY difficult. Studying as much as possible will not guarantee you an A here. Grade deflation is rampant and professors love to push their students to their fullest academic capacities. Being a strong student in one subject will not guarantee success here.The University is built upon a liberal arts foundation--you're expected to be an eloquent writer, logical scientist, and social theorist all bundled up into one package. Your intellect will be stretched here.

The academics here are tough and it's what the University is known for. It is not uncommon for students to spend all night at the library and the coffee shops certainly make their money off sleep-deprived students; however, no one at the school would have it any other way. The University is on the quarter system which means the classes are 10 weeks with the 11th week being comprised of exams. With this structure, students can take three batches of classes a year rather than two on the typical semester system. The school's educational experience is divided into three parts: 1/3 are the core requirements which all students must take, 1/3 are the classes in a student's major, and the final 1/3 are electives which can result in a double major, minor, or are simply an assortment of classes a student finds interesting. While the classes are tough, the love of learning at the school is apparent through all the options for classes and the work ethic of the students.

UChicago has a variety of t-shirts with slogans poking fun at their notorious academic rigor. One says If we wanted A's, we'd go to Harvard. You'll probably hear a lot about grade deflation, but as it turns it out UC just doesn't have grade INFLATION. Everyone is required to complete the core curriculum (this is UC's signature), which consists of several classes in basically all subjects. UChicago requires you to be knowledgable across a broad range of subjects.

I have never had work this hard before, but I also have never learned this much before. In addition, I'm not only learning about things in my specified Public Policy field, but going through the Core at UChicago exposes you to a variety of possible newly inspired interests and topics you never crossed before. The work here is no where near easy, but it is rewarding.