University of Chicago
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If you do not want an academic challenge, the University of Chicago is not the right fit for you. There’s a reason it’s consistently ranked in the top ten universities of both the United States and the world. Classes are tough. Professors will push you every day and give you more work than you thought possible. A lot of people come from the top of their high school class and find themselves struggling to maintain decent grades. However, if you’re willing to put the time in, you will be infinitely rewarded with irreplaceable knowledge and thinking skills. Within the incredibly challenging curriculum is the Core. The Core is a certain amount of classes that you need to take in order to graduate. They cover a variety of topics, including science, foreign language, and art. You’ll find severely different opinions on the Core. Some people hate it; some people love it. If you pick your classes right, it’s a great opportunity to get a well-rounded education. There are also a lot of fun classes to take where you can be more creative. Classes like “Horror Film” and “At the Piano” balance out tougher classes like "Organic Chemistry."

The University understands that the academics are incredibly tough, so it provides a lot of resources to help you with your academic career. There are daily tutors in Harper Library that cover every subject. The writing tutors are especially helpful, and professors are typically very good. Grad students are hit or miss—sometimes they grade students very hard. The real goldmine is in the teaching assistants or TAs. They are usually upperclassmen that know what you're going through, so they’re incredibly helpful and receptive to questions. The University describes its academic rigor as, “The Life of the Mind.” It truly lives up to that reputation.

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Academics at University of Chicago

beyonce123

'15

International Relations and National Security Studies

3.5

B

Core Curriculum Is Boring but Classes Are Still Interesting

The core curriculum is sometimes kind of lame because you're required to take some classes that you find boring but other than that its great! The workload is manageable is you're a hard worker.

Nov 27, 2011

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Academics at University of Chicago

dmariew

'12

Computer Science

4.2

A-

Tough, but Doable

If you're used to getting straight A's and being the "smart kid" in all of your classes, this school can be an incredibly jarring experience - because EVERYONE was that kid! But while the school is tough (and sometimes, it seems, unreasonably so), it's very doable. The Computer Science department is very hit-or-miss teacher-wise, but you can definitely craft a curriculum with tons of hands on experience, and all of the professors I've had are, if not the best teachers, very excited to assist students. One thing you'll hear about the Computer Science department at this school is that you will only get theoretical experience...but this is folly. I've crafted Operating Systems, networking applications, video games and more - the education you'll get here is perfectly fine. (You will have to get some alternate programming language experience outside of the classroom, however).

Aug 21, 2011

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Academics at University of Chicago

smpen45

'14

Physics

5.0

A+

Rigorous but Worth It

The U of C is tough, there's no getting around it. There are times when you are buried in work with no way out. However, you learn in a way that is really unique and actually makes you smart. You don't really have to learn useless facts here.

Aug 16, 2011

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