I need to get out of UChicago. Where should I go?
I haven’t been here that long, but the people here are fucking terrible. We were at a football game during orientation and people were talking about whether or not they’d rather go to Harvard or Yale for their math phd or fucking whatever. Everyone’s ugly and the campus is in the middle of the ghetto.
Im 70% sure im gonna transfer out, and want something a little more traditional. I was thinking Notre dame, Georgetown, Claremont McKenna; Ross, UVA, Northwestern and maybe a few harder schools if academics go well.
Thoughts?
It's not bad after a while, you'll get used to it. I wouldn't give up a school like UChicago for Notre Dame or Ross. Would only consider any Ivy+.
Everyone that I know from UChicago is very weird
How long ago did they graduate? And weird in what way?
Maybe weird in this way you fucking pedo
I know Chicago is better for placement than Notre dame, but is it that much better? I will do whatever it takes to get into high finance, and I’ll stay at Chicago if I have to, but I think I could still do it elsewhere.
sorry you didn't get into TBC, enjoy PNG
you want to transfer out a school you've been at for no more than a week based on your experience at a d3 football game, you may be the fckn idiot i'm afraid
I felt the same way as you did when I first started at UChicago around ten years ago. I applied to transfer, but never followed through.
Just keep in mind everyone's a little weird when they're trying to find friends in a new place away from home. Give them / yourself some grace as it was a hard adjustment for me and almost every person I knew.
For practical steps, here are a couple of things I did which helped me find a community and make friends who I didn't think were weird or focused on academics:
Do that for the first quarter and if it still sucks, then transfer.
I tried to think my way into happiness as a loner for the first quarter, but just ended up miserable and telling everyone how much I was hating UChicago when I went home for Christmas. I kept thinking how much better / cooler / better looking everyone was from where I grew up v. at UChicago. Once I started getting out of my comfort zone by forcing myself to get out and meet people, I turned a corner, found friends, and look back on my time at UChicago fondly.
I appreciate that you wrote all this out!
I think I was too harsh in the original post. I’m gonna put myself out there and try to make it work. I’m gonna rush, try and get into a good finance rso, and I already lift a lot.
I guess the main thing is that I just can’t see myself clicking with this culture and atmosphere, even if I do make some friends. Of course, I’m gonna have to see.
I know a bunch of guys from my area that feel the same way about the general population at UChicago but ultimately found their place once they joined Greek life. Even if you’re not a big boozer you should try it.
Do you think you are attractive compared to the school
I just graduated from UChicago this past spring. My experience in the first few weeks definitely mirrored yours, and was in fact made even worse because we were coming out of COVID and the mask craze was still ongoing.
On the plus side, placements are top tier. Pretty much everyone I know who wanted a BB, EB, or MBB offer got one. Lots of smart and interesting people but I didn't meet them until well into my first year, and sometimes in my 2nd year and beyond. I wouldn't put too much stock into orientation week.
If you're passionate about any academic subject, UChicago is absolutely the place to be because professors here are not only experts in their field but are also extremely supportive and excited to work with undergrads. There are endless opportunities to get involved in everything from research to field projects to teaching, at a level that isn't accessible in a lot of other peer universities.
On that note, I genuinely believe that, to have an exceptional experience at UChicago, you need to lean into the academic aspect as much as the social and preprofessional. Even if you don't make learning your entire personality (for example, I knew from the start I was going into IB and would not do a PhD, but I still wanted to explore a certain STEM field during my time in college), it has to be there to some degree for you to really take advantage of what this school has to offer and maximize your potential here. If you're reading this and don't feel excited, that doesn't mean you won't have a great time at this school--plenty of my friends from preprofessional RSOs enjoyed their time here--but I just think you would just have a far better time at other universities where Greek life and sports are more robust and where there is less emphasis on academics.
Also, upperclassmen were nothing but helpful during my time here, and I owe a lot of my success to them. I would highly recommend reaching out to people who are in positions you're aiming for, and chatting with them. People are generally very nice at this school.
Second this. It's very important to study what you like at UChicago.
OP - as someone who chose a top tier NESCAC over UChicago 15 years ago who still regrets that choice to this day, stick with UChicago.
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