College of the University of Chicago

Many offices and classes of the College are located in the heart of the campus.

The College is the sole undergraduate institution and one of the oldest components of the University of Chicago, emerging contemporaneously with the university at large in 1892. Instruction is provided by faculty across all graduate divisions and schools for its 4400 students; however, the college retains a select group of young, propriety scholars who cater to its core curriculum offerings. However, unlike many major American research universities, the college is small in comparison to the universities' graduate divisions in aggregate, with graduate students outnumbering undergraduates at a 2:1 ratio. The college is most notable for its core curriculum pioneered by Robert Maynard Hutchins, which remains the most expansive amongst highly ranked American colleges, as well as its emphasis on preparing students for continued graduate study (sending on the highest percentage within five years to graduate school save the Johns Hopkins University).

Reputation and admissions

File:Chicagoemblem2.png

US News & World Reports ranks the University of Chicago at 9th in the nation for undergraduate education, tied with Columbia University and Dartmouth College, with a rank of 6th in a peer assessment by academic deans. In 2007 Princeton Review named the College as having the, "Best Undergraduate Academic Experience," in the United States. For the most recent application cycle the school had the 11th highest SAT score band in the nation (1350-1530). Historically, the school has been noted for a low graduation and retention rate given the strength of its incoming classes. However, several plans by the college to ensure student success have brought the school in the 20th in the nation in this category[1]. The Princeton Review moreover finds in general that applicants to Chicago also simultaneously apply to Ivy League institutions and their associates [2].

The school currently utilizes a self-dubbed “uncommon application,” and hence does not accept the more popular, nationalized common application for collegiate admissions that can be sent to multiple institutions (in an effort to deter marginally interested applicants). Its cornerstone is an essay that carries heavy weight in the decision making process according to current Dean of Admissions Ted O'Neill. Prompts for the piece have ranged range from the bizarre, “Write an essay somehow inspired by super-huge mustard,” to esoteric quotes by famous individuals such a Zen Master Shoitsu, asking students to reflect upon the statement, “mind that does not stick [3].” However, the admissions office in the fall of 2006 announced that it would switch to the common application for the class of 2012, while still maintaining its unique set of questions.[4][5].

Culture

The college’s official motto used in student literature is the “life of the mind,” drawing attention to the school’s serious academic environment. Alternatively, a popular phrase with students is “where fun comes to die,” describing the school's lack of a stereotypical college party culture.

Though Greek life is not predominant among the undergraduate population, there are many active fraternities and sororities that have established histories with Chicago, including Alpha Delta Phi, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Phi Omega, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Delta Upsilon, Phi Delta Theta, Psi Upsilon, and Sigma Phi Epsilon (fraternities), as well as Alpha Omicron Pi, Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Sigma Lambda Gamma (sororities). During the school year, Greek organizations usually throw house parties on every night of the week (with the exception of holidays and "finals week").

Traditions

Summer Breeze, the University of Chicago's annual spring concert, typically attracts thousands of students. In 2006, George Clinton (pictured) headlined Summer Breeze.

• Summer Breeze - The university's annual spring concert. Past musicians who have performed at Summer Breeze include Wilco, Eminem, Run DMC, They Might Be Giants, Method Man, Moby, Fuel, Nas, Jurassic 5, Talib Kweli, OK Go, Mos Def, and George Clinton. A three-day outdoor festival (including an all-night dance party on the Main Quads) accompanies the event.
• Shake Day - Milkshakes sell for only one dollar every Wednesday at the Reynolds Club. The Einstein Bros. Bagels franchise were only allowed to open on campus after adhering to this tradition.
• Midnight Breakfast - A midnight breakfast is held during every "finals week" of the academic year, attracting students and faculty members alike.
• Track Team Streak - At 10:00 p.m. on the Sunday night before "finals week" of the winter quarter, the University of Chicago track team streaks through the Regenstein Library.
• O-Week - Every year since 1934, the University of Chicago has set time aside before classes begin to provide an introduction to the University for all new students.

Scavenger Hunt

Main article: University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt

The annual University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt is a multi-day event in which large teams compete to obtain all of the notoriously esoteric items on a list. Held every May since 1987, it is considered to be the largest scavenger hunt in the world. Established by student Chris Straus, the "Scav Hunt" (as it is known among University students) has become one of the university's most popular traditions and has typically pushed the boundaries of absurdity. Each year, the list includes roughly 300 items, each with an assigned point value; the items vary widely, and often include performances, large-scale construction, technological construction, competition, and travel, as well as the traditional "find this item" listings. Most teams fall well short of completing half of the list and instead compete for total points amassed. The more difficult and time-consuming items earn more points, and teams typically devote more resources into these items.

Student organizations

File:EveningQuads.JPG

Campus lights illuminate the North Campus Quadrangle at sunset.

Notable extracurricular groups include the University of Chicago College Bowl Team, which has won 118 tournaments and 15 national championships, leading both categories internationally. The Chicago Debate Society has had a top four team at the American Parliamentary Debate Association's National Championship tournament four out of the past five years. Model United Nations is also strong, winning major university simulations each year.

The university's independent student newspaper is the Chicago Maroon. Founded in 1892, the same year as the university, the newspaper is published every Tuesday and Friday.

The University of Chicago's University Theater is one of the oldest student-run theatre organizations in the country, involving as many as 500 members of the university community, producing 30 to 35 shows a year, and selling on the order of 10,000 tickets. It also operates Off-Off Campus, the University's improv comedy troupe, started in 1986 by Bernard Sahlins, one of the founders of Second City.

WHPK, a student-run and University-owned radio station, broadcasts out of the Reynolds Club on the university campus. DJ "JP Chill" has had a rap and hip hop show on WHPK since 1986. It was one of the earliest rap shows in the country and the first in Chicago.

Vita Excolatur, a student-published erotic magazine, began publication in 2004.

The administration has worked closely with students in recent years to combat the university's reputation as "where fun comes to die," which some claim have discouraged top students from taking the university into serious consideration when researching colleges.

Doc Films

Main article: Doc Films

Doc Films, founded in 1932 (originally the Documentary Film Group), is the oldest student film society in the country. Amongst entries in Vanity Fair's "Film Snob's Dictionary" for AIP, Anger, Kenneth and Farber, and Seijun, Doc Films is described as "Hard-core beyond words and lay comprehension, the society is populated by 19-year olds who have already seen every film ever made, and boasts its own Dolby Digital-equipped cinema and an impressive roster of alumni that includes Snob-revered critic Dave Kehr." During the school year, Doc Films screens a different film on every night of the week. Featuring 35mm and 16mm projecters that are maintained and operated by students, Foreign films and documentaries are typically screened on weekdays, while recent, mainstream selections are shown on weekends. Occasionally, Doc Films screens works that have not yet been released to the general public, such as Corpse Bride and Brokeback Mountain.

Doc Films has hosted many luminaries as guests, including Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang and Woody Allen. Most recently, in November 2005, director Ang Lee and producer James Schamus visited the University of Chicago to screen the film Brokeback Mountain a month before its American debut, and to participate in a question-and-answer session with students.

Athletics

The schools Division III, University Athletic Association NCAA teams are not a major focus on campus today, appearing almost “minimal” in their role on campus to “non-existent” according to students [6]. However, in the early half of the twentieth century the school was power house in Big Ten Conference play, notably football. Yet, President Robert Maynard Hutchins suspended sports for several years though during his tenure fearing their digressive nature from academic endeavors, ending the prominence of most athletic programs. Today the many programs aim to cultivate the “student-athlete,” the emphasis being on balance between the two.

Core curriculum

The University of Chicago requires all undergraduates to fulfill "the core," which demands work across all areas of the liberal arts for both A.B. and S.B. concentrators, albeit in a form reduced from the Hutchins era. Currently, 15 courses are required in addition to tested foreign language proficiency (one year of de novo study being expected as preparation) if no Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate examinations are used for exemption (a reduction of six quarters may be achieved via this method). While the science curriculum has largely followed the intellectual evolution of its respective fields, the requisite humanities and social science sequences now have several variants that encompass non-Western, non-canonical, and critical theory texts. This is a departure from the school’s traditional ties to texts of the European tradition such as Plato and Locke. While in totality the core curriculum’s goal is to impart an education that is both timeless and a vehicle for interdisciplinary debate, the increasing number of options to students within its confines produces a wide variety of backgrounds amongst graduates.

File:Collegecampus.jpg

Collegiate classes are generally held on the quadrangles, seen below

Academics

The college offers 52 majors (originally called 'concentrations,' but changed in 2004). A primary departmental or committee affiliation is denoted for those whose names differ from that of their field designation. A student is awarded either the A.B. or S.B. degree, which is equivalent to the more popular B.A. and B.S. degree (the reversal resulting from the use of Latin). The college notably does not offer study in preprofessional areas such as engineering, finance or nursing, however, students going on to graduate study in these fields often can select work in an areas such as physics, economics or biology, respectively, that will provide adequate preparation within the liberal arts tradition. The college recently introduced minors in a select numbers of fields, and also offers several joint bachelors / masters programs to high performing students. The majors are:

African and African American Studies Ancient Studies Anthropology Art History Biological Chemistry Biological Sciences Chemistry Cinema and Media Studies Civilization Studies Classical Studies Comparative Human Development Comparative Literature Computer Science Early Christian Literature East Asian Languages and Civilizations Economics English Languages and Literature Environmental Science Environmental Studies Geographical Studies Germanic Studies History

History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science and Medicine Interdisciplinary Study in the Humanities International Studies Jewish Studies Latin American Studies Law, Letters and Society Linguistics Mathematics Medieval Studies Music Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations 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 Statistics Tutorial Studies Visual Arts

House system

The college employs a house system whereby undergraduates living in dormitories are assigned to a block of students of usually no more than 70 which serves as a focal point for university events. Some campus dormitories contain several houses, while other domiciles have only one. Each building is overseen by a resident master, and should there be more than one house, each a resident head. An upper division undergraduate is then selected to serve in addition as a resident assistant for each house. All first years are required to live in housing, however, the availability of affordable, off campus apartments makes them a popular option with a sizable segment of the student body. Moreover, students are free to bid or request switches amid houses both between academic years and during them. As such, the house system is rather fluid, and many students often have more than one affiliation during their time at the college. The current building and attendant houses of the college are:

• Blackstone Hall
• Breckinridge Hall
• Broadview Hall
  • Palmer House
  • Talbot House
  • Wick House
• Burton-Judson Courts
  • Dodd-Mead House
  • Chamberlin House
  • Vincent House
  • Coulter House
  • Mathews House
  • Linn House
  • Salisbury House
• 5700 Stony Island
• Maclean House
• Max Palevsky Residential Commons
  • Alper House
  • Flint House
  • Hoover House
  • May House
  • Rickert House
  • Wallace House
  • Woodward House
  • Graham House
• Pierce Tower
  • Shorey House
  • Thompson House
  • Henderson House
  • Tufts House
• The Shoreland
  • Fallers House
  • Bishop House
  • Dewey House
  • Michelson House
  • Fishbein House
  • Compton House
  • Hale House
  • Filbey House
  • Bradbury House
  • Dudley House
• Snell-Hitchcock
  • Hitchcock House
  • Snell House