What is UChicago Known For?

What’s Covered:

• Overview of UChicago Admissions
• Unique Aspects of UChicago
• What Are Your Chances at UChicago?

UChicago is one of the most prestigious schools in the country. The university is known for attracting students who are intellectually engaged and a bit quirky. In this post, we’ll cover what makes the University of Chicago unique, from its unusual essay prompts to the birth of improv comedy.

Overview of the University of Chicago

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Undergraduate Enrollment: 7,519

Acceptance Rate:4%

Middle 50% SAT: 1510-1560

Middle 50% ACT: 34-35

The University of Chicago consistently ranks among the top ten universities in the nation, and its rigorous admissions process reflects that. The admissions committee places significant weight on applicants’ writing skills—even for students intending to pursue STEM. While writing is even prioritized above extracurriculars, academic standards typically aren’t relaxed, even for students with strong essays. 

Applicants can demonstrate their writing skills in the UChicago supplements, which require highly original and engaging responses. Admissions also values published writing in any field or medium. 

Unique Aspects of the University of Chicago

Essays

UChicago’s essay prompts are known for being outlandish and quirky. They demand creative yet analytical treatment, and provide ample opportunity for students to demonstrate their investment in “the life of the mind,” UChicago’s unofficial motto.

Some classic essay prompts from years’ past include:

• “Daddy-o”, “Far Out”, “Gnarly”: the list of slang terms goes on and on. Sadly, most of these aren’t so “fly” anymore – “as if!” Name an outdated slang from any decade or language that you’d bring back and explain why you totally “dig it.”

• So where is Waldo, really?

• You’re on a voyage in the thirteenth century, sailing across the tempestuous seas. What if, suddenly, you fell off the edge of the Earth?

• Where have all the flowers gone? Pete Seeger. Pick a question from a song title or lyric and give it your best answer.

• Joan of Arkansas. Queen Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Babe Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Mash up a historical figure with a new time period, environment, location, or occupation, and tell us their story.

For more insight on how to approach the University of Chicago’s infamous essays, take a look at CollegeVine’s breakdown of this year’s prompts.

Academics 

Popular majors at the Univeristy of Chicago include:

• Economics
• Computer science
• Mathematics
• Biological sciences
• Political science

The University of Chicago does offer minors, but they are not required. At UChicago, minors help give focus to students’ general electives. Not every major offers a minor, and some minor programs do not have a corresponding major. Popular minors include:

• Romance languages and literatures
• English and creative writing
• Computer science
• Health and society
• History

Unique Programs

The University of Chicago is home to a handful of unique programs, these include: 

• Big Problems is a capstone elective offered to third- and fourth-year students. In these courses, students investigate mysteries and issues of monumental importance, such as intelligent life and sustainable development
• Chicago Studies is an interdisciplinary program that brings together academic studies and experiential learning focused on social responsibility via engagement in the Chicago community. Students who complete the program earn a certificate. 
• UChicago has international centers in Paris, Beijing, and Delhi, where special programs, conferences, and meetings take place. In addition, the larger Yuen Campus in Hong Kong hosts several courses and acts as a meeting place for research and collaboration

Extracurriculars

Contrary to the popular perception that the University of Chicago is “where fun comes to die,” the university has a lively student life outside of academics. Multicultural groups, pre-professional groups, sports, Greek life, and arts groups are all popular among the student body. UChicago also has a couple of unique student organizations, like the student-run circus, Le Vorris and Vox, and MODA, the university’s fashion magazine.

Improv originated at UChicago, and the school retains a strong culture of comedy performance. In the 1950s, a University of Chicago performing group called the Compass Players developed the art of improvisational comedy and went on to become The Second City. Then, in 1986, the cofounder came back to UChicago and created Off-Off Campus, UChicago’s current improv comedy performance group.

Traditions

Over UChicago’s more than a century-long history, a number of traditions have been established, including: 

• Scav is a four-day scavenger hunt in which students search for riddles and items across campus and the country (sometimes involving road trips to other states)
• Kuvia is a weeklong festival held just before the start of the winter quarter. Students wake up each day at dawn and come together for yoga, s’mores, and dance classes. The name Kuvia is a shortened form of the Japanese word for winter training and the Inuit word for “pursuit of happiness.”
• The Latke-Hamantash Debates began at the University of Chicago in 1946 in an attempt to resolve the question of which staple of Jewish cuisine is superior. Past participants have included Nobel Prize winners and University presidents
• Summer Breeze is a festival held at the end of the spring quarter. On this day, students come together to enjoy free food, games, and live music to celebrate the end of the academic year.

Dorms

UChicago’s residential life is divided into 39 houses, which serve as a microcosm of the university’s community. Each house develops its own identity through traditions, a mascot, and shared values; like a family, members of houses all eat and live together. 

The Art to Live With program allows University of Chicago students to borrow designated artworks from the Smart Museum of Art to display in their dorms at no cost. The collection includes works by renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, and Francisco Goya.

Financial Aid

The No Barriers policy allows students to graduate free of debt. The university is need-blind and meets 100% of demonstrated need. 

Families earning less than $125,000 per year (with typical assets) will have tuition fully covered. Families earning less than $60,000 per year will pay nothing for tuition, fees, and room and board.

Location

The University of Chicago is located on Lake Michigan in the great Midwestern city of Chicago. Students have access to all that a world-class city has to offer within the more intimate community of the university.

The University of Chicago places special emphasis on integration and partnership with its environs. The university is the largest private employer on the South Side of Chicago. 

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance at the University of Chicago?

Selective schools like UChicago use a metric called the Academic Index to filter out their applicants. If your grades and test scores don’t meet expectations, the rest of your application might not be reviewed.

To get a better sense of your chances at UChicago, check out our free admissions calculator. All you need to do is enter your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars, and we’ll give you your estimated odds of acceptance, plus feedback on how to improve your chances.

Using our platform, you can also search for schools based on criteria like location, size, and acceptance rate, or filter schools based on your chances of acceptance.