Hey. We're back.
You guys are freaking crazy. Thank you for all your questions; we're gonna try to answer the most common and most interesting.
We're not going to address questions regarding decisions-- that is not our area of expertise. What is, however, is waiting for decisions. I advise that you do so without worrying about when. It will get there. You will make a decision. You will go to college. Chill.
What classes did zach take that led to his finals & paper?
Well...it's not like my classes are anything out of the ordinary. With that in mind, expect that sort of thing towards the end of any quarter. The classes I took specifically were Honors Gen. Chem, 1st-year Russian, Calculus 153 [look this up for a description, if you're really that interested], and Readings in World Literature.
back to eliza: Though you didn't ask, I'm taking Language and the Human as my hum core class. I wouldn't recommend it. I'm also in Spanish 204, Curso de Redaccion Academica. also the Foundations of Modern Physics for my phy-sci core, and Core Bio.
I want to know what you're planning on doing in Spain, Eliza, and I want to know how the quarter system works - it's still slightly confusing to me.
I'm going to Spain with my sister on 5 years of frequent flyer (flier?) miles, woo! We're going to Madrid, Cordoba, Sevilla, y Cadiz, each for about 2 days. I've never done anything like this before-- I'm pumped.
The quarter system is not confusing. Let me lay it on the line: 10 weeks of class. 1 week of finals. Repeat.
Repeat.
The exact dates of this year were: 9/15-9/23: First Year Orientation Week. 9/24-12/7: Autumn Quarter. 12/8-1/7: Winter Interim. 1/8-3/21: Winter Quarter. 3/22-3/30: Spring Interim. 4/1-6/14: Spring Quarter. 6/15-9/29: Summer Interim. (You guys get here the 20th for OWeek)
Regarding the capitalization: I do it because I think Eliza is ugly and imposing. eliza is not. Simple as that. I do not have an inferiority complex, I do not think I am cooler-than-thou-lowly-capitalizers. I just like it better that way. zach doesn't have a policy-- he just doesn't care.
Food
[zach] H'okay, so. Food. It's sorta an important thing, metabolism and all that jazz. I hail from Max P and therefore eat at Bartlett, which is widely regarded as the best dining hall. I feel like "best" implies that its crazy delicious versus barfy...don't take this like that. Keep in mind that Bartlett still serves "college" fare, just like Pierce and BJ do. You're just paying more for it, har har. Oh, yeah. And it gets crazy monotonous, crazy fast.
As far as starving goes, it's practically impossible. There's [hopefully] gonna be something slightly tastebud-tempting on the menu, so jump at the opportunity. I don't really know what else to say about this...food's food, mayne. And college food at that.
eliza: I live in the Shoreland. floors 2-8 eat at BJ, 9-12 at Pierce. I go to BJ by default, 'cause my house table is there, but I frequent Pierce and occasionally Bartlett. BJ and Pierce are all-you-can-eat; Bartlett is a la carte (ie you pay for each item with prepaid dining points). I prefer BJ and Pierce because I don't like waiting in lines which are unavoidable at Barlett, and I don't like being served; I like making my own food and my own portions. I think the food is equally as "good" at all the dining halls. There are nuanced differences between BJ and Pierce which you just have to feel out. I'm moving out of housing next year, and a large part of the reason for me doing that is so I can go GROCERY SHOPPING again, and eat REAL food. mmm.
Will you guys host us? How long can we stay? Will we get to visit classes?
Zach and I will not host you unless that's the way the cookie crumbles. You can come and spend the night here every Thursday and Friday all year round, and any day in the spring (don't quote me on this). Yes you get to visit classes, do a tour, info session, hang out with KOOL KOLLEGE KIDS like us, etc. call 773 702 8650 to arrange a visit.
I want to know which Houses you guys are reppin'
[zach] As I said before, I'm from Max P. BUT what some may not know is that there are three [3!!] Max P buildings [you could just as easily call them wings, or something like that]: east, central, & west. Color-coordinated to your eyes' disgust as purple [imagine this with orange brick...narsty], yellow [two "warm" colors mixed? not fierce.], and pink [the least disgusting, but still garish], respectively.
I live in Max West, aka Barbie [think pink], in Wallace house. It's the smallest of the Maxi houses, and I love it: 3 lounges, a language commons, 2 kitchens...yadda yadda yeahh I love it. Will probably stay there for next year. It's nice.
eliza: I rep Michelson house, the sixth floor of the Glorious Shoreland Hotel.
As much as I LOVE learning... sigh... I fear that I will be in a constant state of stress. And that I will feel like the least intelligent person there.
[zach] I can really relate to whoever wrote this, because I totally felt the same way. Here I was, a scrawny, bespectacled boy with braces [at 18...yes, I know] who was leaving the rural Rockton, IL [I think it has a wikipedia page, but do I feel like giving it that honor? NO.] for the big city, where if I lived in a movie my morality would be threatened and I'd emerge the victor.
But in the end it was just a lot of asserting [to myself, really] that I was ready for college and [actually] learning something. Don't feel inferior; feel proud. If you make it here, you make it here for a reason. Don't fret...that's just too much stress where/when stress isn't needed at all.
How does one become a contributor to the blog?
We asked Libby. She asked Ted. He said yes. Thus, we contribute. QED.
What would you say was the most memorable experience at UChicago so far?
There are a lot of ways to answer this, really. I'll choose being what I consider corny. Part of my job at the admissions office is doing deliveries across campus. Part of the fun is leaving the monotony of mail-opening, and the other part is just taking a completely different route to wherever that envelope in my hand has to go and seeing/discovering something about campus that I haven't seen before. I feel very [I hate this metaphor...] Harry Potter-esque in my American Hogwarts of a school, but there you go.
eliza: creating a friendship the likes of which took me four years in high school, and only four months here.
I'd like to hear about Study Abroad (how easy is it do it / do you get full funding?) and undergraduate research opportunities (specifically in Political Science or International Relations).
Study Abroad is something everyone should do. Everyone. You pay regular UChicago tuition (financial aid works out the same). LOADS of people go abroad. UChicago has its own programs in several cities, but you are welcome to take programs sponsored by consortiums of which UChicago is a member. Additionally, ANY PROGRAM YOU FIND ANYWHERE (this is to you Korea-inquisitor), you can apply to get a Foreign Language Acquisition Grant (FLAG) for $2,500 to go towards the costs. You must also arrange with the head of whatever division it falls under to assure that you will get UC credits. You may not. This is more nuance than necessary to answer this question; I'm sorry. For details: http://study-abroad.uchicago.edu/ is pretty comprehensive.
I have not heard of many undergrads doing research in those fields...the sciences are more popular. Though the most important thing I've learned here is something my hum prof told me: if anything looks like a rule or a barrier at UChicago, you can tap it on the shoulder, say "excuse me," and it will usually move out of your way. You can do what you want here.
What I'd like to know is, is there some sort of therapy for poor high school seniors who are under overwhelming and intense anxiety about college selection? If so, is it free? it should be.
Yes: http://counseling.uchicago.edu/
Do the two of you get to read people's applications?
Nope!
But I was wondering how active the gay community is at UChicago or how gay friendly Chicago itself is.
[zach] Being gay, I'm pretty qualified to answer this. Uhhhh...campus is accepting. Very. There's more I can say about this, but all of that deviates from the general direction your question is pointing. So my answer is this: no gay bashing here.
eliza: there's Queers and Associates (Q&A), which is kinda cool. Here are the official resources: http://lgbtq.uchicago.edu/
But other than the official, University-sponsored RSO-type things: the queer women's community here is pretty tight. in the colloquial sense and in the close-knit sense. there are a lot of different levels of involvement, which is nice.
In general, it is not a terribly active community. We're workin' on it though. Q&A is planning this massive Pride week in the spring with a bazillion events and stuff to increase visibility.
does the university of chicago have a cultural night?
LOADS OF THEM. winter quarter there's a cultural show every weekend. every ethnic student organization has one and they are pretty awesome.
sorry guys. it's 4:37. Time to go. We'll continue more later.
There will be a separate post for Big Questions like how is the social life, was it different than you expected, how is it different from high school, and campus/city safety.
"Day in the Life"s will be posted too.
*phew*
-eliza and zach out.
P.S. You can friend Zachary James DeVoe on facebook if you like; he will welcome your questions and enthusiasm.
P.P.S. If you have any more questions, please comment on the original post so they're all in one spot when we go back to answer more. thanks!
