University of Chicago
About Me
Intro
Maybe you've heard that I'm "where fun goes to die." You might have even seen a picture of a dinosaur (me) attacking a stick figure (your soul) with that Doomsday slogan scrawled underneath. Rough.
Luckily, it's not exactly true. I mean, between the zombies versus humans game that takes over my campus one nerf gun at a time and the annual "Scav," America's most intense and second largest scavenger hunt ever, I know how to have a good time when I'm not competing with grad students in class and pulling all-nighters in the Harper Reading Room.
Perhaps that saying should be amended then—I'm where conventional or lazy fun goes to die. I'm a pretty intense nerd when I have fun…and also when it comes to economics, biology, political science, math, English, public policy, and history. I guess I'm a pretty big nerd in general, but I'm fit too—if you haven't joined an Intramural sports team by the time you're a fourth year ("freshmen," "sophomores," "juniors," and "seniors" are so last season), then you're not a Maroon.
Basically, I'm kinda like Hogwarts. I have a reading room that looks like the Great Hall, I'm really into house spirit, and I even play Quidditch.
Name
University of Chicago
Hometown
I'm in Hyde Park in Chicago, IL. Technically, I'm a neighborhood in south Chicagoland, but I feel like my own city with my own downtown area, park, and beach (what I call the strip of sand next to Lake Michigan).
Birthdate
1890
Body Type
During the winter, it's hard to know what I look like under my down coat, three sweaters, scarf, hat, and gloves combo, but if you really must know, I'm a small liberal arts school hiding within a graduate university. That's 5,703 undergrads and 9,345 grad students to you.
Current Living Situation
Like I said, think of me as Hogwarts. Since I'm Hogwarts, all first years start off by being sorted into Houses by a magical gargoyle that Admissions puts on their heads.
I'm kidding about the gargoyle, but all first years really do get placed in Houses that have about seventy students each from all years. In total, there are eleven residence halls that are divided up into thirty-eight Houses. Each House includes some faculty members and advanced grad students who help indoctrinate members into the House culture. Houses have their own family room or common room, House staff, Resident Head, House Council, weird traditions, and even their own House Table in the dining hall. Houses can be anywhere from über modern to straight out of the Gothic era.
Once you're not fresh meat, you can choose to live off campus in one of the many affordable apartment buildings in Hyde Park, or if it's your thing (and only eight to ten percent of you here think it is), you can live in one of the sorority or frat houses. Keep in mind that my Greeks aren't your normal Greeks, because we're all geeks here.
Relationship Status
I'm single and happy that way. Sure, Chicago isn't short on schools, but I wouldn't say any of them is my rival or life partner. I guess I could call Northwestern a frenemy, since we're neighbors on opposite sides of Chicago, but we're pretty different. I mean, who could live up to how awesome I am?
I get along well with the Ivies, at least when it comes to borrowing books from their libraries. Aside from that, I'm clearly the best of that group…even though I don't have the title. So yeah, I don't have any rivals. Maybe my rival is sleep.
Religion
I was founded by the American Baptist Education Society (and John D. Rockefeller), but I've always been nondenominational. That being said, I have a big spiritual life with many options to choose from and a nondenominational chapel that hosts things from mindfulness meditation to yoga to religious services. I also have a Catholic center, a Hillel Jewish center, a Chabad Jewish center, a Quaker house, an Episcopal Chaplaincy, and campus ministries for both Lutheran and Unitarian practices. I also have a seminary school and the renowned Div School.
So yeah, I'm pretty inclusive.
You should apply to me if...
you're a nerd at heart who's looking for your people, you're seriously into the Ivory Tower, and also like to have weird, organized fun on the weekends.
Website
http://www.uchicago.edu