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Hallmarks and Quirks

Things I'm Good At:

Organizing quirky and intellectual events. Scav isn't the only event that takes over campus. I also have an annual ice sculpture contest, zombies versus humans, assassins games, a fitness challenge, and many more.
Pretty architecture. Arches, and gargoyles, and castles, oh my.
A cappella. Aca-scuse me? You haven't heard? I have seven aca-awesome a cappella groups on campus with, of course, clever names like "Rhythm & Jews," and "The Ransom Notes. "
Art. I have seven exhibit spaces on campus and I have a beautiful, shiny arts building called the Logan Center that has tons of performance and maker spaces. Like working with wood, metal, resin, 3D printers, digital imaging software, programming software, or a laser cutter? No problem.
Economics, Biology, Political Science and Government, Math, English, Public Policy, and History are the subjects that really do the heavy lifting for me. My students won't be working at Starbucks after graduation.
Being a good neighbor. I get involved in urban renewal efforts, including education reform, employment opportunities, and health care. In fact, I have four charter school campuses that use educational research in the classroom and help prepare local teens for college.

My Top 5 Must-Haves:

A love of books. I have five libraries and the biggest one, the Reg (Joesph Regenstein Library), has over 4.5 million print volumes. That's a lot of books, so yeah; it's a big library. So big in fact, that I even have my own book-fetching robot in the basement of a glass-domed reading room. Yep, I have my own robot to get books. His name's Mansueto.
Coffee. If you're not a coffee drinker, the air alone might make you one. I have seventeen coffee shops on campus, each with their own vibe. Sometimes they're the only way to make it through finals.
Hammocks. What's better than doing work while lying in a hammock? For the months that aren't frostbite inducing, you'll see school-owned hammocks everywhere.
Down coat. Yep, I'm in the Midwest and it's freezing. Sometimes, it'll even get to minus forty degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill, and that's no joke. Especially if you ever live off campus, you'll have to walk a lot. For the uninitiated, don't worry. I have extensive shuttle routes in the neighborhood too.
Street Smarts. The surrounding neighborhoods (especially nearby Woodlawn and Bronzeville) can get a little dicey. Make use of the free shuttles that can get you pretty much anywhere you want to go, whether it's to the library, the shops on 57th or 53rd st., or your friend's apartment. If you're ever feeling unsafe, one of the "umbrella service" security guards can also walk you home.

Why You Might Have Heard of Me:

Ever seen Divergent? It's okay; I like young adult fiction too. Or, you could say that it likes me. My futuristic-looking library Mansueto appears in it as—you guessed it—the headquarters for the evil Erudite.
Scav , or that crazed undergrad ritual of building odd contraptions, battling against teams in events such as a massive pillow fight, and chasing down obscure objects up to 1,000 miles away for the glory of winning the second largest scavenger hunt in America (open up your Guinness Book of World Records and see for yourself. I used to have the largest, but Google took my crown in September 2014).
I'm the second largest private employer in Chicago, so if you just love me even after spending four years here, there's a good chance I'll be employing you.
Did I mention that I'm smart? You might've heard that I promote "the life of the mind" as well as being "where fun goes to die." A bunch of my alumni have gone on to win Nobel Prizes. 'Nuff said.

On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...

I'll start off the night at an a cappella, dance, or theater performance if there is one, and then hang out with my House in one of our common areas. If I'm feeling really ambitious, I'll migrate to one of the frat parties on campus. Who doesn't love dancing and drinking jungle juice?

Twenty-one and uppers, can hit up the student-run on-campus Pub in the basement of Ida Noyes Hall that has a decent beer selection, pool tables, shuffleboard, and foosball. It also has a weekly trivia night. If I've already done that three weekends in a row, I might venture into Hyde Park and go to one of two dive bars: Jimmy's (a.k.a. Woodlawn Tap) or the Cove (you can't miss it with the giant Obama mural). It just depends on how far I want to walk.

If I were trying to impress someone, like a date, I might take the free shuttle bus that goes into downtown Chicago and check out the Art Institute for free, or see who's playing at the Empty Bottle.

Favorite Hangouts:

Like I said, I'm really into caffeine. Some of the best places on campus are coffee shops, and a few of them are run entirely by students. It really depends on the kind of coffee and atmosphere that I want.
If I went off campus to find coffee, I'll most likely be hanging out at Z&H (did anyone say Panini or outdoor patio?) or Bridgeport Coffee (kind of a trek, but totally worth it. It's actually attached to the Hyde Park Art Center. Sweet!).

For those non-coffee moments (I know, what?) I might be:
Relaxing on the Quad, on a nice day. It's the best place to throw a Frisbee, chat with friends, or slack-line. If I'm lucky, I'll lounge on one of the provided hammocks and enjoy the sun while it lasts.
Studying in the Reg, Mansueto, or the Harper Reading Room (a.k.a. Hogwarts' Great Hall). I can just feel that I'm getting smarter by sitting in these places and staring at my books. Studying is what I came here to do, after all.
Hanging out in my House's common rooms, duh. Where else would I be?

Quirks:

I'm on the Quarter system. Didn't think things could get more intense? Well, ten-week terms will do that to you. Think of it this way, I let you take nine classes each year.
I'm into shared learning experiences. I have something called The Core curriculum, which requires students reserve one third of their courses for interdisciplinary work in the Humanities, Sciences, Social Sciences, and a Foreign Language.
I speak Latin. Or rather, my degree abbreviations do. So when my students graduate, they get an A.B. in whatever major they chose, and not a B.A. Hey, Harvard does it too.
Houses compete against each other in things like Halloween Costume contests. Or, on a more serious note, every year Houses try to win the Triwizard, er I mean, the Maroon Cup by playing intramural sports like broomball, ultimate Frisbee or, of course, Quidditch.

Famous Alumni:

Carl Sagan, Pulitzer Prize winner, astronomer, and creator of the original Cosmos..."The sky calls to us."
Philip Kaufman, film director of The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Susan Sontag, MacArthur Fellow who's a writer, teacher, and filmmaker
Indiana Jones, that fictional archeology professor turned hero studied here