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This site is designed for first-year undergraduate students. Other sites for newly admitted students:

Advice from Returning Students

O-Week

I remember wanting to stay in my car with my parents for as long as possible. I finally stepped out onto the Hitchcock quad and everyone knew my name, instantly! In a matter of seconds, House O-Aides had literally taken my stuff out of the car and placed it all into my room. It was the warmest, fastest welcoming I have ever received.
- Zarah Carranco, Class of 2008

Remember that you only get one O-Week and it will be something that you remember for the rest of your college career, so have fun.
Try to meet as many people as you can, especially during O-Week. Every event can be an opportunity to branch out. First year – most of all first month – everyone is trying to make friends and will tend to be receptive to your reaching out and being friendly.
Come with an open mind and give people a chance. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.
Keep in touch with your high school friends, but be sure to make friends on campus, too.
Be sure to go to your placement tests and to get enough sleep before them. Take language placement tests for any language you’re thinking about continuing in college.

Dorm Life

During O-Week you'll be given all the information you would possibly want to know about this school. Everyone's very energetic and eager to help so take advantage of these happy souls and make sure to check out all the wonderful opportunities our school has to offer! You'll also quickly learn to love the housing system.
- Anne Kim, Class of 2008

Our house really bonded. Maybe bonded a bit too much--we saw Ratner on the screen for one of those movies and a lot of people yelled YEAH RICKERT!!! It was awesome.
- Katie Mischner, Class of 2009

Getting to know the people in your house and becoming involved in house activities can provide a strong and close-knit community for you within the school. Some of these friendships may last all four years at the College and beyond.
Try to meet people outside of your house, too. Classes and RSOs are great resources outside the house.
Don’t take all your belongings with you to college. You won’t use a lot of what you bring, and you won’t have room to put all the new stuff you’ll want to get.
Right off the bat, talk to your roommate and set down some general ground rules. Establish how you feel about sharing/borrowing items and food, visitors, etc. A little communication goes a long way.
Don’t hit the snooze button too many times, particularly if your roommate is trying to sleep. Fighting with your roommate is even less fun than usual at 8 am.
If you’re living in a dorm with a communal bathroom, be sure to buy a pair of shower sandals, a bathrobe and a basket for your showering needs. If you have a private bathroom, be sure to clean it regularly. Bathrooms can get disgusting pretty quickly.
Be considerate when you’re doing laundry, especially during “peak times,” like Sunday nights. Don’t forget your clothes in the washer or the dryer for hours at a time; often, people will take out your clothes and throw them on a table or chair—and you might not want that.

Classes

What a lot of first-years do not realize is that you are allowed to “shop” around for classes during the first three weeks of every quarter. If a class sounds interesting to you but you are not sure if it would be a good fit for you, or if you are just not sure which professor you want to take a certain Hum course from, then you should sit in on at least the first class of all the courses you are interested in taking. Don’t get stuck in a class you know you are not going to enjoy just because you are afraid of switching sections or don’t know how!
- Ayoung Lee, Class of 2009

Take a few electives. Sample different disciplines; you never know, you might find your perfect major by taking a class for fun.
Familiarize yourself with the Core/General Education Requirements – see exactly what you need to take to graduate, talk to your adviser and upper-class students about what your options are, read descriptions of classes in the Course Catalog and browse course and professor evaluations online (http://evaluations.uchicago.edu).
Check out http://marketplace.uchicago.edu (the University of Chicago version of Craigslist), Amazon.com, Half.com, and the Reg (the main library on campus) to find cheaper alternatives to the bookstore. Also, talk to fellow students to see if they will sell their books to you or let you borrow them. For Core classes especially, the chances of someone having the books you need is high.
If you’re thinking about study abroad, research options your first year so you can plan your schedule around it and be sure to fit it in. It’s not a bad idea to develop a rough four-year plan. Several study-abroad options cover the Civ core requirement, but there are also plenty of other opportunities to go abroad.
It’s not always a good idea to preorder all the books for a class. The book list might change throughout the quarter, and there’s often no need to buy the recommended reading books.
Don’t worry too much about grades.

Co-curriculars

There is an incredible amount of groups and co-curricular activities to get involved in at the University of Chicago. An organization exists for just about every interest you may have, and if it doesn’t you can start one! Students here are very passionate about everything they do and always willing to share their interests.
- Agnes Bugaj, Class of 2010

Get involved in the myriad activities on campus–they’re a lot of fun, very easy to join and a great way to meet people and get free food. Also, you can put leadership positions on a resume and get some valuable work experience.
Be aware of all the things going on around campus. There are a ton of student performances (music, theater) and cultural shows. Not all events and clubs are highly publicized, so you may have to search a bit.
If your fantasy RSO does not exist, get 8 other students together and make it happen.
RSOs—especially Cultural Groups—often provide Student Government sponsored study breaks with free food. It is possible to find yourself not eating at the dining hall or cooking for yourself for an entire week if you keep your eyes and ears open.
Groups on campus are also constantly fundraising, meaning on any day of the week you can probably find a Chinese Bun or Bubble Tea sale somewhere on campus.

Hyde Park and the Campus

Try to experiment with the different places to eat and shop. There are so many different types of places in Hyde Park, don’t restrict yourself to the same two or three places you try out first.
- Brian Glorioso, Class of 2010

Check out all the coffee shops on campus – Cobb Coffee Shop in the basement of Cobb, Classics Café on the second floor of Classics, the Div School Coffee Shop in the Divinity School basement, Hallowed Grounds on the 2nd floor of the Reynolds Club, Ex Libris in the Reg and any number of other coffee shops in Hyde Park. These are great little places to sit and relax with very reasonably priced food and drinks. Often you have to pay with cash, though, so come prepared.
Explore the campus. You’ll be surprised when you stumble upon places like the OI Study Room and the quirky interactive experiments set-up in the KPTC for passers-by to observe, and discover that if you happen to be at the Reynolds Club on a Tuesday evening, you can hear various choirs practicing. It is the small discoveries that make this place home, and it is those hidden treasures around campus that give the University of Chicago a distinct personality.
Hyde Park Produce is a great place to go for vegetables, cheeses and breads at a reasonable price and is conveniently located near the CVS drug store.

Resources

Don’t be afraid to ask people for help. Professors are happy to talk to you after class, upperclassmen love to give you tips, and even your housemates can tell you where to print out your papers for free!
- Alexa Tompary, Class of 2010

If you have a problem with anything, there will be someone in the University who can help.
Get to know your professors. If you have questions about anything, go and talk to them during office hours. That's what they’re there for!
Realize that your fellow students are often great resources. I always find that my peers are willing to brainstorm essay ideas, edit papers, or do problem sets with friends, unlike at other universities where schoolwork is seen more as an outlet for competition. Get a study buddy or find a study group.
Try going to the Harper tutors, who offer help for many of the Core classes – they will read your Hum papers, for instance, or help you with calculus homework.
Find a friend/mentor within the faculty or staff. You can start building great relationships with them beginning in the first quarter of your first year. The faculty here make themselves readily available and willing to listen to your ideas and questions. Looking ahead, remember that for many jobs and internships, scholarships and fellowships and grad school, you will need recommendations, so it’s good to establish ties early on – and to maintain them.

Work

Nearly every department or office has opportunities for student workers. Whether it’s research for a bio lab or organizing campus events, you can secure one of hundreds of campus jobs by displaying your commitment and enthusiasm.
- Remy Cossé, Class of 2009

Apply early if you want a job – there are plenty of them early on in the year/quarter, and it’s definitely possible to work a few hours a week while keeping up your academics.
Working during the school-year is a good way to meet people and develop or demonstrate organization and time-management skills.
Realize that there are both research and internship opportunities available either on campus or that can be found through services like CAPS (Career Advising and Planning Services). These opportunities can help build resumes for work after College or for grad school.

Life

"If there is one way to describe life at UChicago, it is full of enthusiasm. Whether for academics, extracurricular activities, getting out in Chicago or a discussion about science fiction at the dinner table, students at this University are passionate about what they do and find joy in diverse interests."
- Tal Kopan, Class of 2009

Don’t forget to drop a line to your family once in a while.
Consider staying at school over Thanksgiving break. Many people do stay, so you won’t be without company, and it’s a short break.
Monitor your mental health. College living means your education, employment and social life all take place within a small community. It can be difficult to take a break from your stressors. Adequate sleep, healthy eating patterns and exercise go a long way toward alleviating stress.
Invest in some long underwear, a good winter coat and boots. Dress in layers – it might be below zero outside and 80 degrees in one of your classrooms and you’ll want to be able to adjust accordingly.
Take advantage of $1 Shake Day at the C-Shop on Wednesdays.
Know where the Student Care Center is before you get sick!
Take your time getting adjusted. There's so much pressure to grow up fast when you get to college. A lot of it is about discovering who you are and what is important to you, and that takes patience…or a crystal ball.

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