As a senior (wow I feel old) and looking back on my past 3.33 years here at UChicago, I thought I’d share 10 tips I have for incoming students!
1. Make friends anywhere and anytime! I made some of my best friends during the first quarter of college and I also made some of my best friends halfway through university. And I met each of them in entirely different settings: dorms, sororities, athletics, Christian groups, research lab, intramurals…so ultimately, my advice is to be friendly and always be open to meeting new people!
2. Sign up for those listhost emails. If I hadn’t signed up for the College research and fellowships list host, I would never have learned about the Stamps Scholars grant that ended up funding $20k of my research pursuits my third and fourth year of college. I also learned about job shadowing and treks through the Career Advancement listhost which was key to my decision to pursue an engineering career in industry.
3. Join clubs/groups that push you out of your comfort zone. During my third year, I joined the Writers’ Workshop Registered Student Organization (RSO) where I met with the group once a week to read over the members’ short stories and share feedback. It was an entirely new experience and honestly a little frightening to share my original work with the other members, but it was ultimately a lot of fun and I’m happy with how my story turned out! I also took part in Winter Wellness Club my third year where I competed with a team of friends to win prizes for completing wellness tasks.
4. Join intramurals. Whether you play with your house, your RSO, or your friends, I highly recommend playing intramurals. I played traditional sports like basketball, volleyball and ultimate frisbee, but also had a ton of fun playing kickball, dodgeball, and flag football. After intramurals season, some of the friends I made from my own team and the opposing teams ended up making “pickup soccer” or “pickup basketball” groupchats which opened up more opportunities for sports throughout the rest of the school year.
5. Get a Divvy membership. I seriously recommend this. Divvy is a Chicago bikeshare system which has normal bikes and electric bikes with multiple docks on and around UChicago’s campus. I love riding bikes with friends along the Chicago lakefront trail, and one of my favorite spring activities is to explore the food scene of different Chicago neighborhoods while on a Divvy. Downtown is only about a 7-mile ride from Hyde Park. Otherwise, they’re great for getting around campus or heading to 53rd street to check out the Hyde Park restaurant scene.
6. Find the balance. Sure, you may have heard some of the mottos “where fun goes to die” or “life of the grind.” And I won’t disagree; students here are very hardworking and dedicated to their studies and I admit, it can be easy to get caught up in all of it because there’s always more to learn! While it’s very possible to spend every spare minute in one of the many libraries and study spaces at UChicago, I would also encourage taking time to pursue other non-academic passions. It’s so important to find that balance between work and fun, school and social.
7. Get a Facebook account. Okay this one might seem a bit strange but hear me out. I started using Facebook more regularly once I started at UChicago because it became a great place to learn about upcoming events such as lecture series, on-campus concerts, and free food at different RSO’s study breaks. A lot of RSOs have Facebook groups or Facebook messenger group chats where they communicate about their events as well, so it was key for me to stay updated on what was going on. I don’t recommend spending all your time on Facebook, but checking it every once and awhile was great for finding out about what was happening on campus!
8. Find a place just for you! Especially when you live in the dorms, it’s very hard to take time for yourself or just be in a location without people constantly around. I recommend finding a location/activity where you can escape for a bit and take a breather. For me, this was long bike rides along the Lakefront trail. For others, I know this could be taking a walk outside, doing some meditation, going to church, or finding an off-campus coffee shop. It’s so important to take time for yourself and especially when college seems to be moving a little too fast, it’s nice to have a go-to spot to escape for a bit.
9. Explore the city! I didn’t do this enough my first and second year, and then Covid hit which made it very difficult to truly engage in the arts and culture scene that takes place in Chicago. So don’t lose your chance and start today! A lot of the dorms will have free tickets to musicals or Cubs games which you can enter the lottery for and this can be a great way to try out a new experience with your house friends. There’s also so many amazing museums like the Art Institute, the Field Museum, and the Museum of Science and Industry!
10. Try out an on-campus job! Working for UChicago admissions has been so much fun and I highly recommend checking it out – it’s a fun way to meet more people and also help showcase how amazing our school is for prospective students and families. I also have loved my time working as an intramural soccer referee. There are other jobs related to social media for different organizations, research, or working the front desk for different building (you can do homework during these!). And if an on-campus job isn't the fit for you, there's tons of off-campus roles or part-time internships that you can learn about through the Career Advancement office.
So prospective student, I’m excited for you! I hope these tips were helpful as you're looking ahead to starting college. Have the best time during your next four years:)