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University of Chicago . . . Where students study hard and play hard!
There’s an old myth among college reviewers that the University of Chicago is “where fun goes to die”. Nothing could be farther from the truth! So how does a myth manage to linger about one of America’s truly great universities? First, college myths seem to easily develop and maintain a life of their own. For instance, MIT has as many sports teams as any college in America but the myth of uncoordinated nerds with pencil protectors continues. In the case of the University of Chicago, the myth probably originated from jealousy or misunderstanding. The University of Chicago has long enjoyed a student body which is quite serious about academics; that much is absolutely true. Students at the University of Chicago care about the courses they attend. Walk through Harvard Yard and you’ll find any number of students who feel that classes are an interruption or necessary evil to the “real” focus of their college education . . . whatever that might be. In general, that’s probably less true on the attractive Hyde Park campus.
But the craziest part of this old myth is to link being serious about studies with a lack of fun. A college can feature both and the University of Chicago proves it! The list of time honored and crazy traditions on campus is too long to list but here are a few . . . the Polar Bear Run, Midnight Breakfast, Shake Day, Summer Breeze and of course the world’s largest scavenger hunt.
Perhaps the University of Chicago is best represented by an entirely fictitious alumna . . . Indiana Jones! The character is first seen as a serious professorial type but he turns out to have another equally interesting side. Much like another fictitious graduate, Dr. Richard Kimble of “The Fugitive”, students at the University of Chicago are often misunderstood by those outside the campus.
And speaking of life off campus . . . is there a city any more fun than Chicago to spend your college years? With both the White Sox and the Cubbies, a trip to the ball park is possible almost every day from April until the end of October. Chicago’s night life and music scene is legendary. It doesn’t get any better than Chicago when thinking about college.
So, the next time you hear some college expert joke that the University of Chicago is where fun goes to die. Don’t believe it. Actually, the University of Chicago is where serious students go to learn and have fun!
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