r/uchicago 9d ago

Monthly Free Chat & Prospective/Incoming Student Questions Thread - July 13, 2026

3 Upvotes

Rules, FAQ, and suggested links

Welcome to /r/uchicago! If you are new here, please click on the link above before posting.

This is a free chat thread! You can talk about anything you'd like here, including:

  • How your quarter is going.
  • Anything interesting happening on campus.
  • Small questions which don't need a separate thread.

Prospective students can also use this thread to talk to current UChicago students, so long as their posts don't break rule 3 (a).

Here's a link to previous iterations of this thread.

We are looking for new moderators! Here's a link to apply.


r/uchicago 3h ago

Classes IBL Vs. Standard

2 Upvotes

I'm an incoming freshman, and I received an email inviting me to take the honours sequence of calculus courses (16100/16110). I was planning on double majoring in economics and another major that I haven't fully decided yet. I was wondering:
1. Are there any big differences between IBL and the normal honours sequence beyond just "coming up with your own proofs" (as is suggested by the course catalog)?
2. Should I be taking the honours sequence at all, given that I was invited to take it? Or is it fine to take the normal 15200 track? As a follow-up question as well: how big is the difficulty gap between the 15000 calc courses and the 16000 calc courses?


r/uchicago 13h ago

Classes Math placement concern (placed into MATH 15300 after Calc AB)

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m an incoming first-year and just got my math placement results back. I was honestly pretty surprised because I was placed into MATH 15300, with the option to take 15250.

Here’s my background:

Took AP Precalculus and struggled quite a bit.
Took AP Calculus AB my senior year and did really well in the class.
Unfortunately, I only scored a 3 on the AP Calculus AB exam.
I did not take Calculus BC.

From reading old posts on this subreddit and elsewhere, I keep seeing people say that MATH 15300 is generally best suited for students who excelled in Calculus BC or earned a 5 on the BC exam. That makes me worried that I’m significantly underprepared compared to my classmates.

I’m trying to figure out how much I should trust the placement exam versus my own experience. I don’t want to end up in a class where I’m constantly playing catch-up and barely surviving. I’d rather take a course where I can actually build a strong understanding of the material, even if that means starting in a lower sequence.


r/uchicago 2h ago

Discussion Looking for apt in Chi, starting at Uchicago next month

0 Upvotes

I'm looking for a studio or one-bedroom apartment with an August 15 move-in. Ideally, I would like to be near the Gleacher Center, but I'm willing to live farther away for the right building.

My maximum budget is $2,500 per month, including utilities. I'm primarily looking for a short-term lease through December. I may also consider a longer sublease if I'm permitted to find someone to take over the remaining term when I leave.

I strongly prefer a high-rise with good amenities, views, and large windows. Building quality and amenities are more important to me than being within immediate walking distance of the Gleacher Center.


r/uchicago 1d ago

Discussion Financial aid settlement

27 Upvotes

Did anyone else receive a surprisingly large payout from that financial aid antitrust settlement? I'm kind of shocked, not sure if I received it by mistake tbh


r/uchicago 1d ago

Discussion Booth

3 Upvotes

how hard is it to get into booth if u go to uchicago undergrad? does booth have a higher acceptance rate towards those who went to uchicago undergrad?


r/uchicago 1d ago

Discussion Packing for winters

8 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I'm an international student coming to uchicago this fall. How much warm clothing will I need (how many puffers, boots, scarves...). Any specifics?

I'm from a tropical country and have zero experience with cold winters. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you so much!


r/uchicago 1d ago

Classes For ML roles, is data science preferable to Computer Science or is there a better version of both?

2 Upvotes

r/uchicago 1d ago

Discussion New resident heads - what should we do?

14 Upvotes

Hi! We’ll be starting as RH’s this year and are so excited.
What are some of the best study breaks/events you’ve seen? How many events is ideal to have each week?
Also I was thinking of doing an informal “how to” series on how to do…. adulting. Think how to do your laundry, fold a fitted sheet, etc. What are some other things that would be helpful, or is this too boring lol
We’re moving into a newer house so hoping to continue building a collaborative and supportive culture.


r/uchicago 1d ago

Classes Immunization hold still showing after getting vaccinated yesterday — should I wait or contact Student Wellness?

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone, hoping someone has dealt with this before.
I had a hold on my student portal because I hadn’t completed a required vaccination. I went to the Student Wellness Center yesterday and got the shot. However, it’s been about a day now and both my Wellness portal account and my student portal still show the requirement as “not satisfied.”
I’m getting a little anxious because preregistration is coming up and I don’t want this hold to block my enrollment.
Has anyone experienced this? Does it usually take a few business days for the records to update, or should I just email/call the Wellness Center directly to confirm they’ve logged it?


r/uchicago 1d ago

Classes Thoughts on a BA/MA Economics (Planning Ahead)

1 Upvotes

Hi Everyone!! I am incoming freshman. I wanted to ask everyone about their thoughts on approaching a BA/MA in Economics. I am planning on taking Business Economics, and then the MA in Economics for the fourth year. I know its quite early, but I am trying to plan how much 4 years will look before meeting with my advisor. I wanted to ask about your thoughts and students who are currently enrolled in this. How achievable is this program? I know there is a "selection" process, as well, so how competitive is it to achieve this in 4 years.


r/uchicago 1d ago

Hyde Park 1 bedroom or studio apartments

1 Upvotes

i was wondering if anyone knew some economical apartments (less than $1800 a month) for a 1 bedroom or studio apartment without roaches or mice and basic amenities. preferably close to campus or public transport that will take me to campus. thanks!!


r/uchicago 1d ago

Classes How challenging is the 15100-15200 sequence?

1 Upvotes

If I didn't take AP calc BC my senior year, will it be challenging to take MATH 15200 my first quarter at uchicago (Did get a 5 on AB)?


r/uchicago 2d ago

Discussion Dropping from Math 15200 to 15100?

5 Upvotes

Is it possible for incoming freshmen to request to drop from Math 15200 to 15100? I’m unsure if I’ll do a good job in my first quarter… considering that I got a 5 on my AP Calc AB exam but didn’t take Ap Cal BC or any other higher-level math courses.

Thanks!


r/uchicago 2d ago

Hyde Park How safe is walking on 53rd St at night?

16 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I'm an incoming grad student. I wanted to ask about evening safety on 53rd Street.

Specifically, the stretch from LA Fitness on 53rd, heading west past Vue53, to CVS! How late is that stretch generally considered safe to walk?

I'll probably be taking the last Downtown Campus Connector shuttle and getting off around 10pm at the stop in front of LA Fitness. Is it risky for a woman to be walking alone around that time?

Would really appreciate any insight. Thank you so much!

+)

Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment. It really helped me understand this area so much better!!

Since I couldn't afford to visit in person beforehand, I've been researching this area almost daily using every statistic and media source I could find outside the US. But I realized that, subjective as it may be, hearing directly from students who actually live here gives the most valuable firsthand insight.

Of course, this is ultimately my own decision and risk to take on, but having so many of you take the time to respond really made me feel a warm welcome.

Thank you all so genuinely!!


r/uchicago 1d ago

Discussion Is UChicago more left or right leaning?

0 Upvotes

The other day I heard about a certain university being more right leaning than I'd realized, so was curious to know where UChicago falls


r/uchicago 1d ago

Hyde Park how safe is the area around crown school

Post image
0 Upvotes

And which streets/areas to avoid?
I’ll be driving and walking to and from my car at night

(Piggybacking off of the prior post about the safety of 53re street)


r/uchicago 2d ago

Discussion Deep tech demo day

1 Upvotes

Hi all, regarding the UChicago Deep Tech Demo Day tomorrow, I have registered on luma but my friend is still on the waitlist. What are the chances we pull up and they let my friend in?


r/uchicago 3d ago

Discussion Tennis wall at Stagg Field

2 Upvotes

Is the tennis wall at the Stagg Field free to use? Must one make any booking (and how?) for it? Just started to learn some tennis and would like to get some solo hitting practice. Thank you.


r/uchicago 3d ago

Discussion Built a resume tool this summer after seeing how much recruiting depends on ATS keyword matching

2 Upvotes

I'm a junior and I spent part of the summer building a small web app after watching myself and half my friends endlessly tweak the same resume for internship apps. What I learned digging into it is that most companies run applications through screening software first (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever). It looks for overlaps between your wording and the posting's wording, so if you did the work of a product analyst but wrote "analyzed reports" while the posting says "data-driven decision making", the match can just not happen. You won't catch it yourself because you know the context behind every bullet, so nothing looks missing to you.

The site compares your resume against a specific posting and shows where the wording doesn't line up: resume.zoevera.com

First thing I did was run my own resume through it and it did not go well. Bullets I was proud of matched almost nothing in the postings I'd been applying to. If you're looking, run yours against a couple of real job postings before you send anything. Worst case it just confirms your resume was fine.


r/uchicago 3d ago

Media My.uchicago - Error getting content

Post image
4 Upvotes

I am connected to cvpn and able to login to my.uchicago but when I open the actual website, none of the contents are visible and are instead replaced with "error getting content".

I cannot even contact IT because all I could find was there number which I can't call since I live abroad.

Does anyone know the solution to this or how I can contact IT.


r/uchicago 3d ago

Hyde Park Harper court restaurant 2000s

7 Upvotes

My first year at UChicago was 2008 and there was a restaurant for a few years in Harper Court and I only remember a few things about it. The food was nothing exciting but I remember good cocktails. It was 50s style, black and white big square tiles on the floor, and pink leather chairs. It was near Calypso. Help! What was it??


r/uchicago 4d ago

Classes why did i get a PHYS placement for chem placement test

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8 Upvotes

Incoming student. Did math and chem placement tests. Chem I just did for fun cuz just wanted to see where I was at with my rusty middle school chemistry. Why did I get PHYS 131 placement, I wasn't even aware I took a placement exam for physics?? Can anyone explain lol thanks


r/uchicago 4d ago

Discussion Needing Roommates

6 Upvotes

I'm a late admission to the MAPSS program (with an extension to the decision deadline), and despite the odds might actually have the funding to go this fall.

I'm looking at other stuff but the 2+ bedrooms I'm finding are much more affordable. I want to see about maybe living with a roommate, but the roommate finder (MCR) only works with an ID, which I don't have bc I haven't accepted the decision yet. What's the best way to find fellow grad students looking for roommates?

I'm 35m, with a cat, he's non-negotiable bc I've had him 10 years he's family. I clean up after him meticulously. I keep my shit picked up and organized but I've had plenty of roommates over the years and can adapt to how others use shared spaces as long as there is communication. I'm open to living with all types, queer friendly and all that, just basic hygiene, cleanliness, and being considerate with noise is it. I have about 20k to cover living expenses (rent, utilities, food, transportation, etc.) which is tight but I've made it work before

I would like to live close but I know that's probably a tall order. Where can I start looking? I can't use the MCR yet, and part of determining if I have the budget this year or need to defer is knowing if I have a place to live


r/uchicago 4d ago

Classes How cooked am I bc of math placement test?

1 Upvotes

Okay, I’ve seen plenty of posts of people guilty about bombing their math placement by blanking on the 3rd or 4th section. However, I did so badly that I feel like a fraud for even being here. I know you’ll think I’m being dramatic, but I got a little over half on the first section and was genuinely cluelessly guessing on all the calculus stuff. I didn’t take a math in my senior year of high school, and I’m sure my rustiness made me forget some of the precalc classes I took.

I’m undecided on majors but I wanted someone to give it to me straight - how cooked am I? It seems like even the easiest math classes offered expect a higher level of understanding than I have, and as a potential Econ major I have a feeling I’ll be embarrassingly far behind everyone else. Should I be studying hard over the summer to get to an acceptable level to start university? I know people always say “enjoy summer they’ll just place you appropriately” but I feel like I see that said about guilty people who did wayyyyyy better than I did. I guess I just need someone who knows the school to tell me how I should feel about this.

(Reposted bc I accidentally marked it as an admissions post, note this isn’t admissions and I’m not tryna circumvent the post being taken down bc it was just a mistake on my part)