Pride of Illinois
A city that was to live by night after the wilderness had passed. A city that was to forge out of steel and blood-red neon its own peculiar wilderness.” ~Nelson Algren, Chicago: City on the Make~
University of Chicago is known as the “pride of Illinois”. Mr. John D. Rockefeller, along with contributions by the American Baptist Education Society, found the University in 1890. The University’s land was donated by Marshall Field, owner of the historic Chicago department store that bore his name. “‘bran splinter new,’ yet as solid as the ancient hills” was Mr. William Rainey Harper’s vision for the university. Mr. William Harper who was the first President of the university wanted the establishment to grow in to a modern research university, combining an English-style undergraduate college and a German-style graduate research institute.
This university strived to promote equal opportunity and had an open admission system. Students from Japan, China, the Philippines, Korea, India, and South Africa, as well as Canada, the nations of Western Europe, and dozens of other countries enrolled in the University of Chicago. The University’s open admission policy also attracted American minorities, particularly Jewish and African American students who found their educational paths blocked by pol- icies or quotas at many other institutions.
The University of Chicago’s first Nobel laureate was Albert A. Michelson. The first American to win the Nobel Prize in any of the sciences, Michelson was recognized in 1907 for his advancements in measuring the speed of light. Since then, University faculty and scholars have been recognized with some of the highest international honors in their fields. In total, faculty, researchers, and alumni of the University of Chicago have earned nearly 90 Nobel Prizes and nearly 50 MacArthur “genius grants,” along with numerous national medals and fellowships!
Majors and Minors
When selecting a major, it is advised by the university to do a thorough research on what the student’s focus is on. Minor is a supporting subject which can be chosen to expand the intellectual knowledge of the students as per their interests.
Fields offered
The university offers 22 Humanitarian subjects, 16 Social sciences, 11 Physical sciences, 4 New Collegiate Divisions and 1 Biological science subject. Anthropology, Art History, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Biological chemistry, Cinema and media studies, Comparative Literature, Computational Neuroscience are few of the subjects which are offered at the university.
Campus Life
When there are no exams to study for and no assignment to submit, there are plenty of extra-curricular activities happening at College. There are sports as well as Arts and literature activities which students can enroll in; Film studies center, Renaissance society, UChicago Arts, University Theatre, Athletics and personal fitness, Sports clubs, Varsity sports, Intramurals and the list goes on.
There are many social events which the students organize; Homecoming, Kuvia/ Kangeiko, Blues and Ribs, Dance Marathon, College Honors Award Reception, Fall Formal, Festival of the Arts, Martin Luther King week, Family weekends and many more.
Low funded student options
Offering world class education, University of Chicago has certain arrangements to support low income students. Emergency funds, Health Insurance, Student employment opportunities, Tax free concession rates. There are International grants which provide up to $5000 for students to work or intern abroad. In addition to the many grants, there are also scholarships provided for post graduate students.
Career advising
University of Chicago mentors students on choosing careers and paves the path for internships. There are professional groom- ing programs which teach the students from making the CV to facing the interview and how to overcome challenges in the work place. There is a giant network of alumni and sponsoring organizations which creates more opportunities to students to be employed. Furthermore career advising is done from the freshman year to the final year of College.
Next week, ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. And as Arthur Ashe states, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” and start reaching those dreams! Contact details of UChicago; University Registrar 1427 East 60th Street Chicago, IL 60637 United States Phone: 773-702-7891 Fax: 773-702-3562 Website: www.uchicago.edu