"We wear T-shirts that say ‘U of C: Where fun comes to die,' and we're proud of it," explains a first-year student. Undergraduates must complete an intense "interdisciplinary" core curriculum that "teaches them how to think about literature and philosophy and science." Naturally, "courses are tough." "Once you're out of the fire," though, "you realize how much more enriched you've become intellectually, with respect to how to learn and…knowledge itself." (from the Princeton Review).

This, in fact, is very true. Since the quarter system goes pretty fast, everything at UChicago comes intensively. Ask any student to describe the academic experience and you'll get the response, "It's intense". Likewise, this pressure-cooker studying leads to extreme gratification at the very end, something that not all students appreciate for its packed-punch delivery. What's the worth at the very end? I think this question is too immature; again, I'm making a reference to the veterans of the school, and the well-trodden path. Everything here is, naturally "tough". But the key rule is knowing that one should not "buckle down" or "tough it out". The first informal achievement is getting a knack. The second achievement is understanding that one never stops learning, and that once you finish a course, you are intellectually enriched with respect to learning and knowing. You come out with a deeper respect for knowledge, and will, as time goes, be able to think about literature, politics, and philosophy with great insight.