UNC life pwns UChicago life

Being a student at UNC is the total opposite of being a student at UChicago. I haven't taken any classes yet, so I'm not even talking about whatever differences there may be in academic rigor.

First: If you go to UChicago, you have to live in Hyde Park, or you have to be willing to commute. Commuting sucks because there isn't very convenient access to campus from the CTA. Living in Hyde Park sucks because there isn't really a great place to live. If you live close to campus, you're probably close to Hyde Park Produce and your classes, but you're a long way from access to downtown and a long way from all the more interesting places to eat on 53rd and 55th street. If you live farther, you have easy access to all these cool Thai restaurants, Hookah, etc, but you have to shop at the inferior grocery store and you're so far from campus. The thing is, though, that you really aren't "far" from campus-- it's only like 6 blocks-- but it seems SO FAR, especially in the winter.

At UNC, you can live in another TOWN and still feel connected to campus. You can bike everywhere and don't have to worry about getting mugged when you walk at night. There is free bus transportation for everyone, and you don't have to have your ID to ride. There are cool restaurants all over the place. There are MANY good grocery stores (including Whole Foods and Trader Joe's) and local produce, and you can access them all by bus if you've got it together.

Second: Everyone here is NICE. At UChicago, when you walk into a room of people, you automatically get the impression that everyone is thinking of ways to prove they are smarter than you. Or that you put too much/not enough effort into your appearance, depending on the person. (Just because Einstein didn't have time to groom himself doesn't mean you don't have to-- you aren't as important as he is, trust me). People are on guard to any other presence because they must preserve their personal integrity as "a smart person." Of course, everyone there IS very smart. I don't understand why everyone's gotta have this complex.

Also, no one at UChicago will hold a door open for you unless they are from the midwest, and sometimes not even then. Because they are in their own heads, I guess? But it's not about chivalry or antiquated gender roles (even though most of the guys will argue with you that it is, mostly because they feel under attack by your statement [see above paragraph]), it's about not letting a door slam in someone's face if they are holding a stack of books, a cup of coffee, a baby, a rack of test tubes, a home-made atomic bomb, or all of the above. LISTEN UP: Everyone, everyone, everyone at UNC will hold open a door for you, unless they don't know you are behind them. Sometimes a man will stop and hold a door open for you and let you go through first.

And! Guys are just nicer here. No one yells crude things. Everything is subtle. And no one is trying to prove how smart they are in the first 15 seconds of your introduction to them. And if you don't know what something is, you can ask about it, and someone will tell you in a non-condescending way. Everyone is smart and no one needs to prove it in a social situation. That's how it should be, right?

The last big difference I've noticed in this week of orientation is that my advisers at UNC are seriously considerate about my mental welfare. "You don't need to take another class-- there's plenty of time for that later." "We know you will be busy, and we don't want you to be stressed out." I found myself itching to take an optional elective class and found everyone else telling me I was nuts for pushing myself unnecessarily. That would never happen at UChicago. Be relaxed? Save time for social things? Where has UNC been all my life?

I'm even finding it hard to be cynical.