From my understanding, UChicago is one of the toughest schools to get into. Right there with Caltech and MIT. Coach gets very little help from admissions.
UChicago is actively looking to build up their athletic programs, realizing that alumni like to contribute to winning sports teams. Their two best sports are soccer and tennis.
But the rising import of athletics has not been fully communicated nor absorbed by most staff and faculty. So balancing schoolwork with athletics is left up to the student, making UChicago one of the toughest places to be a student-athlete.
No help through admissions
No in-season early registration
No tutoring or help picking a major
Athletes have to fund-raise to pay for equipment and travel
Days off for athletic travel count as absences
All work must be made up, and is subject to the individual professors' requirements
Also, UChicago baseball does not fully participate in the UAA athletic conference, opting instead for a regional schedule to cut down on travel costs. But, what a great school! Right up there with Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT.
@SpeedDemon posted:UChicago is actively looking to build up their athletic programs, realizing that alumni like to contribute to winning sports teams. Their two best sports are soccer and tennis.
But the rising import of athletics has not been fully communicated nor absorbed by most staff and faculty. So balancing schoolwork with athletics is left up to the student, making UChicago one of the toughest places to be a student-athlete.
No help through admissions
No in-season early registration
No tutoring or help picking a major
Athletes have to fund-raise to pay for equipment and travel
Days off for athletic travel count as absences
All work must be made up, and is subject to the individual professors' requirements
Also, UChicago baseball does not fully participate in the UAA athletic conference, opting instead for a regional schedule to cut down on travel costs. But, what a great school! Right up there with Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT.
What type of fundraising is required? Do other schools require this as well?
Reach out to MidwestMom...her son plays for UofC...she hasn't posted in a while, I'll send her a note.
Pay It Forward Recruiting Advice from a 2019 Mom | High School Baseball Web (hsbaseballweb.com)
@TerribleBPthrower posted:What type of fundraising is required? Do other schools require this as well?
My 2021 daughter was recruited by Chicago for softball. Fundraising was def part of the package as travel funds were limited. Pretty sure it was $500/player/season, could have been a bit lower. Was the same for baseball we were told. We found it not uncommon outside of the well-funded D3 conferences (NESCAC, NEWMAC, UAA etc) to have to chip in for uniforms and travel. Players will sometimes do car washes or other events to raise funds, but often parents just write another check.
Great school. Definitely the toughest school to get accepted into in that conference. Their team is always very competitive and scrappy. It can be a pretty rough neighborhood to go to college in, fwiw
@3and2Fastball posted:Great school. Definitely the toughest school to get accepted into in that conference. Their team is always very competitive and scrappy. It can be a pretty rough neighborhood to go to college in, fwiw
Hyde Park - Drug dealers, pimps, and economic Nobel Prize winners.
@SpeedDemon posted:UChicago is actively looking to build up their athletic programs, realizing that alumni like to contribute to winning sports teams. Their two best sports are soccer and tennis.
But the rising import of athletics has not been fully communicated nor absorbed by most staff and faculty. So balancing schoolwork with athletics is left up to the student, making UChicago one of the toughest places to be a student-athlete.
No help through admissions
No in-season early registration
No tutoring or help picking a major
Athletes have to fund-raise to pay for equipment and travel
Days off for athletic travel count as absences
All work must be made up, and is subject to the individual professors' requirements
Also, UChicago baseball does not fully participate in the UAA athletic conference, opting instead for a regional schedule to cut down on travel costs. But, what a great school! Right up there with Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT.
Sounds like they hate student athletes. Not an environment I’d want for my athlete.
@RoadRunner posted:Sounds like they hate student athletes. Not an environment I’d want for my athlete.
I think it's more that the university's focus is on academics, with not much thought given to sports.
@RoadRunner posted:Sounds like they hate student athletes. Not an environment I’d want for my athlete.
I think that you are missing the entire point of a University of Chicago education. Absolutely no one, I mean no one, is going to Hyde Park for the sports. Every single athlete is there for the education first. By a wide margin.
@Around_The_Horn posted:I think that you are missing the entire point of a University of Chicago education. Absolutely no one, I mean no one, is going to Hyde Park for the sports. Every single athlete is there for the education first. By a wide margin.
With all due respect, I think you are missing my point! I am quite familiar with University of Chicago. And I stand by what I said. Let me phrase it a different way. UC is no place for an athlete.
Hi everyone -- haven't been around for awhile. This looks like a long thread, but if I'm seeing the question at hand it appears to be parent fundraising requirements at UofC, I would respond that there are no requirements in baseball. There is an annual university campaign for donating to the sports programs for alumni and parents, and I think perhaps we get one other email, but it doesn't seem any different (and is lower key) than my own alma mater, Northwestern.
Any other questions, let me know.
Just in general to parents who are going through this with high academic kids. My son is a rising senior and has gotten an amazing education that I would put up against any other school, period. We went through the ups and downs of the recruiting process and with a little hindsight, and my son had to choose between a D1 school that he wasn't sure he loved and and a few high academic D3s. He went with UofC and didn't look back. My husband played D1 Basketball and chose Northwestern because of the academics even though he could have played at schools where the teams actually won. He didn't look back. My best advice to parents whose kids likely won't be in the MLB is to pick the best academic school you can where you can play. That education serves you your entire life.
Ok, so I read through a bit more and want to set the record straight on a few other points that were raised for those parents and students who have an interest in UofC.
Athletes have to fund-raise to pay for equipment and travel: False -- not true for baseball. Can't speak to other sports.
Days off for athletic travel count as absences: False. My son never had his athletic schedule questioned -- he let his professors know and they were accommodating. UofC fields hundreds of athletes on a lot of teams, so it's not like baseball players are unique. However it is true he did have to take any quizzes or tests he wasn't there for and he did have to turn in homework.
One thing to note for baseball -- they don't miss school every week during the season. Most of their games are on weekends, and often double headers. They miss a few Fridays and played local teams occasionally early evening during the week, but they did not miss school every week. If you're up front with your professors, there shouldn't be a problem. I thought most HA schools require making up tests and work, but perhaps other parents can weigh in there as a comparison.
To be transparent, I would say in general:
1. Athletes don't get preferential treatment. They're like other students. They're not Gods. They're not hated. They're simply part of the student community. And quite a number of students actually come out to baseball games when it's not 32 degrees -- which is more than came out when I was in college.
2. Athletes have to keep up academically. 35 of the 37 baseball players were Academic All-Conference this Spring -- that's 3.3+ grade point.
3. UofC facilities are not state of the art and it's fair to say they don't have the resources that D1 schools have. I doubt that would be a surprise to most parents who are doing their homework.
4. UofC is highly competitive among HA baseball players who want to play ball at a top school, especially those who have that feeling they will go D3. It's true the admissions process for athletes is not completely clear (ie is there some preference or not?). However my son was admitted ED and I think each athlete is different based on the student's record, their essays (which mattered) and how much the Coach wants them.
5. My son loves it there, he's found great friends on the team and in his fraternity and respects and likes his coaches. The parents are great too!
Separately, I'd like to challenge the comment that UofC is no place for an athlete. Probably for the person who commented on it they believe it, and that's fine. If your focus is on your son being an athlete and having the D1 baseball experience, then UofC is NOT for you. Fully agree with that.
BUT, that's no reason to insult the student athletes (UofC fields hundreds of athletes every year) and their Coaches (who are terrific). Especially because we see our sons and daughters work their butts off just like other student athletes do year round, while they have to compete academically with some of the smartest peers they could have at one of the world's best universities... and they do so without any favors from anybody. They ARE athletes. And they ARE students too.
I know I appreciated what this website was for me when my son was going through the process -- I learned so much from so many of those veterans during my son's journey, which was filled with many great memories, a few tears and a lot of laughter. Everyone said it works out for the best and it really does. Good luck!
Thank you Midwest Mom!
@Midwest Mom posted:Hi everyone -- haven't been around for awhile. This looks like a long thread, but if I'm seeing the question at hand it appears to be parent fundraising requirements at UofC, I would respond that there are no requirements in baseball. There is an annual university campaign for donating to the sports programs for alumni and parents, and I think perhaps we get one other email, but it doesn't seem any different (and is lower key) than my own alma mater, Northwestern.
Any other questions, let me know.
Just in general to parents who are going through this with high academic kids. My son is a rising senior and has gotten an amazing education that I would put up against any other school, period. We went through the ups and downs of the recruiting process and with a little hindsight, and my son had to choose between a D1 school that he wasn't sure he loved and and a few high academic D3s. He went with UofC and didn't look back. My husband played D1 Basketball and chose Northwestern because of the academics even though he could have played at schools where the teams actually won. He didn't look back. My best advice to parents whose kids likely won't be in the MLB is to pick the best academic school you can where you can play. That education serves you your entire life.
Thanks. Appreciate the input
I hadn’t connected these things before but now that you mention it, I did get several emails last fall asking for sport-specific donations during “Donation Week” at several schools.
So perhaps the momentum has shifted to means testing the fundraising rather than requiring it. If so, it’s a great development - shows the schools are willing to supplement the athletic budget rather than requiring the program to raise $X to function.
Also, again, not being antagonistic, just trying to square differing data points: what’s your sons major? I ask because we know a current soccer player and a soccer coach who’ve told us that some Chicago professors aren’t accommodating; that some profs are even hostile towards taking time off for sports, making it extra difficult to balance athletics with academics.
I’m wondering if that varies by major, or by sport (looks like soccer plays a full UAA schedule vs baseball which plays regionally).
Thanks.
@Midwest Mom posted:Ok, so I read through a bit more and want to set the record straight on a few other points that were raised for those parents and students who have an interest in UofC.
Athletes have to fund-raise to pay for equipment and travel: False -- not true for baseball. Can't speak to other sports.
Days off for athletic travel count as absences: False. My son never had his athletic schedule questioned -- he let his professors know and they were accommodating. UofC fields hundreds of athletes on a lot of teams, so it's not like baseball players are unique. However it is true he did have to take any quizzes or tests he wasn't there for and he did have to turn in homework.
One thing to note for baseball -- they don't miss school every week during the season. Most of their games are on weekends, and often double headers. They miss a few Fridays and played local teams occasionally early evening during the week, but they did not miss school every week. If you're up front with your professors, there shouldn't be a problem. I thought most HA schools require making up tests and work, but perhaps other parents can weigh in there as a comparison.
To be transparent, I would say in general:
1. Athletes don't get preferential treatment. They're like other students. They're not Gods. They're not hated. They're simply part of the student community. And quite a number of students actually come out to baseball games when it's not 32 degrees -- which is more than came out when I was in college.
2. Athletes have to keep up academically. 35 of the 37 baseball players were Academic All-Conference this Spring -- that's 3.3+ grade point.
3. UofC facilities are not state of the art and it's fair to say they don't have the resources that D1 schools have. I doubt that would be a surprise to most parents who are doing their homework.
4. UofC is highly competitive among HA baseball players who want to play ball at a top school, especially those who have that feeling they will go D3. It's true the admissions process for athletes is not completely clear (ie is there some preference or not?). However my son was admitted ED and I think each athlete is different based on the student's record, their essays (which mattered) and how much the Coach wants them.
5. My son loves it there, he's found great friends on the team and in his fraternity and respects and likes his coaches. The parents are great too!
Separately, I'd like to challenge the comment that UofC is no place for an athlete. Probably for the person who commented on it they believe it, and that's fine. If your focus is on your son being an athlete and having the D1 baseball experience, then UofC is NOT for you. Fully agree with that.
BUT, that's no reason to insult the student athletes (UofC fields hundreds of athletes every year) and their Coaches (who are terrific). Especially because we see our sons and daughters work their butts off just like other student athletes do year round, while they have to compete academically with some of the smartest peers they could have at one of the world's best universities... and they do so without any favors from anybody. They ARE athletes. And they ARE students too.
I know I appreciated what this website was for me when my son was going through the process -- I learned so much from so many of those veterans during my son's journey, which was filled with many great memories, a few tears and a lot of laughter. Everyone said it works out for the best and it really does. Good luck!
Thank you for providing clarification. My comment was based on a prior post by another member about how the the baseball program is run. Since I felt the requirements/treatments posted were unreasonable, of course, IMO any NCAA varsity team, where members have to pay for their own equipment, travel and have absences count against them academically (discrimination IMO) is no place for an athlete. The data points that you listed 1-5 are very similar to son’s D1. And IMO student athletes are treated fairly, for the most part, at his school. It’s unfortunate that you felt I was insulting student athletes when in reality, I was irritated by how I perceived they were being treated at University of Chicago.
@Midwest Mom posted:I thought most HA schools require making up tests and work, but perhaps other parents can weigh in there as a comparison.
Are there any universities, of any sort, that don't require students who miss class (for whatever reason) to make up the work?
@anotherparent posted:Are there any universities, of any sort, that don't require students who miss class (for whatever reason) to make up the work?
From the D1s that I know, all are required to make up the work, do the project, test etc. It would most likely be some type of NCAA violation to have them going through class without doing the work.
@anotherparent posted:Are there any universities, of any sort, that don't require students who miss class (for whatever reason) to make up the work?
Sure, I can't imagine a case where students don't have to make up the work, but there are differences in who defines this and how it's done.
Some colleges have blanket policies on how much leeway can be given to athletes on make up exams, assignments, projects. For example - one department might say students have the entire semester to turn in any uncompleted work, while another might impose, say, a 4-week post-due deadline.
But most universities allow individual professors to set post-due deadlines. So the make-up window essentially becomes a negotiation between student and prof. Sometimes professors elect not to provide accommodation for athletics or travel for whatever reason, effectively requiring students to turn in assignments or take tests early.
Some teams have an academic liaison who travels with them. This person(s), often a trainer, asst coach, or other staff, is authorized by the school (NCAA has some rules here I think) to monitor the students during remote instruction, to tutor them, and to proctor their exams. This is the most accommodating.
Things get sticky when an athlete has a high workload and a major that requires specialized knowledge (more likely at a CalTech or Chicago). In this case, the on-the-road liaison (if there is one) is highly unlikely to have the knowledge or skills to help out, while the athlete is in a traveling, practicing, playing environment that is ill-suited to serious study. Professorial accommodation in these cases is key. And it is my understanding, given the rigor at UChicago, that some profs are less than accommodating. My guess is that this is driven mostly by a lack of understanding, rather than malice.*
(*Not gonna lie though, I've heard reports specifically at Chicago that some profs are outright hostile towards sports.)
@SpeedDemon posted:Sure, I can't imagine a case where students don't have to make up the work, but there are differences in who defines this and how it's done.
Some colleges have blanket policies on how much leeway can be given to athletes on make up exams, assignments, projects. For example - one department might say students have the entire semester to turn in any uncompleted work, while another might impose, say, a 4-week post-due deadline.
But most universities allow individual professors to set post-due deadlines. So the make-up window essentially becomes a negotiation between student and prof. Sometimes professors elect not to provide accommodation for athletics or travel for whatever reason, effectively requiring students to turn in assignments or take tests early.
Some teams have an academic liaison who travels with them. This person(s), often a trainer, asst coach, or other staff, is authorized by the school (NCAA has some rules here I think) to monitor the students during remote instruction, to tutor them, and to proctor their exams. This is the most accommodating.
Things get sticky when an athlete has a high workload and a major that requires specialized knowledge (more likely at a CalTech or Chicago). In this case, the on-the-road liaison (if there is one) is highly unlikely to have the knowledge or skills to help out, while the athlete is in a traveling, practicing, playing environment that is ill-suited to serious study. Professorial accommodation in these cases is key. And it is my understanding, given the rigor at UChicago, that some profs are less than accommodating. My guess is that this is driven mostly by a lack of understanding, rather than malice.*
(*Not gonna lie though, I've heard reports specifically at Chicago that some profs are outright hostile towards sports.)
I have seen “less than accommodating” at kids D1. The difference maker in any case would be how the athletic department and school intervenes on an athletes behalf. From what I have seen, usually the athletic academic advisor is a good place for the student to seek help/direction, when not being treated as required. Again, my perspective is only D1.
@Around_The_Horn posted:Hyde Park - Drug dealers, pimps, and economic Nobel Prize winners.
And people with masters degrees driving cabs. Hyde Park is somewhat OK, most of the time, although my cousin who grew up there got mugged 3 times in a 5 year span. A few blocks outside of Hyde Park is rough & tumble though!
Anybody care to give an opinion on which city is worse, Baltimore or Chicago? My wife and I joke that we toured America’s deadliest cities this summer and didn’t get shot, although we did hear gun shots once. In a 3 week stretch for showcases and camps we visited Chicago, Philly, and Baltimore.
@TerribleBPthrower posted:Anybody care to give an opinion on which city is worse, Baltimore or Chicago? My wife and I joke that we toured America’s deadliest cities this summer and didn’t get shot, although we did hear gun shots once. In a 3 week stretch for showcases and camps we visited Chicago, Philly, and Baltimore.
Weather = B'more
Music = Chi-town (love their blues)
Dining = push
Baseball teams = push, love both Camden and Wrigley. Comiskey/US Cellular/Guaranteed Rate, meh not so much.
Crime = push, depends on what part of town you're in. Even today's clueless tourists know what part of town to avoid.
Overall score is a tie
Chicago has a few micro area that are horrific, once you get 20-30m away from those areas it has beautiful suburbs and great schools. Southwest Hinsdale areas are great, Few out straight west, Northwest Barrington area phenomenal, Northshore; there's a 20 mile stretch from Evanston to Lake Bluff where it's really pretty and off the lake (very prosperous areas). It's tough to visit the Michigan Ave area; have to be sensitive of times and activities going on....use to be very safe, gotta be vigilant.
Baltimore while I've visited, not a big fan, but it likely has similiar safe good school areas which I think are well north of JHopkins.
Time to venture to other city's ....unless you want to see Wrigley Field. They've really built up that area, great job, great bars, dining...safe
@TerribleBPthrower posted:Anybody care to give an opinion on which city is worse, Baltimore or Chicago? My wife and I joke that we toured America’s deadliest cities this summer and didn’t get shot, although we did hear gun shots once. In a 3 week stretch for showcases and camps we visited Chicago, Philly, and Baltimore.
Balmer, by a long shot! I grew up there part of the time. (We pronounced it “Balmer”)