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Prospective Students

If you are interested in visiting the University of Chicago prior to making an application for admission, please contact the relevant department directly to see whether a program representative or faculty member is available to meet with you. The Master of Arts Program in the Humanities (MAPH) does arrange prospective student campus visits prior to offering admission, which are arranged by the MAPH program coordinator. Once admission decisions have been announced, many applicants will want to visit campus to gain fuller knowledge about Chicago. Departments will contact newly admitted applicants with details about their visitors days, and many will arrange individual campus visits for those who cannot attend a formal open house. Visiting campus independently offers many things to do and see, which are outlined in the section for visitors below.

Alumni

Whether you visit campus for a reunion or make a more informal visit to the alma mater, be sure to check the Humanities calendar for a comprehensive listing of events such as lectures, concerts, and exhibitions. In October, our annual Humanities Day provides the opportunity to revisit the classroom and connect with the Division's current scholarship through a program of over thirty lectures, tours, and performances by faculty and staff. The changing face of the campus can be explored during an undergraduate-led tour, or you can alleviate nostalgia by heading for the bookshops or the Medici on 57th Street. The University's Alumni House offers a warm welcome, houses a library containing alumni publications and University memorabilia, and has conference rooms, a business center (internet, telephone, fax), and a lounge for fresh coffee and conversation. Elsewhere on the Humanities Web site is information written especially for Humanities alumni. Enjoy!

Visitors

Botany Pond, c. 1910

The University of Chicago's 203-acre campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood, seven miles south of downtown Chicago, combines neo-Gothic architecture with modern buildings, surrounded by botanical gardens, several originally landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted or his followers. Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, completed in 1910 and considered to be a quintessential example of Prairie style architecture, is one block east of the main quad. The neighborhood is, unsurprisingly, home to a number of excellent new and second-hand bookshops from the labyrinthine Seminary Co-op, widely regarded as one of the best academic bookstores in the world, to the original Powell's store, founded by then-graduate student Michael Powell in 1970. Hyde Park is also home to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry and the DuSable Museum of African American History, tourist attractions in their own right. Several cultural institutions supported by the University are open to the public: examine artifacts from the ancient Middle East at the Oriental Institute; see a play at the Court Theatre, one of the city's best professional theater companies; or visit the Smart Museum and the Hyde Park Art Center for some visual stimulus.

The Division of the Humanities itself hosts a diverse range of public lectures, concerts, workshops, exhibitions, with readings by visiting artists, writers, directors, and performers are held throughout the year. Check the Humanities Calendar regularly for updates to the busy schedule. We encourage you to learn more about the Division of the Humanities at other pages of our Web site.

In the News: 

• "A Tribute to Joseph T. O'Gara, Hyde Park Bookseller," Tableau 8.2, Autumn 2006
• "Creative partnership helps strengthen artistic presence on City's South Side," by Jennifer Carnig, University of Chicago Chronicle, 13 April 2006
• "Humanities Day 2006 Honoring Cronin Will Provide Insights into Informational Connections between Cultures," by Julia Morse, University of Chicago Chronicle, 19 October 2006