My UChicago Immersion Experience ‘25
Hi all! It’s been a while since my last blog because I’ve been away and have been crazy busy with school just starting! Anyway, now time to catch up! Over the summer, I attended the University of Chicago 3-Week Immersion Program, and I’d love to share my experience with you all! From the course I look, the activities I did and the people I’ve met, I want to offer you all a glimpse into what it had been like in case you wanted to join a similar summer program as well. I hope you enjoy, and feel free to comment if you have any questions!
Why did I join the 3-week Immersion Program?
Born and raised in HK, I’ve never gotten the chance to explore universities overseas until my Columbia trip last summer. This year, I wanted to go somewhere more academically aligned with my interests in policymaking, specifically in education. Moreover, the course had to be more rigorous (or better, even credited) as it’s my last summer before graduating from high school. Upon looking at a few universities with courses on offer, UChicago’s 3-week program was definitely the most appealing as it fitted my criteria the best: Credited course AND a specialized course in public policy. And so, after a rather straightforward application process, I got into the “Quantitative Evaluation for Public Policy” course taught by Professor Sheng Hao-Lo!
Oh, I must mention that my brother has also just finished his undergraduate at UChicago as summa cum laude, clearly having had the time of his life. So, it felt like the stars aligned when I got accepted and had the opportunity to travel to Chicago and get a glimpse of my brother’s experience too. Not only so, UChicago has recently started something called SSEN, which is essentially ED0. The idea goes that once you’ve completed a credited course like the Immersion program, then you are eligible to apply early-EARLY as a senior student. If you’re “lucky” enough, then you’d be accepted into university before November first :) This felt like a once in a lifetime offer, so I had to dive into discovering whether UChicago is as good as my brother makes it out to be.
In front of Harris, my home for the 3 weeks!
Course content
Rather than dissecting everything I’ve learned, I’ll share more of my own interactions with the TAs and Professor Lo, as well as how summer program students (which may be you) can make the most of their experiences. In short, my course Quantitative Evaluation for Public Policy like its name suggests, focuses on the use of the use of statistical tools – probability theory, sampling, hypothesis testing, and more – to make statistical inferences for policymaking. As someone looking to explore how policy drives human behavioral changes and a potential career in government, I couldn’t be happier with my course choice. I also gained insight on the use of regression, and different experimental methods like differences in differences, and regression discontinuity. Basically, how these different tools can be used in policymaking to make more rational decisions.
The aspect I was most afraid of was programming, something I’d never learn in school but was said to be a (preferred) requirement of the course. But luckily, the TAs and coding PPTs were extremely helpful in guiding me through the process during our afternoon coding lectures, so the process helped ease me into programming in R smoothly. Using R, I learned various tools, like data manipulation, analysis, and visualization. Any advice for course requirements that you mightn’t currently familiar with? Yes!
First, don’t panic! At the end of the day, UChicago’s programs are intense but should still be accommodating to a range of ages, so understand that and see what you can improve on before going to the campus. For me, knowing I couldn’t code led me to search for introductory courses on Codecademy and Khan Academy to just briefly understand some basic operations in R. Granted, I didn’t learn everything because I had exams, but do as much as you can.
Before the camp, I emailed Professor Lo to explain my worries, express my enthusiasm for his class and further asked for any materials I could get started on before joining. Like most professors, he replied with lightning speed and sent over 4-5 books/materials for both coding in R and statistics-related topics. Then, in the 2–3 weeks prior to my class, I just spent ~30 mins per day reading over everything. Again, doing this without pressure or as a mean to relax/escape from your daily schoolwork will help you stick with this habit much easier than doing it as if it’s a chore. Personally, I read the books whilst doing my morning cardio/on the bus every day.
How to optimize your time in class:
Participate & engage: Okay, you really should be doing this in any of your classes, but in such a short course, it’s especially key to engage more so you’ll be remembered by the TAs and the professor. I used to feel SO self-conscious for raising my hand, hesitating when answering a question or just making any noise in class. But after getting through that mental battle (with honestly, just yourself), I’ve really just realized that —in the best way possible — no one cares THAT much what I do. They’re also likely to be conscious about themselves or even, just busy gaming/sleeping in class! So, raise your hand, ask questions, and make your presence known.
Stretch beyond: There’s honestly lots of time to do whatever you like, considering how class finishes by 3pm. So, if you’ve finished the lab work or any homework from the course, find additional materials to stretch your understanding of the course content. Materials can range from podcasts, newspapers to articles that you can THEN bring to your professor if you have any questions. Once again, this makes your presence known. Or, if making yourself known isn’t your thing, it’s also nice to understand your course better to gauge if that’s the sort of stuff you want to pursue in the long term.
In short: To optimize your time, it’s really just investing in yourself. Making your presence known, reading/listening to more course-related content, it’s all investing into your future self. For me, I discovered that using the statistical tools as mentioned in class to make sound and justified decisions is fascinating. For me, spotting dips/changes in numbers and considering what happened during that time period made me felt like a detective at work. Yet, I recognize there’s still lots of work to be done in the realm of policymaking because numbers don’t ALWAYS translate to changes driven by humans (and correlation DOESN’T EQUAL CAUSATION!)
The environment
This is definitely an aspect my family and I were concerned about, and for justifiable reasons… UChicago’s location being around Hyde Park and dangerously close to O’Block (search it up if you don’t know) entails being extra careful which street to not pass over alone and to basically never leave campus after sunset. I’ve definitely taken HK’s safety for granted, knowing I can walk around everywhere at any time… But this certainly wasn’t the case in Chicago, where you’ll have to pay extra attention to your surroundings!
I must say, UChicago did a wonderful job ensuring our safety, with extremely strict curfew rules and amazing facilities (that I doubt is available at any other universities) to ensure my safety. From dedicated UChicago police, an UChicago Safe app to dedicated car lift services during specific times, I eased into the campus environment within a few days.
Bottom line: Use your common sense and gut instincts for where to go, what to where and during what time! Never go somewhere you haven’t explored “for fun” because a few wrong moves absolutely go a long way here (and you’ll be punished!)
The Community
Undoubtedly, this was the best part of my UChicago experience. I’ve met some of the most unassuming yet incredibly bright and talented individuals here, from aspiring NASA researchers that play the piano for fun to professional athletes. During the first few days, I focused on getting to know as many people as possible, not being afraid to introduce myself and get to know others’ names. At the end of the day, most of them are just like me, joining the course alone, very nervous and eager to meet new peers. So, why not take the first steps?
Very soon, I got to know a particularly special group of individuals from my class, dorm and just through referrals. Speaking with them more, we found more aspects to connect on and quickly became closer than ever. It’s fascinating because in school, you never get so close and deep with someone within the span of >2 weeks! But having the opportunity to spend every day with them and explore Chicago together for 3 weeks in a row, some unforgettable memories were made.
I think an aspect that has transformed this experience for me (compared to last summer at Columbia) was how much more confident I’ve become. Since everyone joined to meet new people and learn, it’s important to not just be opened to meeting others and not sticking to a single friend or group, but vitally, to feel comfortable being alone. It’s not every day that your friends will want to do the same activities as you (or vice versa), so make yourself your best friend, and you’ll THEN be able to show up as a better person for others.
The Living
There’s so much to do and eat around Chicago, so I’ll leave them for you to explore! But I’ll just highlight special aspects of my experience so some of you can be inspired!
Self-made running club
Now, I wasn’t very happy when I got the devestating news that students couldn’t use the gym/weights room at Ratner Athletic Center. So being the gym rat/health nut that I self-proclaimed to be, I had to get creative. First, I started running around campus. Starting at around 3-4km, I gradually expanded the lengths of my runs whilst still ensuring that I see the safety poles around campus. The weather during the summer was amazing — much better than the scorching HK heat — so the first 2-3 runs quickly transitioned into… 3 weeks of nonstop running. As someone who thrives upon daily routines and structure, my morning routine was quickly established: Wake up around 5:50-6am, get ready, and then go out for a ~30-40min run at 6:30. Upon finishing, it’d be perfect timing to call my parents and catch up, where it’d be 9pm in HK. Then, I meet up with some friends for breakfast and head to class.
This was perfect, or so I thought. Until… It TRULY became perfect when a few of them asked if they could join me for the runs!! It then became that I’d run for 20mins beforehand, then they’d join me for another 20mins to kick start the day. Perhaps it’s just me or through some psychological thing, the mutual suffering, sweating and silence during our runs probably connected our friend group closer together — It established a routine, an unspoken “tradition” and an unique experience for the few of us.
For any athletes out there trying to stay fit on campus, I also recommend buying some resistance bands to get some sort of movement in whilst you’re in your dorm. Or, if you happen to stay on lower floor levels, take the stairs!!! The lifts will become crowded with the dozens of students so to save yourself time or to stop you from making any enemies for taking the lift to 1st floor… Just walk!
The Eats
As a HUGE foodie, Chicago is one of the best places to be. I love to go by the 80/20 rule as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, so eating on campus plus indulging in the city food offered a perfect balance. Though not everyone agrees, I thoroughly enjoyed and genuinely looked forward to each meal on campus. Most days, I’d be reaching for grilled chicken breasts at the flames station, fruits and veggies at the salad bar. My favourite station would also be Pure Eats, which focuses on cooking whole food ingredients with less additives. The dining hall has its own website where you can check out the daily menu AND each dish’s macronutrient breakdown. Absolutely wonderful added feature in my opinion.
This goes without saying, Chicago’s eateries are absolutely amazing. In particular, I loved the city’s steakhouses and Italian eateries, so make sure save some money to try them out because they won’t be cheap either! Also, if you’re a fan of pizza and cheese like I am, give deep dish pizza a try. It’s a heated debate whether it’s overrated or not, but I personally LOVED IT and could’ve eaten 2-3 slices in one go. Gosh, what didn’t I like?!
To conclude…
I’ve had an unforgettable 3 weeks at the University of Chicago, both solidifying my dedication to utilize statistics to make decisions — either in government or businesses — and creating some lifelong memories. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and would recommend the program to anyone, especially those looking to gain a sense of university life and feel a SLIGHT tint of academic stress. I now know some of the academic rigor that the university demands of its students and though challenging and humbling at times, I like the challenge. This is also why, I’ve decided to apply for ED0/SSEN, hoping to get in by November!!! Through this application process, I”m also learning so much of UChicago as a university. Specifically, how quirky it is when it comes to its supplementals! More on this in a future blog but I’m having a blast writing UChicago’s prompts, which genuinely give students a chance to express their creativity without a word limit. As I finalise my essays, please wish me luck, and I’ll for sure update you all when the results come!!
Thank you for reading, and see you all in a bit.
-21/09/2025
