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July 17, 2015
The University of Chicago Office of Admissions, after releasing statistics on the incoming class of 2019 on Tuesday, claims to have the most globally experienced cohort of students ever. “We are proud to say that over 90% of the admitted students had life-changing experiences in Africa. We are excited about this fresh and cultured bunch,” said one admissions officer..
“Everyone is so happy in Africa. Everyone was smiling, offering us food, and speaking to us in English! It was like we were all one happy family,” said Susie Balotellirtlett, a first-year who just graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York City, “I don’t understand why America can’t be more like that.”
Several first-yearsadmittees marveled at how much like home the parts of Africa they spent the most time in actually were. “I thought that Africa was just going to be a whole other world. But once I was there, I realized it isn’t that different. There are McDonald‘s, spas, and Wi-FiFi cafes. Yes, they also have safari adventures., Bbut at the end of the day, we all aren’t that different, and that is beautiful,” said Todd Booth, a freshman from Fort Worth, Texas.
Of course, these kids witnessed the dark side too. One 2019 accepted studentfist-year recalled, “On service Sunday we drove through poor neighborhoods and threw food and toiletriees out of our windows. Being there—driving through—gave me a profound and moving glimpse of what misfortune might actually be like.”
The impact of these life-changing travels widely varied from student to student. Some recognized their own good luckfortune, some learned what the term “cultural exchange” means, and some took photos that will generate a lifetime of Facebook likes.
The remaining 10% of admitted studentses reported having had life-changing experiences in the U.S., primarily in Appalachia and non–descript poor inner city neighborhoods.
