SocEE

I'd suggest booking Amtrak segments separately (Chicago to Champaign and from there to C'dale). The same if you leave from another city to Chicago to catch Illini or Saluki trains. That would make it cheaper (although it should be basically the other way around). And if you have Student Advantage card, you get a 15% discount. My first trip from Chicago to C'dale and back cost me about $50. Delays could be hassleful sometimes. Over my first trip, we were waiting in Champaign for about 2 hours without getting any explanation that made sense.

I found this on transport in and out of Carbondale: http://users.midwestmail.com/nightlife/ ... trans.html It's not up to date though. There's another daily train (Saluki, newly added) leaving Chicago at 9:15 am (arriving in C'dale at 2:45 pm) and moving from C'dale at 6:30 am (arriving in Chicago at 12:00 pm). Timings shift over summer (check on Amtrak.com). And the base round-trip fare for Saluki and Illini is $64. I agree with the author of the original post on one point: you cannot count on timeliness of these trains.

My bad experience with my current room-mate has made me somehow hesitant about sharing a place with a room-mate. He agreed with my conditions (quiet at night, cleanliness). My sleep cycle has been totally disrupted and I've been living in a pigsty for over a year. I'm thinking about Murphysboro as an option. There's a shuttle bus (route 3) from campus to Murphysboro, although not operating during break, summer and weekends. And it goes just as far as Health Deaprtment: http://www.siucstudentcenter.org/images ... oute03.pdf Is there any reliable bus from other parts of Murphysboro to connect me to this?

Thank you for your detailed zoning info. Lincoln Village and Ambassador Apartments satisfy your "zoning" criteria. There are good reviews on Lincoln Village, but Ambassador Apartments is closer to the campus (there's only one review on it from 2001). Hester Apartments (Woodruff Management) is on the eastern part, behind the Rec Center. There were 2 lookwarm reviews on it (from 2004 and 2005). There are some apartment listings here: http://www.carbondalerent.com/

Thank you. The ones you've named are rather on the expensive side. Did you happen to pass by Lincoln Village or Hester Apartments or Ambassador Apartments?

Thank you. I remember from one of your previous posts that you didn't like the atmosphere at St Germaine. Can you explain more? As you've probably visited some of the apartments, which ones are quiet?

I agree with suggestions about taking prerequisite courses. As I had a situation similar to yours, I'd like to share my 2 cents. You may not have a good chance targeting top-ranking PhD programs right now. You may want to try your chance with doing your Master's first and then proceeding towards PhD. I finished my Bachelor's in 1998 in Electrical Engineering (which is far more distant from Sociology than your degree in Marketing), worked for a couple of years as an engineer (I'm 35 now) and switched to Sociology in 2006. While my background in a completely non-humanities field was a setback while applying to grad programs in Sociology, I eventually managed to get admission with TA for my Master's. Now, finished with my MA, I'm heading for my PhD this fall. My non-relevant background didn't let me land in schools I dreamed, but I could still get admission with funding to Southern Illinois (which is a good school). For both my MA and PhD applications, I had another issue; as an international student, I had to compete with American students who already had a degree in Sociology. Doing your switch to Sociology in two stages (MA first, then PhD) has 2 major benefits: 1. You can spend a rather short time (3-4 semesters) and figure out whether you're serious about pursuing this field further. Doing a degree would probably give you a better perspective than merely passing a few courses. Even if you decide not to pursue to a PhD degree, you've not lost much; you've earned a grad degree in a popular field (that you like) and it could be an asset in your CV. For that matter, you may want to target less competitive schools for your Master's to increase your chance with funding. 2. In case you decide to continue, having a Master's degree provides you with the opportunity to do more serious papers (of graduate caliber) and market yourself more successfully when you apply to PhD programs. If you do a great job in your Master's (even in a less than ideal school), you can be hopeful about landing at a far better place for your PhD.

I'm planning to visit Carbondale in the first week of June to look for apartments. I would appreciate any suggestions/tips to find a quite place either near campus (within biking distance) or near Saluki Express routes.

Hi, Anyone going to SIUC for Fall 2008?

You've given a graphic description of my plight over my Master's time, except for doctors and stuff (and also live squirrels); I made life more tolerable by riding my bike around metroparks here. Still, I've had a real hard time ove rmy last semester as a result of sleep-deficiency. It's not completely a matter of oncampus vs offcampus. I know of offcampus apartments here that are strict about noise. When you get into a management who is lax, you're in for trouble. That was my first mistake. Then, I got stranded by a lease with a room-mate that although is a PhD student and apparently mature (in age), prefers an undergrad lifestyle. Whe came to me to be my room-mate, I made it clear to him that sleep and cleanliness are very important to me and I just trusted his word. That was my second mistake. Again, there are off-campus apartments that have room-mate agreement as an attachment to their lease to prevent problems. All the noise from neighboring undergrad kids aside, he's turned the apartment into a cafe/club/hotel. And worse, the apartment is more of a pigsty as far as cleanliness/tidiness is concerned. Once, he told me "It makes me upset when I see your room is so tidy". And I cannot afford to pay two rents. I try to stay away from home as much as I can. Fortunately, I have 24 hour access to my office at school. But I really can't go on like this over my PhD.

Southern Illinois, PhD

Southern Illinois, Carbondale, Sociology, PhD.

Hi, I'm moving to Carbondale for my PhD, looking for a quiet apartment, either near campus (within biking distance) or near Saluki Express routes. I've had a bad experience with my current apartment near campus. There are lots of undergrad kids hollering around at night or vibrating the place with their music. Any suggestion for a place between $300-400 a month? BTW, do Saluki Express busses have bike-racks?