gilberto

Just found out today that Medill had offered me over $20,000 in a merit scholarship, but it got sent to a different email address than all the other mail from Medill. I've already accepted to another program, am getting a scholarship from them, too, but knowing this a month ago (email dated from March) would definitely have caused me more consideration.

The South Loop, such as the apartments just south of Roosevelt on Indiana, is on the rise. I've been in an apartment building there and it is fantastic, and has spectacular views. I hear rent isn't too expensive, so that might be a good place to look. It's right off the Metra, which is an easy ride to Hyde Park.

No parking permit necessary, though be forewarned that parking on campus is difficult. Parking on the streets north and east of campus is doable, however. By my apartment, I've never had an issue. Do you plan to rent an apartment, or do you intend to live in graduate housing?

Just accepted! Now to think about housing...

Thanks! I'm split between Stanford and Columbia, as well. So many good cities to choose from! I'm very lucky. Although NYU is a fantastic school, I love Chicago (where I've grown up and gone to undergrad). When I visited NYU, I really enjoyed the neighborhood. Tons of great restaurants and bars. Evanston has great coffee shops, but their restaurants are generally more on the commercial side. If you have time, and haven't visited the campuses, do a street view on google maps of the areas where you would frequent. The student bodies at both schools are very different, as well. Just something else to consider! Keep me posted on what you eventually decide. Both sound like fantastic opportunities for you. Congrats!

Oh, well Northwestern is definitely not in Chicago. The campus is beautiful, but it's in a wealthy suburb north of the city. You can definitely still live in the city and take advantage of all that Chicago has to offer, but if you're any averse to suburban life, you'd best steer clear. Northwestern has a really strong athletics program, so that may be an added benefit if you're any into sports. And their theater programs are great, so there should be plenty to do in Evanston on the weekends if you want a break from the downtown/night life scene. I've visited NYU and it has a vastly different vibe than Northwestern. Northwestern is very gothic/collegial, and I feel that NYU students are very much more independent from the school itself. Funny, because both universities are ones I've been accepted to for my own programs, so I've considered these aspects, as well!

University of Chicago's neighborhood isn't bad-- in fact, I think the school has a lot going for itself because it's in a smaller neighborhood with a strong sense of community. Safety is definitely not more of an issue than in NYC. You will live extremely well on $300 a week in Hyde Park. My advice would be to find a nice apartment downtown near Millennium Park. The train station is right there and it's an easy, quick, and safe ride to Hyde Park. There are tons of great stuff to do in Chicago-- each neighborhood is really unique, there are some fantastic restaurants, night life is strong, and there's tons to do on weekends. Summer here is fantastic, though winters can be brutal (more brutal, I think, than NYC). UChicago also has a strong graduate community, so you won't tend to be isolated from the rest of the student body. Really, I don't think you could go wrong with what you've told me about either program. Just don't count Chicago out so quickly. Plus, we've got beaches

Hyde Park apartments are not the best, though they're pretty cheap. You can easily get an apartment in the $400-600 range for a 2-4 bedroom, studios about $900-1200. A lot of the apartments are not new, however, and you're better off spending more money. Most grad students live in Regents (http://www.regentsparkchicago.com/). Others may choose grad housing, but I think that's much less common. Also, apartments across the Midway (closest to the graduate buildings) can be super sketch, so I wouldn't recommend renting an apartment sight unseen if it's south of 59th Street. Many, many people commute to Hyde Park. The 6 bus takes you straight from Michigan Ave/State St area to the south side, though it's slow. There's also the Red Line that will get you from pretty much anywhere in Chicago to Hyde Park, though it gets extremely sketchy and very unsafe in the evening hours. Also, if you're interested in having a life outside of Hyde Park, live downtown and commute. It's a pain to catch cabs and get downtown for a night out. But Hyde Park is a neat neighborhood with a lot of good restaurants, so there are some decent options to keep you in the neighborhood on a weekend.

Thanks for the update. I called right when they opened this morning and they asked me to call back on Monday.

So I am very confused. I applied for Broadcast at Columbia, and got into Magazine. I wonder if they made a mistake or if that transfer was intentional. I also received admission to Stanford, NYU, and Northwestern. I haven't visited Stanford yet, but I am leaning there at the moment. Thoughts on Columbia? It's been my dream school since sophomore year of high school, but now I'm not so certain. $76,000 in loans is a lot for a concentration not of interest to me.

awesome!!

That seems like a good sign! Good luck

I got into Stanford today! I applied to the master's in communications, program in journalism. Still waiting to hear back from others. Congrats on all the acceptances mentioned above!

Anyone around to discuss fall 2011 apps? I've applied to four journalism master's programs: Stanford, Columbia, NYU, Northwestern (Medill). Very nervous! How about anyone else?