basille

Well, the one thing I can say about Bridgeport is that it is "in transition" which is Chicagoese for gentrifying but still rough around the edges. It buts up to some tougher areas and has gone through various periods of ups and downs. It was a strongly Irish-Catholic neighborhood in the 50s and 60s (home to current Mayor Daley), then took a bit of a tumble with the rest of the area, then started to come back in recent years due to the gentrification of the surrounding UIC area. The nice thing about UIC is that it is right off the blue line, so your friend could expand their search to other neighborhoods that are more solidly gentrified... if that is an area of concern for your friend. Neighborhoods like Bucktown and Wicker Park have been "transitioning" for a few years, so there are more safer areas there. Some areas of Logan Square as well... particualrly the ones closest to the boulevards and to Bucktown/Wicker Park. All of these are accessible by blue line and would be about a 20 minute commute via train. Ultimately, I find that the Chicago Crime Database (CCD) will give a fairly nice idea of crime surrounding a possible apartment. So, when your friend finds the address of a place they like, run it by the database and see what the crime stats are. This is a renter's market - for the most part you don't have to worry about snatching up an apartment the very first second you lay eyes on it (unlike, say Boston or New York). So, one could take a look at the apartment, take a look at the neighborhood (if possible, visit during the day and then drive by at night) and then run the address through the database. It's about as secure as one can get to finding a place that addresses their safety needs. CCD: http://www.chicagocrime.org/

yeah - I'm waiting on my stuff, too. Though I've already been in contact with the professor I'll be working with. Seems like a good match.

I'm pretty positive it is included in the fees/tuition. It's not something that you will pay separately from other expenses. I have to check on this myself. Did you acceptance come through the Graduate College?

I love how I started this and then totally failed to reply back. Anyways.... have you found out more about your husband's admittance to UIC? cheers!

It pretty much involves a couch and me gaining about 5 or 10 pounds through the ingestion of snacks and various calorie-laden beverages. I really need a break from anything intense. 8)

Which school will let you do what you want to do? I ask because I have talked to some students that have chosen an "institution" over the ability to do the work that they really wanted to do and they have found significant limitations in doing that - namely faculty and institutional support has been less than desirable. From the conversations that I have had with many professors, applicants and others as of late, most have emphasized that the best place is the one in which there is faculty (at the very least one professor) that is really excited about the direction you want to take with your research and your interests and is excited about possible mentor pairings. It becomes, in some ways, much more important than considerations of name ranking because you need at least one ally at your university that really gets what you want to do. Now, if you have found that at both schools, excellent! Then it really is a matter of weighing numerous considerations. Though, if I may be so bold, I have spoken with a fair share of professors who have shown, through their career trajectories, that there is no such thing as a "set future." Certain schools may give you a more sturdy rock from which to leap, but in the end, all students have to make that very big leap into their careers. Name value is not the only source of preparation - opportunities and solid relationships with professors are also important considerations. As is quality of life.... which makes this whole process more bearable! Best of luck to you!

tsk... UIC isn't the loveliest of campuses. Kind of utilitarian, actually. But I, too, love the location. From Union Station, the commute is very easy. Metra now lets you take bikes on their trains, so on nice days, that is an option if you like to bike. Otherwise, there are tons of buses heading over that way - the ride would be less than 10 minutes. You can do a trip planner online from the train station to your UIC building: http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/ And you're prolly eligible for a U-Pass, so the bus pass would be $95 for the whole semester.

Hey! I'll be at UIC. Anyways, Oak Park is very nice. I am not as familiar with Oak Park as I am the city, but it is a very easy commute on the Blue Line. And rents are cheaper than in Chicago, so that is always good. There are a few really good companies in Oak Park that will help you find apartments free of charge to you.. http://www.liveinoakpark.org/ http://oakparkapartments.com/ If you are interested in Chicago, many of the neighborhoods along the Blue Line are, for the most part, a bit more affordable than the neighborhoods along other lines. And the commute is quite easy and quick by train. I am in Logan Square, and UIC via train is about 20-25 minutes. Some nice blue line neighborhoods to consider: Logan Square, Bucktown, Wicker Park, UK Village/East Village (bus/train). Of course, there are also neighborhoods to the south and west on the blue line as well, such as Pilsen.

You shoud check with the IIT's housing office. I bet they maintain a list of students looking for roommates. They probably also have a list of cheaper apartments that their students generally prefer to rent. Housing Office Illinois Institute of Technology 3303 South State Chicago, IL 60616 E-mail: housing1@iit.edu Phone: (312) 567-5075 Fax: (312) 567-5926 And you can track down roommates here: http://chicago.craigslist.org/roo/

What do you hope to do as a career? The two disciplines do blend in some ways, but I would think that your future work preferences would play a large role in what path your education should take. I found myself in your shoes 2 years ago, and then again when applying for PhD programs. I can say that if you would like to consider applying for PhD programs in Public Health at some point, having the MPH will probably be better than the MSW. And actually, that is also fairly true if you would like to consider a social work PhD. I love the idea of the dual MSW/MPH program. I wish I would have pursued that option from the start. If you want to do health policy work, you would be well-served by either an MSW or an MPH, particularly if your university has a research center that does health policy research.

For instance, you can live anywhere on the Red Line. Let's see... just as an example: The red line from Belmont (Lakeview neighborhood) to the RED LINE Roosevelt stop is 17 minutes. You could then grab the green line at the GREEN LINE Roosevelt stop (about a half block walk away from the RED LINE stop) and that would be a 8 minute ride. So, even if you lived in Lakeview, via trains it would be about a 25-30 min commute. If you moved further north up the red line, you would tack on more time. It sounds confusing, but it is actually very easy once you actually see it. As far as neighborhoods, I think it depends on what you are looking for in a nieghborhood and how much space you want to be living in. There are the different rental ranges for some of the more popular neighborhoods. If you are concerned about the issue of safety, I would feel comfortable saying that the neighborhoods on this list are the ones most newcomers to the city will move to. http://www.apartmentpeople.com/ranges.asp As people become more familiar with Chicago, they tend to venture into some of the other neighborhoods. But you would probably be satisfied with one of the neighborhoods on the list. Do you care about being close to bars and restaurants, or do you want something quieter? Do you want to be closer to a gay and lesbian neighborhood, or would you prefer to be farther away? Do you want an area with a larger amount of racial/ehtnic diversity, or are you looking for people very much like you? Do you want to be around families or college people? In fact, since you are an international student, you could consider giving Apartment People a call. Tell them that you would like to find a space for $xxx and that you will be attending IIT and so you would like it to be easily accessible to the train. Feel free to post more questions if you have them. I'm happy to help.

How short would you like your commute to be and what rental ranges do you think you would be able to afford? If you don't mind me asking.

That's actually a pretty good point, GoIllini. I like Pilsen, but anyone choosing to move there should do it with the caveat that there are still crime issues there. Some streets are better than others. Best to check the crime stats in the 1/4 mile radius of your new apartment before signing a lease. http://12.17.79.6/ctznicam/ctznicam.asp This is also info from the Chicago Police Department. Gives a general idea of crime stats in certain areas... particularly page 20. http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal ... L/04AR.pdf

When you find a place that looks interesting, do a trip planner to see how long the commute will be via public transportation. http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/ If you are thinking of Pilsen or Little Italy, you'll practically be living under the shadows of the downtown highrises in some parts. So, the commute would be minimal...via train 3-8 min on Blue Line. Via bus...hmmm.. maybe 15-25 min. If you are pushing out further west, then I would think you'd be looking at 10-25 min downtown via train (depending on how far west you go) and bus would be longer.. maybe 25-45 min. From Logan Square, I am about 15 min to Jackson on the Blue line, which gets me right near the heart of downtown, and not a bad walk from Columbia College. Errr, should I choose to walk there.

Hey all - Just thought I'd say hi to my fellow U of Illinois people. I'll be at Chicago, but I'm happy to say a warm hello to my peers at Springfield and UC as well. I'll be hanging my hat at Jane Addams. I'm very excited about the opportunity and can't wait til Fall. Sooooo..... hi.

woah.... that site was down forever. Glad to see it is coming back. Jettas, Starbucks and sleek ponytails for all!

I meant to include these in the last post... info about Lakeview and LP. Lakeview: http://www.lakeviewchamber.com/ Lincoln Park: http://www.lincolnparkchamber.com/residents/ Lets you see the millions of places you could conceivably find work. I'm not kidding when I say they are two serious shopping and eating meccas! And FYI - Leona's restaurants always seem to appreciate hiring grad students. I've had several friends work for them. There are many in the city... you might want to contact them. http://www.leonas.com/ Plus I had some friends that worked at Goose Island... they made some nice tips. http://www.gooseisland.com/index.asp

Oh... if you like Lincoln Park or Lakeview, then I would definitely call the Apartment People. They are really excellent for that area. They know the apartments and the landlords that they work with inside and out. http://www.apartmentpeople.com/ And they are free for you. All apartment -finder services are free to the person searching for the apartment. The landlord pays the company to show their place. Basically, you tell them what you are looking for. They create a list of apartments that match what you are looking for, then drive you around to look at them. They can tell you about the neighborhood, too. They'll take you out as many times as you need to find a place you like. When you do find a place, you do everthing through them, which is excellent. You fill out the lease application there, pay your deposits and 1st month's rent there and then get the keys from them. I highly recommend them. I've used them, as have many friends. Plus, most of their apartments are in LV and LP, so you'll have a lot to choose from. As for jobs, just start scouting about three to four weeks in advance of your trip - let people know you'll be coming to town and that you'd like to meet with them to talk about their openings. This is how I have looked for jobs from out of state. What kind of job are you looking for? If it's retail/restaurant/cafe type jobs, you'll have little problem getting one of those in LP or LV. It's a very active area.

Sweet. I am doing some excellent work now with youth and issues of violence. I've been enjoying it. Plus, I have a long history of lgbt work - good to see people wanting to do more with this. I am hoping to integrate it into my work as well. I am interested in working with active drug users. I am also interested in exploring the "harm reduction" model as a social work model for working with active drug users. Plus I am fascinated with health care issues. And marginalized/stigmatized populations. I'm not 100% sure how I am going to tie it all together yet, though I like the idea of doing health disparities research, but focusing on more marginalized populations - homeless people, incarcerated people, active drug users.

Have you tried this site? I had a friend use it and she was satisfied: http://www.roommates.com/ Also, try craigslist for both jobs and roomates: http://chicago.craigslist.org/roo/

You could consider Logan Square. It's my hood. I love it. It's more affordable though it has its share of issues in some parts. It's good if you want to live in the Blue Line train. Do you want to live close to your university? Living by DePaul can be expensive. And it is very congested, but there is a lot to do, so there are benefits and challenges. I also like Lincoln Square, though it has been getting pretty popular as of late. I also like Pilsen a lot, but that too has been getting more popular - though still witha few rough patches around the edges. Logan Square, Lincoln Square and Pilsen have some nice, afforable apartments. Lincoln Square is a bit further north, though.

Are you planning to live in Hyde Park? If so, I would really consider the U of C grad apartments. They are very nice and very affordable. If not, I mentioned the names of some apartment finder services in the very first post - they can be VERY helpful... especially if you are an out-of-towner. And there is no cost to you. They do everything - drive you around, process the application for the lease, get you the keys. It's nice. Craigslist is always an excellent option as well. So is Chicago Reader. In fact, you can also check both of those sites for job opportunities, too. The Trib and the Sun-Times, IMHO, are not very helpful. http://chicago.craigslist.org/ http://www.chicagoreader.com/

EEEEEEK! Don't let parking be the reason you turn away from Chicago! More specifically, don't let ME be the rain on your parade. I just wanted to mention that it is a challenge and that it takes getting used to. LP and Lakeview are very, very popular neighborhoods, so the parking is rough. But there are many, many pluses to those neighborhoods as well. There is a reason they are popular. They have a great amount of things to do, have some very nice apartments, have a very young scene and are very centrally located in the city. They are great neighborhoods. They are just very densely populated, so parking is rough. It's tough - probably one of the biggest things that U of C people talk about is where to live. My pals that live on campus bemoan the lack of things to do and the way it feels disconnected from the rest of the city. My pals that live off campus, myself included, complain about the commute. Can't win! Geographically, Chicago is quite large, so the northside neighborhoods and Hyde Park sometimes feel like they are worlds away. Basically with a car or with public transportation, there are going to be some hassles. That's part of living in a large city... particularly one as spread out as Chicago is. I hope I didn't come off as unpleasant.... that was not my intent. I just wanted to share my experiences commuting to U of C. Via public transit, it is time consuming. Via car, not as bad for the actual commute, but then you have to deal with parking at both ends. If you want to park by, say 61st and Eliis, you should be fine. There will be spots. That is in the Woodlawn neighborhood. I've never had a problem there to date. Otherwise, U of C is pretty tight in regards to parking as well. I think a lot of people drive because many of the grad students choose to live off-campus and drive to U of C. GoIllini was correct - you will see how your particular block works and you will learn when to park, when to move and when to stay put. If you use your car intermittently, then any neighborhood would be ok. But if it is a daily thing, expect to have "parking time" factored into your day. That's what we did - hence the 9pm "car parking/dog potty" walk.

I lived in LP and commuted to Hyde Park, so I think I can be of some help. I started out by communting via public transit. The way that I would do it would be to walk to the Fullerton red line stop and take the train to 55th Street. That would take about 40 minutes. I'd generally be waiting 3-5 minutes for the train if I timed my walk correctly. Plus 10 minutes for walking to the train station. So... 55 minutes thus far. Then I would take the #55 bus. I seemed to always be waiting about 5 to 7 minutes for that. I would take the bus down to Ellis Ave... about a 10 minute ride. So, now we are up to an hour and 10 minutes. Then I would walk down Ellis to get to my school. About another 10 minutes. So... when all was said and done, it was about an hour and 20 minute commute. $75 per month unlimited CTA pass. Then I decided to drive because spending almost 3 hours a day on public transportation became very tiring. So I got a free car and paid the $100 to park it in my hood (city and permit stickers). Honestly, the cost was never a factor. The biggest factor is time. Living in Lincoln Park, if I was not in a spot by 8PM, I was guaranteed to be driving around for at least 20 minutes looking for a spot. Or I could park blocks away and then walk the 20 minute walk. But in any event, parking took time. My husband would come home at 9pm, and I would meet him downstairs and bring the dog so that we could at least get a final walk in for the evening since he never got closer than 3 or 4 blocks to the apartment. On the weekends, I never moved my car because it was so difficult to find a space. Thur night, Fri night, Sat night... forget it. It's not hard to find parking. You'll find it. It's just really time-consuming and you may have to eventually settle on a spot far away. I actually really hated it, but that was me. I have lived in a much quieter hood now for a year and I love it because I can actually park my car on the same block. If I sound melodramatic, I don't mean to be, but both my husband and I found it extremely tiring after awhile. Of course, some people never seemed bothered by it at all. And most of the time, it was a livable, if not ideal, situation. But if you had a ton of groceries or you were tired or it was cold, it was really a pain to not have a car close by. Ummm... Hyde Park is kinda similar. I only ever find parking to the south of the Midway. In the Woodlawn hood. I park there, but it seems to make other people nervous. At U of C you can buy a spot in one of the lots. It'll cost you about $600 a year, I think.

I was rejected from UMich and WUSTL, too. That's funny, but not really. Actually, so was my friend, who is currently taking MSW classes with me. I don't know of anyone in my personal circles that applied to UNC or University of Washington. My husband wanted me to apply for schools on the west coast, but the school didn't have strong faculty representation in what I hoped to do. But I would have really loved Seattle, I think. My fingers are crossed for you!! What do you hope to focus your studies on?