Chicago, IL

[harrista]

I don't have a budget but $1200 should be plenty for rent and utilities, especially if you're willing to live a little further away from the water.  My friend lives on 61st, one block from the law school and pays $700 rent for a really nice one bedroom apt in a good secure building.  But otherwise if you want to live somewhere more central, it's around $1000 for a one bedroom and utilities (my electricity is about $20, internet $30 and cell phone is $70).  

 

For other expenses, it really depends what you like to do.  If you like to go out to nice bars downtown or in Wicker/Lincoln Park, it'll cost a lot more than say hitting up the campus pub. 

 

I'm trying to budget for UChicago (where I'll likely take up my place over NYU based on living costs vs stipend). I'm planning to allow $1200 for rent and utilities, leaving me $967/month for everything else, or $850/month if I fly home twice a year. Does that seem reasonable? Am I right to think I'll find a nice one-bed apartment for that much, in Hyde Park? I am used to London living costs and from what I've heard, it sounds like Chicago will be somewhat cheaper If anyone in Chicago has a personal budget they could share, I'd be really grateful.

[s_i]

It depends what you're after - I live in Hyde Park and there's a lot of great things about it, primarily the ease of getting to school and the cheap rent which meant that I could get a bigger place close to the water but it does get pretty boring.  The more fun parts of the city are a lot more expensive and the connections to Hyde Park can be troublesome because unless you live in the loop you're basically guaranteed that you have to change forms of transport at least once.  I've always felt safe in Hyde Park and there is a huge amount of police and security guard presence and emergency phones pretty much on every block, and there's night shuttles going in every direction.  Riding a bike also makes it safer and it's probably only about 15 minutes from one end of Hyde Park to the other.  

 

There's a huge range of rental prices depending on the location and the building.  If you want to be closer to the lakefront and the transport options (bus and metra) that go downtown, it's more expensive.  There's some really fancy apartment buildings which charge rent similar to what you'd pay in another, nicer part of town (eg $1300 for a one bedroom).  On the other hand if you live in a less desirable part of Hyde Park you might be looking at $800 for a huge one bedroom apartment in a good building with gym.  

 

I don't live in graduate housing but I know plenty of people who are and it's quite a mixed bag.  Apparently you just nominate your preference for building and hope for the best but there's no guarantee.  Some of the buildings are nice and the apartments are well maintained and light and airy, but I've also seen some terribly depressing ones which are dank and cramped.  I didn't go for grad housing because I had enough time to look for a place myself and the rent wasn't any cheaper than outside housing services. 

 

You could also check out UChicago marketplace for rentals - I found my place through there.  Good luck!

Hi,

 

I will be attending Harris School Uni of Chicago this fall. I am international student and have never traveled to US before. I want to know which will be the best place to live near my department and safe as well. I have no idea about the city whatsoever. Also please let me know which is a better option among studio, one bedroom or two bedroom apartment. Thanks.

Edited April 16, 2014 by s_i

[estrauss]

Hey everyone, I'm actually leaving U Chicago this year (i.e. in a couple of months), as is my roommate, and we are looking for someone to take over our lease in July. It's a nice two-bedroom owned by MAC Properties, which is pretty big/reputable management company in Hyde Park, on Woodlawn and 54th. Location-wise, that is pretty much unbeatable - safe, near campus, and one to two blocks from coffee, groceries, the 55 bus line, and Jimmy's (the only real bar in Hyde Park). The rent is $1,044 total; the details would be worked out with MAC, but you'd take the last month of our lease (July) plus the period of your new lease, which you would negotiate with MAC. If you'd like to move in early, my roommate and I will be gone by mid-June, so we could probably work something out there.

 

Also... it's warm, which is important given polar vortexes and all.

 

PM me if you're interested, and I can answer any questions you might have.

[tmr1523]

Hi everyone- I have been scanning this city guide hoping to gain some insight on the areas surrounding Chicago. I am planning on attending Elmhurst College in August, and I just want to know if anyone has any information on the area. Do most people live in Chicago and commute to Elmhurst? If so, what areas should I look at for renting an apartment? I will have a car, but I would love to be able to take public transportation it is offered and somewhat convenient. Any little bit of information would help! 

[sayjo]

Hi everyone- I have been scanning this city guide hoping to gain some insight on the areas surrounding Chicago. I am planning on attending Elmhurst College in August, and I just want to know if anyone has any information on the area. Do most people live in Chicago and commute to Elmhurst? If so, what areas should I look at for renting an apartment? I will have a car, but I would love to be able to take public transportation it is offered and somewhat convenient. Any little bit of information would help! 

 

I'd be wary of living in Chicago and commuting out to the suburbs, just because traffic is awful.  My husband and I live in the South Loop area and he works in the suburbs (12 miles away from where we live).  Some days, it takes him over an hour to get to work.  A few times last winter when it snowed, it took him two hours to get to work!

 

That said, if you can easily take the train (UP-West line goes to Elmhurst, I believe) it might be worth a go.  

 

As far as renting, the West Side neighborhoods can be kind of shady (like Austin), so you wouldn't want to live there.  If you really plan on commuting out to Elmhurst, your best bet is to live in a neighborhood close to 290, since you'd most likely be taking that highway to commute. South Loop and Little Italy are both nice and close by.

 

That said, I think you might want to give more consideration to living in Elmhurst and spending your time off school exploring the city.  Commuting sucks.  Just my $0.02.

Edited May 22, 2014 by sayjo

[themmases]

Hi everyone- I have been scanning this city guide hoping to gain some insight on the areas surrounding Chicago. I am planning on attending Elmhurst College in August, and I just want to know if anyone has any information on the area. Do most people live in Chicago and commute to Elmhurst? If so, what areas should I look at for renting an apartment? I will have a car, but I would love to be able to take public transportation it is offered and somewhat convenient. Any little bit of information would help! 

 

It looks like Elmhurst College is a short walk from the Metra station (basically, Chicago-area commuter rail between the city and suburbs), so you could maybe reverse commute if you were going to live somewhere in the city that is convenient to the UP-W line. Some recent track construction notwithstanding, I generally find Metra pretty reliable. However, Metra schedules are heavily weighted towards getting people from the suburbs into the city in the morning, and out in the evening-- the train schedule isn't as robust in reverse. You might want to check Metra's website to see how often you'd be able to catch a train going Chicago-Elmhurst and back, and whether you're interested in living near any of the Chicago stations. Also, be aware that you wouldn't be eligible for Metra's student ticket prices, which only apply to grade school and high school students. If you'd need a discount, you'd have to hope your school offers something. Elmhurst isn't on the list of schools that offer a CTA U-Pass (unlimited CTA card for enrolled students), so you'd also need to pay for your own public transportation within the city if you lived there. Eventually Metra and CTA will have a unified fare system, but it won't save you any money-- it will just mean you only need to have one card.

 

I can't recommend signing up for a regular commute, reverse or otherwise, between Chicago and the suburbs by car. Between permanent tolls, routine construction, insufficient capacity for demand, and of course the weather, it's just not a good bet. If a regular Metra commute won't work for you, I'd recommend living in Elmhurst and using your proximity to that Metra line to explore the city in your free time.

[OverCaffeinated]

hey, i have a question not specifically to chicago but thats where i am going. 

im going to be traveling from canada. so living somewhere downtown, but diriving once in a while to see the fam back in toronto. i'll have an ontario licensed car and an apartment and a canadian drivers license...

will the state make me get an american drivers license? because it seems otherwise i have no proof i live in chicago... is that correct? or will the university give me like a temporary card with my address...? how does it work?

[themmases]

I don't normally drive in the city, so I can't say whether you would need to use an American driver's license to drive here long-term. However, you shouldn't need it as proof of address.

 

My driver's license was last renewed when I was in undergrad, so it still has my parents' address on it. When I need to prove Chicago residency, I bring a copy of a bill or my lease. Most places I've been accept a lease, utility bill, paycheck mailed to your address, or voter registration card instead of or in addition to your picture ID as proof of residency, even if your picture ID has an old address on it. I've even had this accepted at City Colleges, where I would have had to pay higher tuition if I were still living outside the city. Despite my ID having a suburban address, my current voter registration card had a Chicago address, so I got the lower tuition. I think that's pretty common here.

 

Your student ID card generally won't have your address on it. All the ones I've seen are issues at enrollment and good for 4+ years. They are not often accepted as proof of age/identity and are more useful for getting discounts.

[Flatlander]

Hi

 

I'm an Indian student headed to Uchicago (Fall 2014) for graduate study and am looking for a roommate. I would prefer a good neighbourhood with decent connectivity. Anyone interested?

[davet73]

I am speaking as a Chicago native and not as a UIC, UChicago or Northwestern student. As for UChicago, make sure you know where you are looking. To the west of campus is the Washington Park neighborhood, which is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the Chicagoland area. 

 

If anyone is looking for places to share, Wrigleyville can have some decent deals (with rooms at about $700/month). If you are open to renting a room instead of having your own apartment, that is always an option. Also, Wrigleyville makes it easy to get to all three campuses via the CTA. Then you have Lincoln Park, near DePaul, which is just a tad bit pricier than Wrigleyville. If you want to be in a place with a lot of shopping, parks, cafes and whatnot, go to Lincoln Park. If you want to have bars and Cubs games, go to Wrigleyville. Both are places that are great for young people, but I would say that Wrigleyville is more for the party types. 

 

But you don't have to go into the city either. If you can get a place close to a Metra station, the suburbs can save you quite a bit of money. I lived most of my life in the suburbs in the northwest (Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Algonquin). These are nice places to live, but don't have great access to Metra stations. In DuPage County, you will have better luck with Metra station locations. It can take about an hour via the Metra to get into town, but you don't have to deal with traffic. The Metra is a better choice for those going to UIC, but not as much for the other campuses. 

[OverCaffeinated]

Are you saying if I get an apartment in Chicago I can pay in state tuition? Even if I'm a Canadian citizen?

Cause that would really make my day right now cause "international tuition' is like 5x the cost!

I don't normally drive in the city, so I can't say whether you would need to use an American driver's license to drive here long-term. However, you shouldn't need it as proof of address.

 

My driver's license was last renewed when I was in undergrad, so it still has my parents' address on it. When I need to prove Chicago residency, I bring a copy of a bill or my lease. Most places I've been accept a lease, utility bill, paycheck mailed to your address, or voter registration card instead of or in addition to your picture ID as proof of residency, even if your picture ID has an old address on it. I've even had this accepted at City Colleges, where I would have had to pay higher tuition if I were still living outside the city. Despite my ID having a suburban address, my current voter registration card had a Chicago address, so I got the lower tuition. I think that's pretty common here.

 

Your student ID card generally won't have your address on it. All the ones I've seen are issues at enrollment and good for 4+ years. They are not often accepted as proof of age/identity and are more useful for getting discounts.

[OverCaffeinated]

That being said... When I apply should I apply with a Chicago address right away? Or apply with my Canadian address and switch to an American one later...

[sayjo]

Are you saying if I get an apartment in Chicago I can pay in state tuition? Even if I'm a Canadian citizen?

Cause that would really make my day right now cause "international tuition' is like 5x the cost!

 

 

I'm no expert on these matters, but I believe in order to receive a discount in tuition, you need to prove you are a resident of the state where the school is located.  For most states, I think that means you need to prove you lived there for a certain amount of time (like one year) or that you were forced to move due to a spouse's job, etc.  You don't just automatically get in-state tuition for having an in-state address.

 

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong though, as all this information is coming from a life-long Illinois resident that only ever attended schools in Illinois. 

[confusedkate]

If you google it this is what it says: "For the most part, residence isn’t simply defined as living in a particular state; often, residents need to do things like register to vote, rent/own an apartment/home, register a vehicle, pay state income tax, and work part or full time."

Graduate assistantships and student employment do not count as the type of work this is talking about. And if you are an international student with a temporary visa you do not qualify for in state tuition (neither do F1 visas).

[davet73]

That being said... When I apply should I apply with a Chicago address right away? Or apply with my Canadian address and switch to an American one later...

 

 

I'm no expert on these matters, but I believe in order to receive a discount in tuition, you need to prove you are a resident of the state where the school is located.  For most states, I think that means you need to prove you lived there for a certain amount of time (like one year) or that you were forced to move due to a spouse's job, etc.  You don't just automatically get in-state tuition for having an in-state address.

 

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong though, as all this information is coming from a life-long Illinois resident that only ever attended schools in Illinois. 

 

 

I don't think this is the case. You have to prove residency for one year, but you also have to provide proof that you are a resident and not just someone coming here for education. Even though I was born in Illinois, I lived in Florida for a while, but kept my Illinois DL. Still, I had to prove where I was staying. I think this is something that a person should discuss with admissions. 

 

It is funny because I am on the flip side...I am a Illinois resident moving to Canada (going to McGill). I wish I could get Quebec tuition rates there

 

And Sayjo, congrats on SIUE. That is where I did my undergrad. If you have any questions about the campus or Edwardsville, feel free to ask.

[sayjo]

And Sayjo, congrats on SIUE. That is where I did my undergrad. If you have any questions about the campus or Edwardsville, feel free to ask.

 

Thanks!  I've been to visit Edwardsville and the campus several times and I just love it.  I've been living in Chicago for several years and am excited to get out of the city and back to small town living.  

 

Not sure if I have any questions as of right now, but I will let you know if I come up with anything!

[themmases]

Are you saying if I get an apartment in Chicago I can pay in state tuition? Even if I'm a Canadian citizen?

Cause that would really make my day right now cause "international tuition' is like 5x the cost!

 

 

I'm sorry I made this confusing statement and disappeared-- I did this at a City College, which is basically a Chicago community college. The salient point there is proving that you live in the city and not an adjacent suburb or something. It's not really comparable to proving state residency for grad school tuition purposes-- I just used it as a (kind of confusing) example that people here take the documentation I mentioned as proof of residency address even in situations when money is on the line.

Edited May 28, 2014 by themmases

[s_i]

Hello, 

Can anyone please tell me how much will the monthly utilities cost in the Hyde Park Area for a two bed apartment?

 

Thanks

[themmases]

Hi s_i, the answer to that is highly dependent on the age of the building and the arrangement you have with your landlord.

 

It's very common for heat to be included in rent in Chicago apartments. It's not unusual for other utilities to be included as well, especially water. My current apartment has all the basic utilities included-- heat, electric, and water-- and only stuff like cable/phone/internet is up to me. The rule of thumb I've always heard in Chicago is that you shouldn't spend more than 30% of your income on housing, and if utilities are included you can afford to spend 33-35%. Here are recent energy prices in the Chicago area if you do choose a place where you're responsible for electric or gas: http://www.bls.gov/ro5/aepchi.htm According to the Metropolitan Tenants Organization, if your landlord won't be paying for heat then they must give you information about what the charges were in the past. http://www.tenants-rights.org/heat-other-essential-services-faq/ Radiators are extremely common in Chicago's lovely older buildings, and they can be expensive to run yourself.

 

Chicago is served by at least three cable/internet companies: AT&T, Comcast, and RCN, plus WOW! in some areas. I currently pay RCN just under $60/month for internet and a modem rental at a medium speed that supports my partner and me both loving Netflix. It was cheaper than AT&T/Comcast were offering for the same speed outside of promotion, but not the cheapest thing we could have gone with. Watch out for aggressive cable promotions that only last a pathetic 6 months. Sales people from the bigger companies are constantly dropping off fliers and bothering us in our building.

Edited August 13, 2014 by themmases

[music]

I'm spending 44% of my post-tax stipend on rent+bills in Hyde Park. Tbh, working by proportion of salary when you're a grad student seems a little redundant, since most of us are not going to be managing to save any money or supporting dependents etc. So long as you can make ends meet and maintain a suitable standard of living by your own standards, I'd value the quality of an apartment (quietness, location - things which will enhance your ability to study/sleep) above the cost.

 

@Themmases, do those cable promotions tend to be a 12 month tie-in contract, so you get screwed over for part of your contract? Or do you just have to be smart enough to remember to opt-out and switch company after the promotion is up

[manierata]

Amor Vincit Omnia: Love as a Destructive Force in Italian Arts and Literature

April 24-25 2015

 

The students of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures in the specialization of Italian and the Department of Art History at the University of Chicago invite papers for an interdisciplinary graduate student conference “Amor Vincit Omnia: Love as a Destructive Force in Italian Arts and Literature”, to be held on April 24 and 25, 2015.

 

Keynote Address:

Dr. Giuseppe Mazzotta, Sterling Professor of Humanities for Italian, Yale University

 

Closing Address:

Dr. Hendrik Dey, Professor of Art History, Hunter College

 

Call for Papers:

The motto “Love conquers all” has become ubiquitous for love’s ability to overcome all obstacles, physical as well as psychological, that impede the union of two lovers. However, in its original context “amor vincit omnia” in Virgil actually refers to love’s ability to destroy both the lover and the beloved; the speaker of this phrase, Gallus, immediately kills himself after its declaration. The destructive nature of love has been addressed by Italian artists and writers from antiquity to modern times. Virgil’s depiction of Dido, Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne, Dante’s Paolo and Francesca, Verdi’s Aida, and, more recently, Fellini’s Cabiria and De Chirico’s Ariadne all explore love’s disastrous consequences. This conference aims to explore the varieties of representation of sorrowful love and its evolution over time; new understandings that can be gleaned from a variety of evidence; and dialogue and divergence between portrayals of tragic Italian love across the Humanities.

 

We seek papers that address the theme of Amore vincit omnia, or love as a motivator for the demise of the self or the destruction of the object of desire. Potential topics this conference seeks to examine include, but are not limited to:

 

• Objects of desire: variations of Venus, the Donna Angelicata, and Adonis, and the effect of gender on portrayals of both the lover and the beloved
• Unorthodoxy in depictions of sexuality

• Portraiture, funeral monuments, and elegies as expressions of longing or loss
• Funeral processions and the relationship of death and urbanism
• Tragedy within the familial or Platonic framework
• Narcissism as an impetus towards self-destruction
• Suicide and self-harm as a result of unrequited or deceptive love
• Alienation from Godly or spiritual love
• Love misdirected at animals or the inanimate
• Philosophies of tragic love in art and literature
• Portrayals or imitations of the Italian lover in theater
• Self-destructive love through the medium of cinema
• Theories, remedies, and consequences of lovesickness
• Music’s ability to provoke and dramatize tragic love

 

Please email a 250 word abstract to italiangradconference@gmail.com by 1 February 2015, including your Name, C.V., and any technology requests.

 

All current graduate students, as well as junior scholars in Art History, Literature, and related disciplines are invited to submit an abstract to this conference. Abstracts will be accepted in English, Italian, and French.

[cinoadam]

Hi I might do my grad studies at Uchicago (hyde park).  What are good housing options?  Are the university-owned grad apartments a good deal?  What are some neighborhoods to look into?  I heard that the surrounding neighborhoods of hyde park can be a little bit sketchy. I don't have a car btw.

Edited January 22, 2015 by cinoadam

[music]

Grad housing is safe, convenient, usually well-managed and comparable value to other properties in HP. Definitely better than MAC which owns almost every apartment building in the area. Living in HP is pretty worthwhile bc of the multiple free buses and shuttles that will take you home when it's cold/snowing/you have too many books to carry. There's enough stuff going on in HP that you can get pretty much everything you need here...except a nightlife. Unless the library counts.

 

Most people advise not living south of 61st street, which you can really only judge for yourself. I would feel fine there as a white woman, but then I come from a big multiracial city and know how to behave in that kind of environment. Some people fear relative poverty and people who look different to themselves. On the other hand, guns are a real thing. Kenwood, the area just north of HP, is fine and also served somewhat by the university transport. Some students (mostly business school or later years in PhD) live in the loop or North Chicago, but the commute sounds nasty and unreliable.

[cinoadam]

Grad housing is safe, convenient, usually well-managed and comparable value to other properties in HP. Definitely better than MAC which owns almost every apartment building in the area. Living in HP is pretty worthwhile bc of the multiple free buses and shuttles that will take you home when it's cold/snowing/you have too many books to carry. There's enough stuff going on in HP that you can get pretty much everything you need here...except a nightlife. Unless the library counts.

 

Most people advise not living south of 61st street, which you can really only judge for yourself. I would feel fine there as a white woman, but then I come from a big multiracial city and know how to behave in that kind of environment. Some people fear relative poverty and people who look different to themselves. On the other hand, guns are a real thing. Kenwood, the area just north of HP, is fine and also served somewhat by the university transport. Some students (mostly business school or later years in PhD) live in the loop or North Chicago, but the commute sounds nasty and unreliable.

Thanks that's very helpful.  Is grad housing priced reasonably compared to local apartments?  Also is there dorm-style housing for graduate students?

 

I saw on the grad housing website, that you have to be 'full time' to live there.  But what counts as full time exactly?  Because the website says that full time can be a mixture of coursework and work.

[music]

Thanks that's very helpful.  Is grad housing priced reasonably compared to local apartments?  Also is there dorm-style housing for graduate students?

 

I saw on the grad housing website, that you have to be 'full time' to live there.  But what counts as full time exactly?  Because the website says that full time can be a mixture of coursework and work.

Define 'work'...I mean I think if you're enrolled in a PhD program, you're full time, obviously including once you're done with CW and into TAing/writing up/whatever. Part time would be stuff like the weekend MBA courses, I imagine.

 

The pricing is comparable/better than elsewhere, unless you can find a private landlord (very difficult in HP, thanks to MAC). The service level and convenience make it good value. I don't think there is dorm-housing, although there might be some 2-bed apartments available.

 

FWIW I pay $811 including all bills, for a 1-bed, 15 mins walk or 5 mins free bus from the library, on the main shopping street in HP. It's good enough that I'll try to find a subletter and stay here for the summer. Also, if you decide to take up your place at UC, there's a website where students/staff/faculty post classified ads for subleases and apartments, so it's really easy to find something at super short notice should you decide not to go for grad housing.