University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign

[delphin]

Hey everyone! I will be attending Illinois for the political science PhD program, I plan to visit at the end of May to look for apartments and move there in the beginning of August.

[mglang]

Hey! I will also be attending next Fall. I will join the College of Education for a PhD in Language and Literacy. I will probably move there by late May, as I have applied to the Summer Pre-Doctoral Institute - I expect to attend both June and July. I am very excited about this! Would love to meet others who have chosen UIUC!

[jts24]

Hi guys! I'll be attending for my Ph.D. in Anthropology. I also applied for SPI, so I hope to be around in the summer. Lupita, I think we met during the community of scholars event. Glad to know you're definitely attending!

[Bikina]

Hi!! I'll also be attending UIUC next Fall for the M.A. program in Hispanic Linguistics. I'm an international student and will probably move there at the end of July or the beginning of August. Any advice on accommodation would be greatly appreciated!

[delphin]

I talked to some of the current grad students about where to live and they gave me a lot of helpful information. Plus I emailed the tenant union and they were incredibly helpful. Basically you email them the companies you are looking at renting with and they give you all the information about them including complaint records. You can also give them the specific details about the type of place you are looking for/location and they will tell you which places meet your qualifications.

[Bikina]

I talked to some of the current grad students about where to live and they gave me a lot of helpful information. Plus I emailed the tenant union and they were incredibly helpful. Basically you email them the companies you are looking at renting with and they give you all the information about them including complaint records. You can also give them the specific details about the type of place you are looking for/location and they will tell you which places meet your qualifications.

Thanks!!!

[this_isnot_here]

Hi, everybody! I'm headed there this fall as well for a chem PhD. As far as apartments go, the packet they give you is a good place to start, the classifieds and the tenant union are also good resources to verify if the places are good to live in, and then maybe craigslist as like a supplement. I'm probably looking into housing pretty soon, as well. I think if all of us join forces and pool the info together here, everything should work out ok haha.

[mglang]

Hi guys! I'll be attending for my Ph.D. in Anthropology. I also applied for SPI, so I hope to be around in the summer. Lupita, I think we met during the community of scholars event. Glad to know you're definitely attending!

Hey.... yes! I remember you!

It's great to know you will be going!

I hope we get a chance to hang out during SPI

[R_Escobar]

Hello everyone! I will be attending UIUC for a PhD in History. I will also be moving end of May/beginning of June for SPI.

[Bikina]

Hi, everybody! I'm headed there this fall as well for a chem PhD. As far as apartments go, the packet they give you is a good place to start, the classifieds and the tenant union are also good resources to verify if the places are good to live in, and then maybe craigslist as like a supplement. I'm probably looking into housing pretty soon, as well. I think if all of us join forces and pool the info together here, everything should work out ok haha.

Great idea! Thanks!

[Noam Segal]

Hey everyone! I'm starting my Social Psych PhD at UIUC this fall, just back from a visit where we signed a lease for a house! I'm moving with my wife and two pets so we opted for a single family home in Urbana. If you need any tips about the area let me know, I've visited twice.. See ya soon ey?

[PoissonGamma]

Hey all. I just got into the stats phd program and will be attending in the fall. Does anybody know much about the on-campus housing options they have? Is it a bad idea to live in one of those?

It looks like 600 for an unfurnished 1BR in one of those, which looks like a good deal considering it includes all utilities and cable/internet. What have other people's experiences been? The stipend is thin of course so every penny counts.

[this_isnot_here]

Hey all. I just got into the stats phd program and will be attending in the fall. Does anybody know much about the on-campus housing options they have? Is it a bad idea to live in one of those?

It looks like 600 for an unfurnished 1BR in one of those, which looks like a good deal considering it includes all utilities and cable/internet. What have other people's experiences been? The stipend is thin of course so every penny counts.

I would pass on campus housing. According to the tenant union, the campus housing has received the most complaints of any apt complex over the last 5 years out of the options they gave me. Also, that's kind of expensive, considering you could probably get cheaper stuff a few blocks down the road.

[PoissonGamma]

Do you think you could get cheaper stuff down the road? I saw a few ads for apts in the 500 range but they did not include heat or cable/internet, which I think will run about 100 each over the course of the year. In New England the heat bills in the winter for a 1br apt can hit 300/month.

[this_isnot_here]

I've seen places going from 400-500 with anything from water + internet included, to all utilities. If you get a 2 bedroom with a roommate, you could very easily pay 400 for everything.

That's the funny thing about the stipend haha, it seems like not a lot but then you realize that housing is so unbelievably dirt-cheap, that if you factor in cost-of-living, the stipend is way more than (most) anywhere else will give you.

Edited April 20, 2012 by this_isnot_here

[Bikina]

I've also been told by other grad students to pass on campus housing.

[Coffeine]

I did my undergrad at U of I. I highly suggest living in Urbana as it is safer, nicer, and much quieter. To me Urbana had a more family/community oriented feel. They also have an awesome farmers market on Saturdays. Champaign is known as more at the party area and it seems that more frats are in Champaign. Also, I highly recommend going through the tenant union. They helped me so much when I had problems with my landlord. Definitely do your research before you sign anything. Have fun at U of I! I love the atmosphere down there!

[PoissonGamma]

Interesting. I will have to check out some more off-campus places. Unfortunately I won't be able to visit before actually moving there so will definitely be making a decision on a wing and a prayer. If anybody sees good spots, feel free to post them :-)

[Bikina]

Interesting. I will have to check out some more off-campus places. Unfortunately I won't be able to visit before actually moving there so will definitely be making a decision on a wing and a prayer. If anybody sees good spots, feel free to post them :-)

I'm in the same situation. I'm an international student so I won't have the chance to visit before moving there. I'll have to trust the Tenant Union and people's posts. Although I think the best thing for me would be to share a 2 bedroom apartment.

[AwesomeAlgorithm]

Hello everyone! I will be attending UIUC for MS in Industrial Engineering. If you haven't done so already, I would definitely contact the Tenant Union. Thanks to them, I've found some very great apartment deals which meets my preference. I won't be able to visit so am gathering as much information as I can. I am planning to move to C-U in the first or second week of August.

Anyone going to the TA training starting on August 20th?

[delphin]

I will be at the TA training for poli sci

[PoissonGamma]

Ya I believe I read that it is mandatory. Could just be for my program though.

[polisciphd]

Do not stay in university housing, it is horrible and certainly not worth the price. The person who said that Champaign is mostly frats and bars is only referring to Champaign on and immediately around campus and downtown. Champaign is much bigger than Urbana and is where most of the residential areas are for families. That being said, there are tons of apartments in Champaign and, unlike Urbana, they will get you away from campus, which is nice, especially since the bus system goes everywhere. I like Urbana, I go there frequently for restaurants and the market, but I wouldn't want to live there (they don't take care of their streets, not many places to shop, only two grocery stores, etc.).

[Bikina]

I've emailed the Tenant Union and they've been really helpful. They provided me with a lot of information. The thing is that, being an international student, I won't arrive to Urbana-Champaign till the end of July - beginning of August so I won't be able to visit. In that situation, don't you think is a bit risky to rent a place without seeing it first?? Plus, I don't know if what they're offering is good, bad, average, pricey...

I'm thinking maybe I'll start looking for a room, although that could be risky too. What do you guys think? Is anyone looking for a grad roommate?

[UofIgirl2000]

I've emailed the Tenant Union and they've been really helpful. They provided me with a lot of information. The thing is that, being an international student, I won't arrive to Urbana-Champaign till the end of July - beginning of August so I won't be able to visit. In that situation, don't you think is a bit risky to rent a place without seeing it first?? Plus, I don't know if what they're offering is good, bad, average, pricey...

I'm an Illinois alumna, and I would definitely NOT sign a lease in Campustown without seeing it first. The good news is that if you are willing to live a mile or more away from campus, there is plenty of housing (even in Urbana), and you should not be homeless for long. I knew people who still found cheap apartments after the school year had started that were not total dumps... but I also knew people who on move-in day were able to have the apartments for which they had signed leases declared uninhabitable by the City of Champaign.