University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign

[fmtoy]

Hi, I will be going there, and was wondering if anyone can answer my question - do you need a car? If so, how's driving there? I am worried about driving in snow, do people need to have chains?

Since I'm always driving in nice weather (west coast!) never had to worry about weather condition & driving.

[bellefast]

You don't need car here. I moved her in April and the transportation is fine to get to where you want to go. BUT...a car is a wonderful thing to have when you want to use it.

[Angua]

You can definitely get by without a car, but as a grad student I recommend having one if you can. Snow is not a huge problem, as they're fairly good about getting the roads clear after big snows. Chains aren't necessary; there aren't any hills, and you'll be just fine as long as you exercise caution while driving in the snow!

[PoliSwede]

I visited UIUC during Spring Break and found a place to live. I really took a liking to Urbana (especially in comparison to downtown Champaign) since it seems less noisy and more quiet. Also found a nice duplex in a neighborhood that at least seemed really nice (based on what I could tell during my two short visits). Hopefully the girlfriend and I will be happy with the place and not have to move during the duration of my program.

 

But as someone else said (in this thread I think), there really is nothing outside of the city limit(s). So empty!

[sqxz]

Anyone moving to Champaign-Urbana this summer?

[ardavan2150]

Hi everyone,

 

So I decided to go to UIUC. I got admitted to Civil engineering program. I am looking for a roommate. I will probably move to Urbana mid to late July.

I am a male, 24 years old, originally from Iran, but right now in US doing my MS at UMASS dartmouth. 

So if you're in the same boat, msg me.

 

Ardavan

[ltn1012]

 

I'm coming to UIUC for the Neuroscience Ph. D. program and I was looking at some of the Royce and Brinkmeyer apartments (in particular Ginger Creek), but I can't tell what bus transportation is like from there. Looking at the website, it appears that only the Brown line goes out there and it stops fairly on in the night? Is there a possibility that another line goes out that way later on or is that a place more accessible if you have a car?

 

I am also considering some off-campus apartments that are a little closer to campus. Are there any that people really love? Not only just the company, but specific apartment complexes?

 

Thanks so much!

[sqxz]

I just signed a lease for an apartment at UIUC last week. When I was doing my apartment hunt, I used Google Maps to check which buses serviced which apartments when. They have features that allow you to easily get a sense of how often buses come at different times in the day and how long you can expect your commute to be. Of course, once you have settled on an apartment, I think it would be wise to check with cumtd.com to verify the accuracy of the information on Google, as not even Google can be perfect.

 

For the Ginger Creek apartments, it looks like you have options leaving every 15-30 minutes from 6am to 10pm. Looks like the commute (to Loomis Lab in north central campus) will take 30-45 minutes. In my opinion, this seems like a long daily commute. I considered options that were a similar distance from campus, but spending an hour and a half on a bus every day didn't seem like something I could do, so I opted for a closer option. You'll have to decide for yourself whether this commute is doable for you, whether the expense of parking on campus every day is worth cutting your commute down to 10 minutes each way, or whether a different apartment will be better for you.

 

As for recommendations, I was looking for single bedroom / studio apartments, and central air/heat was a must for me. My price ceiling was $800/month, but I ideally wanted to be paying $700\month or less. With these criteria in mind, I really liked this apartment complex and this apartment complex from Bankier. Unfortunately, I found out that smoking is allowed in all Bankier apartments, and this ended up being a deal-breaker for me since I planned to sign the lease sight unseen and was therefor unable to check whether the apartments smelled of stale smoke or not. I seriously considered this apartment from Edward Rose & Sons, but they are also a 30-45 minute bus ride from north campus. The availability they have is in a new building which is supposed to be completed in July, and they aren't yet letting people sign leases for the apartments in this building. Instead, they put you on a "priority list" after filling out a lease application, and they say you will have your pick of apartments based on your position in this list.

 

I also liked this apartment from MHM Properties, but the management company has an online reputation for being "sleazy." They were not responsive (via email) to questions I had about the apartment, so I decided it was better to go a different way. The apartment is also quite small relative to the other apartments I considered. Finally, I also briefly considered this apartment complex from Amber Pointe, this apartment complex from Garden Courts, this apartment complex from Regency Apartments, and this apartment complex from Water's Edge. I decided that all of these apartments were too far away by bus, with the exception of the apartments at Garden Courts, which do not make it clear on their website whether they actually have any apartments available.

 

Ultimately, I decided to go with an apartment complex managed by Kennedy Wilson. The apartment I got was the last one available in the building, so I won't post a link. With the exception of this apartment complex, none of the other apartments they have available match my list of criteria, and the one exception is also too far by bus from campus for my taste. However, if your criteria are different than mine, I have to highly, highly recommend Kennedy Wilson. The agent I worked with was extremely detailed and helpful as I berated her with dozens of questions in email after email. She even went to the apartment and took several pictures for me so that I would know exactly what I was signing a lease for. At this point (without having lived in their apartments yet), I cannot speak highly enough of this company.

 

Anyway, I hope this has been helpful. Let me know if there are any questions you think I can help answer. Good luck finding your apartment!

 

 

 

I'm coming to UIUC for the Neuroscience Ph. D. program and I was looking at some of the Royce and Brinkmeyer apartments (in particular Ginger Creek), but I can't tell what bus transportation is like from there. Looking at the website, it appears that only the Brown line goes out there and it stops fairly on in the night? Is there a possibility that another line goes out that way later on or is that a place more accessible if you have a car?

 

I am also considering some off-campus apartments that are a little closer to campus. Are there any that people really love? Not only just the company, but specific apartment complexes?

 

Thanks so much!

 

[sweetpearl16]

I'm currently a graduate student at UIUC. I would highly recommend that anyone who is trying to rent an off-campus apartment contact the UIUC Tenant Union. They were incredibly helpful last year when I was trying to rent an apartment from afar. They have a list of landlords which tells you whether these apartments are furnished, whether they allow pets, how close they are to campus, and how many complaints the landlord has received in the past five years. With their help I found a great apartment with Hunsinger.

[sqxz]

I second the recommendation of the Tenant Union. The list of the number of complaints filed against each company within the past five years is a must-have when looking for an apartment.

[cwillen2]

I am Christopher L. Willenborg, a University of Illinois student, looking for a roommate to share the cost of the 2-bedroom furnished house that I am leasing for the next several years. You would sign a 1 year lease and would have the option to renew for additional years. Your portion of rent including basic utilities would be $600 per month. Utilities included with rent are electric, gas, water, sewer, internet, cable, and security alarm system. Only a few rules: no animals, no smoking, and treat the house and everything in it as if it was your own. The ideal person would be a male student like myself attending the University of Illinois or Parkland College. For more information or images contact me anytime at 217-821-3440 or cwillen2@illinois.edu and we can discuss any questions or details in more depth. A little about myself: I am from a small town in southern central Illinois near Effingham pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering.

Location:906 Hickory St. Champaign, Il 61820