Northwestern 2012 Forum

[Elms]

I'm 24. But I've been married 5 years and that makes me feel old. One of the best things about NU for me was the older student body. I agree with Rayiner that a few years out of college tends to make people a bit more interesting and more grounded.

And, on the subject of housing... does anyone at NU live West in areas like Ukrainian Village or East Village? From what I read online these seem like less expensive but still convenient neighborhoods. Am I missing something? Are they safe? *sigh* Still trying to figure out the housing situation

[hmlee]

I'm 24. But I've been married 5 years and that makes me feel old. One of the best things about NU for me was the older student body. I agree with Rayiner that a few years out of college tends to make people a bit more interesting and more grounded.

And, on the subject of housing... does anyone at NU live West in areas like Ukrainian Village or East Village? From what I read online these seem like less expensive but still convenient neighborhoods. Am I missing something? Are they safe? *sigh* Still trying to figure out the housing situation

I can't tell you if any current NU law students live out that way, but if I had to guess, I'd say not many. Ukranian Village, East Village, and Wicker Park are all in the more "developing" column of neighborhoods. They're relatively trendy and have been changing for the better - i.e., less crime, more businesses / restaurants - for a little while now. The only problem with all three of those neighborhoods is one of convenience in terms of public transit access. All three sit pretty much exclusively on the blue line, with the very southeastern end of Ukranian Village also having access to a green / pink line stop. Unfortunately, the two closest El lines to NU are the brown line and the red line. Access to Loyola would be via the Purple Line / Red Line fyi. In order to get from a blue line stop to either the red or brown line stops closest to Northwestern, you would have to take the El into downtown (to Clark / Lake) where you could board a brown line train, or, go to Clark / Lake, and then walk a few blocks to the State / Lake red line stop to take the red line. So, not exactly the easiest thing in the world to do.

If you have a car it's an entirely different story, and there is also bus access. The 65 route, which travels east/west along Grand (roughly 600 N.) could get you relatively close to NU at the eastern end of its route. You'd be about 2 blocks away if you rode that bus all the way to the eastern end, but that's comparable to the distance you'd walk from the red line stop anyway, so it's not so bad. There's also a late night (OWL) bus that goes east/west on Chicago Ave., which is the street that NU Law is on. (I find it ironic that one of the main bus routes through a street near the U Chicago campus is the number 55 bus route, and the bus route that goes on the street near NU Law's campus is the 66 route. Hehe.)

Anyhoo, all the standard traffic / inclement weather delays that apply to driving apply to buses, so they are obviously not as convenient as an easily accessible El stop. Bottom line, living in Ukrainian Village / East Village / Wicker Park is doable, easier if you have a car, but not nearly as convenient as living in Streeterville, Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Buena Park, and Uptown.

Edit: When thinking about neighborhoods in Chicago and public transit options, it's best to think of it in this sense. Chicago, unlike most other cities (especially Paris), has much easier public transit access going North/South than East/West. Also, because Chicago only has 8 El lines, metro stops begin to space out further and further the farther west from the Lake and the loop that you get.

[rubyslippers]

hey folks--

I'm heading to Chicago on Monday in order to find myself a place to live. Is anyone around the area who wants to meet up for a drink? (Or tell me cool places to go in Chicago?)

Oh, and I'm 24

[Elms]

I'm 24. But I've been married 5 years and that makes me feel old. One of the best things about NU for me was the older student body. I agree with Rayiner that a few years out of college tends to make people a bit more interesting and more grounded.

And, on the subject of housing... does anyone at NU live West in areas like Ukrainian Village or East Village? From what I read online these seem like less expensive but still convenient neighborhoods. Am I missing something? Are they safe? *sigh* Still trying to figure out the housing situation

I can't tell you if any current NU law students live out that way, but if I had to guess, I'd say not many. Ukranian Village, East Village, and Wicker Park are all in the more "developing" column of neighborhoods. They're relatively trendy and have been changing for the better - i.e., less crime, more businesses / restaurants - for a little while now. The only problem with all three of those neighborhoods is one of convenience in terms of public transit access. All three sit pretty much exclusively on the blue line, with the very southeastern end of Ukranian Village also having access to a green / pink line stop. Unfortunately, the two closest El lines to NU are the brown line and the red line. Access to Loyola would be via the Purple Line / Red Line fyi. In order to get from a blue line stop to either the red or brown line stops closest to Northwestern, you would have to take the El into downtown (to Clark / Lake) where you could board a brown line train, or, go to Clark / Lake, and then walk a few blocks to the State / Lake red line stop to take the red line. So, not exactly the easiest thing in the world to do.

If you have a car it's an entirely different story, and there is also bus access. The 65 route, which travels east/west along Grand (roughly 600 N.) could get you relatively close to NU at the eastern end of its route. You'd be about 2 blocks away if you rode that bus all the way to the eastern end, but that's comparable to the distance you'd walk from the red line stop anyway, so it's not so bad. There's also a late night (OWL) bus that goes east/west on Chicago Ave., which is the street that NU Law is on. (I find it ironic that one of the main bus routes through a street near the U Chicago campus is the number 55 bus route, and the bus route that goes on the street near NU Law's campus is the 66 route. Hehe.)

Anyhoo, all the standard traffic / inclement weather delays that apply to driving apply to buses, so they are obviously not as convenient as an easily accessible El stop. Bottom line, living in Ukrainian Village / East Village / Wicker Park is doable, easier if you have a car, but not nearly as convenient as living in Streeterville, Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Buena Park, and Uptown.

Edit: When thinking about neighborhoods in Chicago and public transit options, it's best to think of it in this sense. Chicago, unlike most other cities (especially Paris), has much easier public transit access going North/South than East/West. Also, because Chicago only has 8 El lines, metro stops begin to space out further and further the farther west from the Lake and the loop that you get.

Thanks, this is really helpful!

[Corsair]

..

[chadwick218]

Although a few weekends away, I'll be back in Chicago with weekend of July 10th - July 12th hoping to catch some baseball and finalize housing.

[enygma]

anyone know anything about getting cheap software from the school? how cheap is it? how do you do it?

[Spor]

anyone know anything about getting cheap software from the school? how cheap is it? how do you do it?

I tried finding information on this and wasn't very successful. If you find anything let me know.

[enygma]

not nearly as good of deals as i was hoping: --LinkRemoved--

might have to find a friend who's still at IU and see if they still have $10 copies of shit...

[Spor]

How about lenders? Other threads have concluded that Discover is the best bet because of the 8.25% rate and no origination fees. However, the statistics on NU's website has a 63% approval rating for Discover, one of the lowest.

What lenders did people choose and why?

[gus]

How about lenders? Other threads have concluded that Discover is the best bet because of the 8.25% rate and no origination fees. However, the statistics on NU's website has a 63% approval rating for Discover, one of the lowest.

What lenders did people choose and why?

i don't think that number represents people's happiness with their lender. could be wrong, but the approval rating generally refers to the number of applicants who actually qualified for a loan and received it (some are rejected for poor credit history or other inaccuracies).

[Spor]

i don't think that number represents people's happiness with their lender. could be wrong, but the approval rating generally refers to the number of applicants who actually qualified for a loan and received it (some are rejected for poor credit history or other inaccuracies).

I have to agree with you. I definitely misinterpreted the numbers.

[gus]

I have to agree with you. I definitely misinterpreted the numbers.

no worries. i've already signed the papers with discover. in my limited interactions with their customer service, they've been nothing but accessible and helpful.

[Dick Whitman]

anyone know anything about getting cheap software from the school? how cheap is it? how do you do it?

I tried finding information on this and wasn't very successful. If you find anything let me know.

Go to the NU Law webpage, Facilities & Resources > Information Technology > Notebook Program. Click on the link to view recommended laptop configurations. At this point you will need your net ID to proceed. Scroll down and click on the 'Northwestern University Student Software Program' link.

The deals are pretty good -- I believe Microsoft Office runs around $60.

[hmlee]

anyone know anything about getting cheap software from the school? how cheap is it? how do you do it?

I tried finding information on this and wasn't very successful. If you find anything let me know.

Go to the NU Law webpage, Facilities & Resources > Information Technology > Notebook Program. Click on the link to view recommended laptop configurations. At this point you will need your net ID to proceed. Scroll down and click on the 'Northwestern University Student Software Program' link.

The deals are pretty good -- I believe Microsoft Office runs around $60.

Yeesh. That's still expensive for a University. U Chicago sells operating systems and Office for $25/per...

[TheHammer24]

Just got back from Chicago. I got a place in Onterie for ~$880 a month studio after you factor in the signing bonus and free months rent. It was definitely spacious for a studio and the price was substantially better than anywhere else. $1200 market rent - 2 months free + $1000 signing bonus + $500 student bonus + $150 application bonus applied to rent.

It was a pretty easy decision in the end, although I did toy with a real nice convertible in the Gold Coast for $1,100.

Onterie also has a $1,500 referral bonus if anyone is interested in getting a place there that could be used to alleviate costs. PM me for more details.

I'd be happy to answer anyone's questions. It was an extremely and unexpectedly painless process in the end. Everywhere at which I looked was suitable. Maybe I was just expecting the worst.

Let me know!

Also, good to hear some of you like going out! I went to McFaddens on State on Friday night when I was up there, and it was a blast. I went to a concert at Joe's Bar in Lincoln Park Saturday night, which was also fun.

[rayiner]

Just got back from Chicago. Took a tour of downtown while I was there. BEAUTIFUL city, and the area around apartments around the law school are pretty nice.

HOWEVER,

It was late June, and I was quite chilly in the shade...

[69sofine]

Just got back from Chicago. Took a tour of downtown while I was there. BEAUTIFUL city, and the area around apartments around the law school are pretty nice.

HOWEVER,

It was late June, and I was quite chilly in the shade...

You better get used to hanging indoors...

[Corsair]

..

[hmlee]

Just got back from Chicago. Took a tour of downtown while I was there. BEAUTIFUL city, and the area around apartments around the law school are pretty nice.

HOWEVER,

It was late June, and I was quite chilly in the shade...

Whether has been up and down for the last couple weeks.

Agreed... this has been an unusual summer here. Normally it's just consistently warm at this time of year.

[Corsair]

..

[rayiner]

On a somewhat related note. When is everyone moving to Chicago? I'll be in town on August 15. What do y'all think about a pre-orientation Chicago bar night? We could get some of the less dorky U of C people to come too.

[doyleoil]

We could get some of the less dorky U of C people to come too.

you should have polls and vote on us - (if i make the cut, i'm in...)

[rayiner]

We could get some of the less dorky U of C people to come too.

you should have polls and vote on us - (if i make the cut, i'm in...)

Lol, the "less dorky" clause was expressly for you dolye.

[doyleoil]

We could get some of the less dorky U of C people to come too.

you should have polls and vote on us - (if i make the cut, i'm in...)

Lol, the "less dorky" clause was expressly for you dolye.

<3 - gotta get dres also - i get to town early in august, so i'm down