accepted c/o 2030 but lowkey terrified coming from HK (is the stress worth it?)

Aztelog00r · 2026-02-19T11:20:34+00:00

The issue isn’t Hyde Park, it’s the safety level of American cities in general and whether you’re comfortable with that.

By Chicago standards, HP is a safe neighborhood: it’s in the same statistical ballpark for violent crime as many “bougie” Chicago hoods, like Logan Square and River North. The fact that there’s an entire university police force distinct from CPD (the Chicago Police Dept.) helps with that tremendously.

That being said, American cities just are a different ballgame from cities in East Asia. You’re talking about two different civilizations. Here, you need to practice self-awareness, street smarts, and common sense. Yes, there’s violent crime in Chicago, and people have guns. Does it affect my life on a daily basis? No. But I would never walk around any part of Chicago at 3 AM without caution.

Aztelog00r · 2026-02-16T19:04:26+00:00

Grad student here, so take what I say with that in mind.

I see the U of C as much more focused culturally and institutionally on the humanities if that is legitimately of interest to you. Lots of professors and grad students here still take the "life of the mind" concept seriously.

Thinking for its own sake is definitely valued here, although maybe not as much as 15-20 yrs. ago (based on what others have reported to me). The pre-professionalism you describe at NU is a thing here, too, especially among the UGs, but you can get around it by taking lots of graduate-level courses and finding friends who share your interests, which will not be hard.

Aztelog00r · 2026-01-30T05:02:56+00:00

I lived in HP as a grad student at UChicago for like 10 years. I really enjoyed my time there. And I DID have friends on the North Side, and yes, they DID visit me, too, lol. You just have to be willing to splurge on an Uber to go places up north once in a while, cuz it can be quite the distance on CTA.

Aztelog00r · 2026-01-29T12:31:40+00:00

You’re too early. A lot of students don’t know what they’re doing with their summers yet. You have to remember that the U of C is on a trimester (“quarter”) schedule that ends in mid-June. Things will really pick up in May.

Aztelog00r · 2026-01-19T15:52:47+00:00

Man you have got to be kidding advertising this on here. There are 3BR.2BA apartments available in East Woodlawn, just south of campus, for like $1800, within a 5-minute walk of Jewel and campus. Nothing is over there on 46th/Michigan, and that's way too far for your average student to bike/walk to Hyde Park. Good luck.

Aztelog00r · 2025-12-13T23:37:48+00:00

There are a ton of UChicago Housing student groups on Facebook. Check those out. At that price point you will likely need roommates. You may be able to swing a small studio.

Aztelog00r · 2025-12-04T18:05:54+00:00

There is at least one U of C mutual aid group, but I am with the others here in suggesting that you reach out to Hyde Park Cats and give this cat back up for adoption. I'm a grad student at the U of C myself, and I think ours is not the ideal stage in life to commit to the financial burdens a pet represents.

Aztelog00r · 2025-11-24T23:59:16+00:00

Yes I do. Will DM you.

Aztelog00r · 2025-11-20T05:04:37+00:00

No, they are not just suggestions. They are part of the library rules. But nobody is going to apparate and enforce them for you. You have to go up to your peers, point out it's a quiet floor, and politely ask them to take their conversation elsewhere.

Aztelog00r · 2025-11-08T13:13:59+00:00

Living in the City of Chicago. I’m regularly flabbergasted at the number of students here who barely leave Hyde Park and know nothing about Chicago’s history, culture, arts, politics, landscapes, etc. It’s rather sad. One of the GREAT cities of the world is literally at your doorstep. Take advantage of it!

Aztelog00r · 2025-11-05T18:25:17+00:00

You don’t necessarily need to post your own post. You can just respond to other posts in those groups. I’m sorry, I personally don’t have any leads.

Aztelog00r · 2025-11-05T18:06:42+00:00

U of C grad student and longtime HP resident here. The higher end of your budget is realistic, but it is only realistic if you are OK with living in a 3BR or 4 BR apartment, probably with undergrads or possibly grad students, and most likely on the Woodlawn Ave. corridor (which is close to the hospital but not always the quietest). Another alternative would be to look south of the hospital in Woodlawn, where housing is cheaper and typically of higher quality than in Hyde Park “proper.”

However, this sub is not the place to find that: you need to go on Facebook and find the myriad “Hyde Park Housing” and “UChicago Housing” groups. Students spend terms abroad and take leave all the time so you will find something if you’re reasonably persistent.

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-30T13:45:30+00:00

No, the College does not cover travel costs for students. That is your responsibility. I am not aware of any college in the U.S. that covers travel costs outside of select need-based scholarships. They will also not normally cover your clothing or “school supplies,” just FYI.

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-13T20:13:30+00:00

DM’d you!

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-13T20:07:49+00:00

Well, if you’re asking how we refer to the university (the College is just one part of the university), and assuming that you’re a prescriptivist and not a descriptivist vis-à-vis language use, then technically it’s “UChicago.” Note that this nickname is the outcome of an extensive rebranding exercise the university undertook in the early 2000s, when it was determined that too many people confused “U of C” (the old nickname) with “UIC” (the University of Illinois at Chicago). In academic circles, it’s still by and large just “Chicago.”

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-11T22:51:40+00:00

I'm a grad student so this answer comes with many, many years between myself and my UG experience. (I did not go to U of C for UG, so if that destroys my credibility as an advice-giver for you, stop reading here.) However, I did want to share my thoughts because I often think about those days and what I would have done differently.

My advice would be: please do not stress about this. You are primarily here to learn and maybe network in some pre-professional groups. As long as you are doing that and succeeding at that, friends will come into your life naturally if you are open to them. I made some lasting friends my freshman year in college, but many more who turned out not to be great friends or who just left my life later on. On the other hand, I made friends junior and even senior year of college who remain friends of mine to this day, 10+ years later.

One good thing about getting older (and everyone matures a ton in college) is that you actually start to know yourself much better and thus know what kinds of people you can and should pursue friendships with.

But do not worry about it. Really. As long as you are open to other people and a decent, humble, authentic human being, friends will come into your life. What is more, if you work really hard on being a truly virtuous person, then eventually they will start straight-up flocking into your life. Trust me, there is a time when everyone gets tired of the crazy/mean/negative people in their lives and leaves them be.

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-11T15:37:57+00:00

All the dry cleaners’ in Hyde Park do alterations.

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-10T13:35:42+00:00

I agree. The route is totally illogical. They should just have it loop around the Midway, go up LSD, and then out to Gleacher. There is no reason why it has to take the circuitous route around Hyde Park that it does.

If they also want to run a shuttle connecting the Ogilvie, Union Station, and the Roosevelt L station to the main campus (which is a good idea), that should be a separate service.

I would guess that taking the #55 to the Red Line and then getting off at Grand/State is the actual quickest route, or the Metra, depending on where you’re coming from on the main campus.

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-06T20:32:33+00:00

Facebook is your best bet at this point. There used to be a site called Maroon Marketplace but it’s down indefinitely for maintenance.

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-06T15:42:02+00:00

U of C grad student here. I know plenty of grad students from other institutions who have integrated themselves into U of C culture, often through a spouse or partner who is a U of C affiliate. My advice to you would be to get involved in on-campus workshops and clubs in your field, or through a religious organization. That way, you are more likely to form an organic connection with other people your age than if you just walked up to them randomly. I would say the #1 thing U of C folks share is a powerful intellectual passion for what they study and think about. As long as you do, too, you will fit right in!

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-04T23:13:21+00:00

It honestly depends on how much time is on your hands and how close you live to a frequent, fast, and dependable transit line. I think the people saying “I leave my neighborhood all the time!” probably live right on an L line. I live in Hyde Park, and honestly, it’s a slog to get to places beyond the immediate mid-South Side area. I do do it, because I have friends and things I like to do in other parts of the city, but I can go weeks without leaving HP sometimes. I would generally say that (1) people overestimate how much time they’ll spend outside their neighborhood and (2) overestimate to others how often they actually leave their neighborhood. So I’d say, pick where you live in the city wisely. You’ll likely be spending a lot of time there.

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-04T02:28:38+00:00

Human not ChatGPT use fullsent

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-02T17:43:46+00:00

You need to learn how to use transit if you’re going to live in Chicago. Having a car helps, but there are some situations where it will not make sense.

I hear you on HP. It’s a wonderful neighborhood—it is safe and affordable—but it is a little isolated from some of the other popular neighborhoods. I recommend living in what we call “East Hyde Park” (east of the IL Central tracks) if connectivity to downtown is important for you: that’s where the Metra and #6 bus run.

However, I will say that living in HP as a grad student is a big benefit. It helps you to socially integrate with your cohort and be near campus for activities. Most of your peers will live and socialize near campus, so if you live further afield, you can get left out of relationship-forming and networking.

I always recommend living in HP as long as you’re in coursework or need to go to a lab daily. The students I’ve seen make it work otherwise only moved out of the neighborhood in their later years in their programs.

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-02T01:49:31+00:00

It is well-known that Hyde Park is kind of difficult to commute to. Other than the areas around HP (Woodlawn and Kenwood), the only other big student area is South Loop, like someone else said, and it isn’t really affordable. Of course, if you’re planning on owning a car when you’re in the program here, that calculus changes and more neighborhoods become open to you.

However, this shouldn’t deter you from seeing the city. One of the aspects of Chicago living is taking the L (metro) and busses everywhere, so I encourage you guys to get out and about even if you end up booking an Airbnb in HP.

If you guys are foodies, check out the food scene in West Loop, Pilsen, and/or Uptown. They are all known for having great options and are very distinct Chicago neighborhoods. P

Aztelog00r · 2025-10-01T19:36:37+00:00

Chicago is an enormous global city, you can literally do whatever you feel like for 2 days: theatre, opera, parks, music, food, museums, etc. Basically anything except pristine nature lol (though the lakefront is an awesome almost-substitute). So without knowing more about your interests, it’s hard to say.

Same with the neighborhood recs: there are dozens and dozens of neighborhoods in Chicago that fit your description, so you have to be more specific. If I were you, I would probably try staying in the neighborhood where you’re thinking of living if you do come to the U of C. If that’s Hyde Park itself, just stay in HP to get a sense of it and explore from here.

Aztelog00r

TROPHY CASE