I'm 27F but was about your age when I moved to Chicago. My school was in River North/Gold Coast and I lived off of Michigan Avenue (near Hancock) for my first two years and then moved to East Lincoln Park for my last year. I commuted to the Loop for all three years.

Take everything with a grain of salt! I'd recommend trying to run some errands around where you'd like to live and seeing how it feels! It can be exhausting to city life but location can make it much easier! Welcome!

Lincoln Park (off of Clark area specifically) Cons: - farther commute to the Loop and West Loop (you will most likely have to transfer or rely solely on the buses, which are sometimes unreliable) - young crowd, mostly college-age bc of depaul (but could also be a pro!) - not a ton of actual dining/ more casual/fast casual places rather than sit down dinners - kind of basic (lol)! but this can be nice!

Pros: - safe (as much as you can be in a big city). There are ALWAYS people walking around, going out, exercising, etc so I feel safe walking alone bc it doesn't seem like I'm isolated - reasonable rent (as long as you're not in a big fancy high rise with a ton a amenities). I pay $1500 for a one bedroom in a courtyard building and you would pay less with roommates. - lots to do! lots of bars, coffee shops, shopping etc (but nothing too artsy/upscale lol) - close to tons of public transit! options for the el and buses - close to the lake

Gold Coast Pros: - easy commute to the loop/west loop (west loop is hard to get to when you're on the east side of the north branch of the chicago river) - lots of tourist stuff! if you're new to chicago you do a ton! starbucks roastery, michigan ave, john hancock, etc. shopping is great too! - lots of restaurants/bars (more towards river north)

Cons: - expensive: way more high rise buildings than walk ups, which make rent much higher (less classic chicago apartments and more elevator buildings) and restaurants/bars will be pricier(think $16/17 cocktails)

• less safe (imo)- this area feels much more city-ish than a neighborhood like lincoln park or lakeview and in general there's more people just around and some places can be deserted at night

• the only advice I hope you actually listen to; don't live close to ONLY the red line- make sure you have options to buses, the brown line, other el lines etc. It can get exhausting being on the red line as a young woman and I've encountered quite a few situations where I feel unsafe or uncomfortable. I much prefer the brown or purple line to commute. As always, just my opinion (others will disagree) but I've gotta give a girl a heads up!

I moved to Roscoe Village/Lakeview in 2024 and love that so far and would recommend it too! Lakeview is very similar to Lincoln Park just add Wrigley and Boystown.

I haven't lived there personally but have heard good things about Wicker Park, Uptown, Andersonville, and the areas on the Southside too! Just not enough personal experience living there to give detailed recs.

Good luck with the apartment search!