<p>I think some people don’t understand that, for some kids who have spent their entire lives in an urban environment, r being within half an hour of a major city like Chicago (many suburbs here are approach the urban-ness and density of the city…), it would be difficult to suddenly end up in Urbana-Champaign, i.e., “the cornfields”, I don’t care how many other kids are there…
We also live in a Chicago suburb. My daughter, 16 now, is starting to look at colleges. She took a field trip with her math team to UIUC. She came back and made me promise her I wouldn’t make her go to school there! smh. She said the campus was nice, and the town looked okay, but “nothing is there”. Well, of course, something is there! But to a kid like her, it seems like “nothing”.<br>
My daughter is also the kind of kid that just LOVES cities and being in them. She loves Chicago and Minneapolis… She doesn’t like, or appreciate small towns. She just doesn’t. </p>
<p>About a hundred years ago, I attended Indiana University in Bloomington IN. I loved it. Bloomington is a great little town and I loved IU. That being said, I grew up in a small city in southern Indiana. My own kid would probably not love it so much.<br>
And, I also loved it within a week of arriving there. </p>
<p>UIUC is a very good school, one of the best public universities in the nation, I think. Factor in very cheap tuition for in-state residents and it’s a hard option to pass up. But you can still get in-state tuition at UIC (Chicago campus). </p>
<p>OP sounds like he would really be happier at UIC, DePaul, or Loyola.<br>
I also highly recommend you NOT commute though, and try to live on campus, or in an apartment with a roommate. It is a completely different experience, even at the same school.<br>
I am familiar with the area around UIC, my husband works in the south Loop and we sometimes go to the area around the old Maxwell Street area/Little Italy - which I believe they now call University Village - to eat or have drinks. It is an up and coming area, with lots and lots to do. Lots of young people milling about… 25 years ago, the area was very slummy, with CHA tenements nearby - but those are all gone, not a trace seems to remain. The neighborhood has done a total 180.<br>
As you might know, UIC has dorms and apartments, but those will likely be filled spring semester. One thing you could do is look for a sublet for spring; then, get into student housing at UIC for next Fall. </p>
<p>If you are in Business, though, I’ve heard that DePaul is very good for Business-related majors. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you in your decision! </p>