<p>RHandscom:</p>
<p>Yeah, it’s true about Illinois being flat. I’ve lived here all my life (chicago is next door to Evanston) and I can honestly say that you will not encounter any mountains.</p>
<p>However: there is stuff to do outdoors. Plenty of woodsy hiking trail areas, amazing beaches and beach-y stuff (thanks to Lake Michigan.) There’s a whole set of ravines near where I live where you can walk. If you take a weekend and go up north a little ways, there’s skiing (although it’s obviously not the Rockies or anything.) Out west there’s some camping sights, like Starved Rock etc. In the summer, sailing and canoing are really big (at least for people on the lake like where I am from.)</p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that college IS about new experiences. Remember that chicago itself is an amazing cultural center as well. Honestly, I know I may be biased, but it’s really an incredible city. There are tons of awesome museums, parks, stores, theaters, clubs, restaurants and a million other attractions. I know that coming from a smaller town, you’d want to keep doing outdoorsy stuff. But even if that’s not satisfactory (which let’s face it, although it has its moments, Chicago ain’t exactly Yellowstone) I can guarantee you’ll still find lots of great stuff to do.</p>