<p>So, tell me about those winters! lol We live in Florida. I have lived in the north, but D (prospective student) has never even seen snow! Is the layout of the campus helpful for snowy days? What are the biggest challenges and best strategies for dealing with the weather there?<br>
I am a little unsure about the specific location of the campus. I see things about Hyde Park and Chicago. Is UC located right in DT Chicago? Even with internet maps I am not certain where city life ends and suburb begins.<br>
Please tell us more about campus life and the uni’s proximity to things…entertainment, dining, transportation, safety, etc.
What about transportation within the campus?<br>
Thanks!</p>
<p>bump! I would like to know this too 
Is it going to be cold?</p>
<p>I’m an incoming student, but I have spent some time exploring campus, and I live (relatively) close to Chicago, so I think I can answer your questions.</p>
<p>As to winters; yes, it gets cold. It’s also hot in the summer - that’s the nature of a temperate climate. You get used to it. But as a practical matter, with the possible exception of Stanford, no schools similar to Chicago are located in warm climates, so it’s just something you’ll learn to deal with.</p>
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<p>The campus is more compact then most big state universities, but it’s not tiny. You will end up outside, walking through the snow - but snow is fun!</p>
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<p>Coats, hats and scarves are a good idea. Other then that, there’s nothing special you need to do. As a student you won’t be driving and everything will be close.</p>
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<p>The University is located just south of downtown in what I would characterize as a low-rise section of the City. There are certainly buildings surrounding campus, but it’s mostly single-family homes, small apartment buildings, and the like.</p>
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<p>Campus is about 15 minutes from downtown Chicago via elevated rail; as Chicago is a huge city there’s plenty to do there. Safety is good - the university has a very large private police presence (supposedly it’s either the first or second biggest private force in the US) though it does get ghetto rather quickly south of the university. My impression from walking around Campus at 3:30 AM and talking to current students is that safety is a non-issue.</p>
<p>Hi, I am an undergrad at the University of Chicago and have lived in the midwest (originally from Michigan) my entire life. It’s cold. Not going to lie but last winter was very mild so I don’t know if that’s promising or not for next year! The layout of the campus though, I think, is nice for snow because most of the buildings you will take classes in are on the main quad and close together. Even the science buildings aren’t too far away and I have been to campuses where you need to take shuttles and buses to get from one class to another. Uchicago isn’t like that at all.
It will depend on the dorm you live in, how easy it is to get to class in the winter. But even if you don’t live in one of the closer dorms, the CTA buses that go through hyde park are free to students and pretty reliable. At night, there are shuttle services which are great if you have a job or want to get to a party that’s not close to campus.
The biggest challenges are sometimes just walking through snow mounds and also how cold it can get, especially with windchill. Bring some good boots to walk in, a good pair of gloves, scarf, and make sure you get an insulated coat.
As for the question about the location of Hyde Park, it is approximately 7-8 miles from downtown. I have biked to shedd aquarium and soldier field before and I know some people even run downtown! There’s no shuttle that takes you straight downtown that’s funded by the university, but a ride on the metra will get you to millennium station in 10-12 minutes. If you want to go somewhere specific downtown, in hyde park there is a cta stop on 55th and ellis that will take you to the red line subway where you can take that to chinatown, a sox game, downtown chicago, northwestern, etc. Overall, I think hyde park has a lot of cool restaurants and it’s also got fast food like five guys and mcdonalds; it’s got beautiful parks and a beach as well. We are getting a movie theater on 53rd I have heard and there’s doc films at the college if you want to see movies. In terms of entertainment, you usually have to go downtown but getting there is really simple.</p>
<p>oh and one last comment about the safety. I have certainly walked around late at night by myself and in groups of people. Hyde Park is very safe and the University does a great job in having late night shuttles and campus police everywhere. However, it’s a city and I would always be on guard (not walking with headphones in/texting) late at night. This is especially relevant if you are not positive of the area yet because while Hyde Park is very safe, it’s not difficult to wander too far and end up somewhere not as nice. I love living in Chicago (despite the winters!) and am satisfied with the transportation services during the winter and the proximity of downtown Chicago.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the replies! I feel like I have a much better picture of what UC is like now. It is good to hear that the campus is somewhat compact, some are so spread out, and that could be miserable in bad weather. I am also glad to learn that UC is a few miles from downtown, and not right in the mix.</p>
<p>so I just finished up my first year here - I’m from the Northeast so the winters for me weren’t bad, and a lot of my friends from Florida are okay with the weather. Just bring warm clothes - also the campus isn’t in dt chicago, although it’s a short train ride away from so it’s pretty accessible. Transportation on campus is mainly walking, biking, and bus-riding, depending on how far off-campus you are.</p>
<p>Any idea what the area around 51st and S Kenwood/S Dorchester/Blackstone is like?</p>
<p>The area around 51st (Hyde Park Blvd) and Kenwood/Dorchester/Blackstone is fine. The 172, one of the free CTA buses for university students, runs straight through here on Hyde Park Blvd. That stretch of road mostly consists of apartment homes that are too expensive for student budgets, with a few graduate housing complexes run by the university mixed in. The 5000 blocks of Woodlawn, Kimbark, Kenwood, and Dorchester form a closed off “neighborhood” of nicer apartments called Madison Park.</p>
<p>If you’re thinking about student housing (grad student maybe?), anything east of Cottage Grove (continuing all the way to the lake) and north of 61st (continuing at least into the upper 40s streets–I haven’t been further than that) is going to be perfectly fine. Other factors such as location, actual rooms, amenities, cost etc. matter much more.</p>
<p>Thanks! I am doing grad student housing. My apt isnt right on 51st. It’s in between 51st and 52nd.</p>
<p>Thanks so much! I can’t wait to go to Chicago!!!</p>