<p>This is very true. You cannot stay huddled on the quads. Even if you spend all four years in an on campus dorm like Burton Judson, you still will find the need to wander North inevitably, if only to buy basic life necessities. Moreover, you will miss out on a lot of social activities if you can never bring yourself to go out to one of the cheap ethnic restaurants in a group or walk to a friends apartment instead of taking a bus. While you should get used to the environment (most grow more favorable over time as they learn the terrain), if the place viscerally turns you off to the point it could engender a transfer down the line then do reconsider. One girl in my dorm during my first year transferred because of Hyde Park (not the housing, but according to her the panhandlers, general griminess, retail offerings, etcetera) which I thought was particularly odd given she was from Chicago and hence had more than enough opportunity to see what she was getting herself into. </p>
<p>As with all things UChicago, look before you leap.</p>