Admitted Students Weekend

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
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<p>If you’re flying into O’Hare and don’t have unwieldy amounts of luggage, you can take public transportation. The blue line subway system is accessible from the airport. I’d suggest putting about five bucks into the machine when you purchase a subway card so you don’t have to refill it the entire weekend. Here are my two suggested routes to campus:</p>

<p>OPTION 1: Take blue line ($2.25) to Jackson. Transfer to the red line at Jackson ($0). Take red line to Garfield Blvd. Walk across street and take 55 bus heading EAST Direction: Museum of Science and Industry ($.25 WITH TRANSIT CARD. An additional $2.25 if you pay with cash (and they only take exact change)) and get off at 55th and Woodlawn Ave. Walk 4 blocks south to Woodlawn and 59th St (**Note: I think you’ll be meeting at Ida Noyes because in previous years admitted student weekends meet there but this could be different. If the destination is different, this might affect what stop you get off. You will definitely get off either at Ellis Ave., University Ave., or Woodlawn Ave., however). </p>

<p>OPTION 2: Take blue line to Monroe stop ($2.25). Walk south 1/2 block to Monroe. Turn left and walk east 1 block to State Street. On the west side of the street along State (either heading North or South on State) take a southbound 6 bus ($.25 with card, $2.25 in cash) to 55th Street and South Hyde Park Blvd. You will get off on the SW side of the street. Walk to the NW side of the street and catch the 171 (I think— there’s a tiny chance it’s the 172. So take either 171 or 172) or the 55 bus ($0 with card, $2.25 without) to Woodlawn/University/Ellis depending on your destination.</p>

<p>Additional notes: For the bus, the sign will light up the next stop, and there will be an automated audio reminder. You must pull the string on the windows in order for the bus to stop. The subway lines will stop automatically. I personally would take the second option because I really like the bus system in Chicago, but it also includes more transfers and may seem more difficult to mess up. They’ll end up costing the same if you purchase the card. You can do the reverse on the way back to O’Hare with one exception: the 6 bus goes north on Michigan Ave and south on State Street, so you’d have to get off on Michigan and Monroe and walk that 3 blocks to get back to the Dearborn blue line stop. </p>

<p>If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I’m sure any of the fellow UChicago kids can help out.</p>

<p>–>Oh and lastly, there will be a place on campus to store your luggage if you arrive straight from the airport.</p>

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<p>Also, those free and .25 cent transfers have a time limit. I’m not certain what that time limit is but just know that if you decide to stop in a store on State Street and pick the bus back up, it may cost you 2.25 again. The card reader will let you know to add more cash. If you want to play it safe to begin with (or if you plan on using the Hyde Park buses), I’d recommend putting ten bucks in when you purchase a card at the kiosk/machines at O’Hare’s entrance to the blue line…</p>

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<p>Holy crap, marcellad. That’s the most helpful post in this thread by far. :slight_smile: Thank you so much!</p>

<p>What would you say of exploring the city for a day by myself? Would that be inconvenient at all, given that I don’t know the area?</p>

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<p>No, not at all difficult to do. Chicago is mainly on a grid system, so if you have a good sense of direction you shouldn’t get lost. I’ll see if I can help you out on this, as well:</p>

<p>If you’re thinking of exploring the downtown shopping areas, there are two main ones: upper Michigan Ave and State St. Off the top of my head, Upper Michigan Ave (the big stores are located north of the Chicago River) has Express, Victoria Secret, Saks, Nordstrom Rack, Nike Store, Apple, Nordstrom and fancy stores in the mall by Nordtrom, Lord and Taylor, very fancy stores at 900 N. Michigan, and Water Tower Place (which is a huge draw for tourists interested in shopping). That is accessible by the red line and the bus system. Let me see if I can think of the exact directions…</p>

<p>Take 55 bus west from campus (either Woodlawn/University/Ellis-- North side of street) to the Red Line subway stop ($2.25 with or without card-- buses don’t provide change). Take the red line direction:Howard to the Chicago stop ($.25 with card, $2.25 without). Walk 2 blocks east to Michigan Ave. You will be just south of Water Tower Place.</p>

<p>OR Take 55 bus east to 55th and South Hyde Park Blvd ($2.25). It’ll drop you on the SW side of the street. Walk to the NE side of the street and take the 6 bus to Michigan and Wacker Dr ($.25 with card, 2.25 without). Walk 2-8 blocks around the shopping district. This is a great walk if you’re interested in really seeing the city. </p>

<p>To see Millennium Park and the Bean (the big shiny statue-thingy) take the 6 bus to Michigan and Washington Street. To see the Art Institute, take it to Michigan and Adams. If you want to visit Museum Campus, however, I’d recommend taking the commuter train rail:</p>

<p>Take the 55 bus east to 55th and Lake Park Ave (2.25)-- it’s also not that far of a walk so if you have little luggage you can totally walk there. The train station is 55th/56th/57th St stations, so you can enter at any of those streets. Pay (I THINK, not 100% certain but maybe 75% certain) $2.30. This train DOES NOT take CTA cards, so the money you have on your card from using the buses or subway system will not apply. Trains leave less frequently, just fyi. To find a schedule, go to [Metra</a> Home](<a href=“http://metrarail.com/content/metra/en/home.html]Metra”>http://metrarail.com/content/metra/en/home.html), choose Metra Electric from the drop down, choose our station and Museum Campus as your destination. Take it to Museum Campus/11th Street if you want to visit the Field Museum, Planetarium, or Shedd Aquarium (all really, really great). </p>

<p>And if you want to go to State Street shopping, take the 55 bus to the red line ($2.25), the red line to the Lake stop (.25 with card) and you can head north or south on state for Macy’s, Anthropologie, Forever 21, Puma, Zara, Urban Outfitters, TJ Maxx, Filene’s Basement, etc.</p>

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<p>Lastly, Chicago is an incredibly walkable city. State and Michigan are really commercial but Michigan Ave is absolutely beautiful. If you’re more into artsy stuff and boutiques, think about taking the Red Line past the Chicago stop. It will take you into some of the more eclectic neighborhoods. These are neighborhoods in which you’ll either need a great sense of direction or a map, 'cause they’re no longer (for the most part) on the grid system. But they have wonderful stores and restaurants and art galleries that would be great to check out. That’s often something 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years find out with time, however. If you’re interested, though, check out Belmont, Lincoln Park, Wrigleyville, or Boystown. There are many more neighborhoods, too.</p>

<p>If you don’t have too, too much time to explore Chicago but want to see more than just our campus, consider walking a few blocks east to the Museum of Science and Industry and our 57th street beach. It’s so pretty there and just north of that is the Point, a popular spot for Chicago locals and UChicago students. There are tons of great rocks leading down to the waterfront where students like to study, hang out, grill food, etc. </p>

<p>As you can tell, I use Chicago transportation a ton and I find it really easy but that comes with time, too. When you visit, don’t hesitate to ask one of the students for their favorite places in the city and how they’d recommend you get there. Good luck!</p>

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<p>You don’t know how tremendously excited that makes me, marcellad! I’m coming to UChicago from half a world away (unfortunately other commitments mean it’s not for the Admitted Students Weekend) if Apr 1 comes and goes without any change to the status quo, all with the explicit idea that U of C is as much about living in one of the world’s most exciting cities as it is about the university itself. </p>

<p>So, I guess, a couple of questions:</p>

<p>1) Everything tells me that in spite of its urban location Hyde Park and more specifically the campus itself prevents easy access to the Loop, Andersonville or basically the rest of the city north of Bobby Rush’s little fief. From what you’ve said it looks like it’s anything but difficult to get out and about, and living in a city where everything’s well connected by public rail I imagine I’d find it frustrating if I couldn’t see the city at my footsteps relatively easily. Not expecting miracles, of course, and the L’s problems have been well documented, but you know - what’s it like?</p>

<p>2) The prices you’ve laid out scare me a bit. Perhaps I’ve been pampered by the equivalent of bus/train rides that cost $1.50 at the very most and I’m sure I’ll learn to budget and adjust accordingly, but if I’m looking to get out into the city on a regular basis how much should I be looking to pay every month? You look like you fit the description!</p>

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<p>collegesgirl, I’m an EA admit, and I got my financial aid letter online the day y’all got your acceptances. I had a pretty good idea what I would get based on the initial estimate, but my package got a bit better.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the bus info! I plan on being out and about, but it seems a bit expensive for me. I’m used to having a monthly pass. Can I get a pass in Chicago?</p>

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<p>Just to add something to marcellad’s wonderful posts: </p>

<ol>
<li><p>When you get on the CTA system at the airport (either O’Hare or Midway), you have the option to buy a special unlimited one-day or three-day visitor’s pass for the transit system. Those are good values if you plan to take public transportation around Chicago at all, other than just going between the airport and the University. For example, I think the 3-day pass is $14, and that would basically pay for itself travelling round trip to the University from the airport and taking one round-trip excursion downtown in between. Otherwise, there are no free/cheap transfers between the Els and buses, or between bus lines, unless you buy a regular transit card, and the minimum on that is more than you will want to pay.</p></li>
<li><p>If you have a choice, I recommend taking the 6 bus between the Loop (downtown Chicago) and the University. It’s prettier. The bus goes express along Lake Michigan for most of the trip, and then wends through the nicer parts of Hyde Park. The Red Line stop at Garfield is one of the least attractive spots on Earth – it is a train station literally in the middle of a crowded, noisy, outmoded superhighway where it passes through a depressed neighborhood. From the 6 bus stops in Hyde Park, it’s a pleasant walk to the University if the weather is nice (or you can take the 55 bus if it’s raining). From Garfield you pretty much have to take the bus – it’s too far to walk, and not a great neighborhood for walking.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>@collegesgirl, I applied RD.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the info about transportation, JHS and marcellad.</p>

<p>So this was asked earlier but I couldn’t find an answer- is it possible to arrive late to the program and not miss too much? The earliest morning flight I could find would get me to campus about 10:30, but the latest flight the evening before would require me to miss part of a track meet :/</p>

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<p>@ imibri - I’m probably looking at a similar arrival time. I don’t think it’s a problem, as to be eligible to spend the night, you just have to arrive by 4 p.m. </p>

<p>I just booked my flight, and I’m super excited. (: Getting there on the morning of the 15th.
Does anyone else want to agree to wear a distinctive color so as to recognize fellow CCers? Would that be too dorky? Hahaha… I’m thinking orange. :P</p>

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<p>We have to pay? I thought everyone got the following in an email:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I would absolutely love to visit, but I don’t know if I can. I’ve already missed way too much school, and on weekends, I have to be somewhere until 5; people are counting on me. I would have gone now, during spring break, but my sister goes to Northwestern, so it’s not like she wants to go back to visit her semi-rival.</p>

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<p>insomnic and kitkatkatie – my son was also accepted to Chicago and is from Colorado (Colorado Springs). He is waiting on the decisions from Brown and Georgetown, but I think Chicago is his favorite. He is waiting on FA to see if it is doable. </p>

<p>I think we are going to try and fly in – between gas and the extra cost of travelling, we don’t save much driving and that 15-16 hours is just too long!</p>

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<p>people that are going to the april programs…are you bringing your parents?</p>

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<p>@brave new world,</p>

<p>I am attending the april 22 and 23 and I am not bringing any family</p>

<p>@elanorci</p>

<p>I like orange:)</p>

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<p>I’m coming to the first one with a friend who was admitted, so no parents. Down side is, we can’t get a hotel room because we aren’t old enough.</p>

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<p>@hsmomstef</p>

<p>I’m from Boulder, and I think it’s going to be cheaper for me to drive in. Plane tickets are $215 plus tax roundtrip, and both my mom and I can go if we drive. So, that’s over $450 to fly, and we wouldn’t have the convenience of a car while in the city. It ends up being cheaper for us. With gas prices being lower than normal (around $2.55 here), it makes sense for us to drive out, as it’s going to be about $200-250 in gas roundtrip. And, it’s more like 14 hours. I’ve driven it before, and it’s really not that bad if you start early in the morning and drive all day.</p>

<p>Just some food for thought about the drive.</p>

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<p>Can admitted students attend even if they have not replied that they will to to U of C? And do we have to make reservations?</p>

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<p>@m0baik: I think one of the main goals of the program is to make you want to attend especially if you’re not sure :slight_smile: I’m pretty sure there’s a button or something on your homepage on the admissions site to register.</p>

<p>@elanorci: YES that would be so awesome if there were a sea of orange on campus that day! Although maybe we should do maroon, since that’s the school color (though not quite as striking)</p>

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<p>Maroon was my first thought, but I figured that could lead to some problems, as I’m sure TONS of people - CCers and otherwise - will be wearing it…
Elanorci: Hey, so, are you one of the people on the CC Chicago forum?
Person: …What?
:P</p>

<p>And to whoever asked about parents: mine are NOT coming. They’re pretty protective, so this was quite a feat on my part. Hooray!</p>