<p>As another person who lives here I thought I would step in and say that hyde park is great. the area west of here may not be so great at night but I have never had a problem taking the red line to garfield and the 55 bus to campus...I've waited in the cold for that damn bus as late as 4 AM and its not an issue. When its running, the 173X bus is a much better way to get home from downtown (drops you off almost at your door, no transfers needed). The metra or the 6 bus are a little bit of a walk from on campus housing but they are closer to apartments and are both great methods of travel. Also, newmassdad has it right when he says that the 20 minutes to downtown is ONLY when the purple line runs express, then you can make it to the north end of town in 20. NU truely is NOT in chicago, it is in evanston which is a very different place (but still...not all that safe, there is a fair amount of seedy stuff at night there) and when you actually want to be going downtown, it is a 45minute trip (unless you are going at 8AM with the people who work downtown). Hyde park is safe, the area really isnt bad, we have the largest private police force and we are certainly better off than schools like UPenn. I got these facts in an email a few weeks ago:
"the hyde park/south kenwood neighborhood's violent crime rate for the last year was 26% below the city of chicago average"
"property crime in 2005 declined 6 percent to reach a record low"</p>
<p>The area north of here really has started to gentrify, definately south of 16th. It may not look like the roosevelt area but it sure as hell looks a lot better than it di 10 years ago. Take the metra (or even the green) and look. If you have seen what it used to look like, there is a huge difference.</p>
<p>Academically, I think it has been fairly well covered here. The programs UC offers are really good. NU has some really good programs too, especially in applied areas like engineering, journalism, music etc. Chicago definately has the upper hand in things like physics (we operate argonne and fermilab...hell, I'm currently taking a class with an amazing prof who happens to be on the argonne board of governors) and many of the softer majors (the "thinking" ideal really helps here). Northwestern's real advantage is that unlike here, they could probobly order a pizza at midnight on a wednesday...:-(</p>
<p>Also, NU doesnt have $1 milkshakes every wednesday.</p>
<p>But doesnt UChicago have a coffee shop that has a promotion like that too? I remember reading something like that last year. I guess the real question is do you prefer milkshakes or coffee? Do you prefer the a sugarcoated education that is very very very tasty and good and carreer oriented, or do you like a rich, bold education that wakes you up to the truths about life?</p>
<p>otto: The Harold Ickes Homes start around 16th don't they? Or maybe 20th, I know the CPD station is 18th/State. I take the Green daily and drive up State daily. I live at 33rd/State. Anything south of 34th is NOT something I want to be in until I hit Hyde Park - IIT kids get harassed/mugged/threatened even right on 35th across from the CPD station. For groceries, we go to Roosevelt/State or 31st/Halsted instead of the much closer 35th/King Drive for a reason.</p>
<p>I have a question for you about transportation to UChi, otto:</p>
<p>I just don't get this Red Line vs. Green Line thing. The immediate area of Garfield and Dan Ryan is much scarier than the Green area of Garfield/King... and it's also much more populated with scary people either waiting for the bus or hanging out at the currency exchange... the Green Line @ Garfield & King is CLOSER to UChi and less populated... I'd think you could wait for the #55 bus there or even walk if it's warm and light outside (Washington Park at night isn't okay.)</p>
<p>I'm not familiar with the Green Line @ 63RD and Cottage Grove, but on my drives to UChi, the Green Line stop looked MUCH safer than the Red Line. I live around 33rd street, so I take the Green or Red line to 35TH, and the Green is always much cleaner and the stop is always much safer. It seems the 63/Cottage Grove could even be a decent option.</p>
<p>
[quote]
There's a lot of misconceptions about both places. Northwestern's students do not miss Chicago's cultural events at all, they go there all the time, especially on scheduled trips by Residential Colleges. Anyway, both places are great and are suited for different people. Every unsupported and rash generalization that you make about one institution when defending the other, only WEAKENS your argument.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>While I agree with the last part, I'm going to have to stick by what I said. I think UChicago has a lot more culture (not limited to the cultural events) than Northwestern just because it's in the city rather than the suburbs. It's just a completely different feel. </p>
<p>I might be a little biased, though, because I absolutely hate the suburbs.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Furthermore, you're about 10 minutes away from downtown -- think of all the culture you'd be missing out by going to Northwestern!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Did you forget that NU has very good music and theater programs and students give many good performances all year round? But the way, Evanston borders the city; it's not like 30 miles+ away. The "culture" isn't only found in downtown, is it? They are probably about equal distance from Near North Side; NU is closer to North Side (Lincoln Park, Wrigleyville, and Lakeview) which is the nicer part of Chicago. It seems like the only time many North Siders ever go past south of downtown is when they were craving for Chinese food in Chinatown.</p>
<p>I don't know if I would go as far as to say the North Side is "nicer" than Hyde Park. Hyde Park is a beautiful, close-knit neighborhood full of color and variety. It gives the impression of a little town in the midst of one of the biggest cities in the country. And you don't have to worry about singles stumbling out of bars because Hyde Park only has a few of them. Hyde Park, to me, comes off as much more suave and sofisticated than the rest of the city, I suppose because of the impression the U. of C. makes on the neighborhood. I can't think of a better place to live. :)</p>
<p>The deal with red line vs green line is that the the green line is simply not as safe late at night. After a certain time at night, the CTA website pretends that the greenline doesnt even exist unless you explicitly tell it to take you to the green line stop (it forwards all routes to the red line stop or a bus). The red line stop is at a pretty busy intersection and right across the street from the main CTA. The green line stop is in front of a liquorstore and a bullet proof loan office and the CTA stop is across a divided and seperated street. The green is definately a nicer train to get downtown on, it is above ground the whole way and comes more often during the day but its not a fun stop to wait at at night. The redline is more versitale as it can drop you in the loop or take you all of the way up north...its stop's only problem is that it gets really cold on top of the dan ryan.</p>
<p>The green line at 63rd/cottage grove stop is also kind of a nasty place (though that is about to change as the university expands that way) and it also happens to be two blocks from the complete opposite end of campus from where most people live (and a block outside of the police patrol).</p>
<p>As to the area you are reffering to, sure that stuff in the middle is NOT a nice area. I definately wouldnt be too comfortable if I went 20 blocks north of here, but it is still WAY better than it was and hopefully it will continue improving(and it is 20 blocks north of here :) ).</p>
<p>brooke_u: They don't?!? I guess the only reason why I'm applying (transfer student here) is because the deadline is my last one (may 1st). </p>
<p>I hope to come back to this thread next year and actually understand all this talk about the red green jakcosn express talk. Thanks for the potentially good info.</p>
<p>In terms of prestige, which is generally measured by selectivity, UChicago does have a slight advantage. Although Northwestern has a slightly lower acceptance rate, UChicago has a much, much, MUCH stronger applicant pool. The reason? Dumb kids, and bright kids who don't want to work hard to get good grades, are scared away.</p>
<p>Although I would prefer UChicago I don't see NU kids as being 'dumb kids' and I don't think UChicago has a "much, much, MUCH stronger applicatnt pool", I think it's just a little more... both are amazing schools. oh well</p>