I’m not sure which one would be the better option. The bus ride between my house and the train station is 1 hour. It would take another 1.5 hours to get from the train station to Ogilvie Transportation Center to UIC via CTA bus. That makes for 2.5 hours total, 5 hours commuting overall everyday.
I haven’t figured out the costs yet, so I’m not sure which choice would be economically better. I know UIC is primarily a commuter school so would the dorms get lonely at night/on weekends? Would the convenience of being on-campus outweigh other cons?
Err, that means commuting is not possible. I would limit commuting to 20mn one way, especially considering IL roads and weather. You could go home for weekends if you wanted.
What are your stats? Are you instate for UI-C?
Where else are you applying?
What’s your parents’ budget?
What’s the net cost for UIC?
That seems like too much of a struggle. UIC will probably offer you more money if you dorm, so the cost might be the same if you dorm or not.
If you reallyyy want to stay home UIC does give you ventra cards that allow you to get on a bus/train at anytime, anywhere for free, but I still think that would be too much stress for you especially at times of winter or heavy traffic if you’re taking the bus (not to mention buses can get crowded). Instead of wasting 5+ hours in transportation you could use that time studying, resting, or socializing.
It’s true that the majority commute, but I highly doubt that means that the dorms are empty. Plus, it’s in Chicago so if you feel lonely you can just go to downtown. I don’t think loneliness will be a problem though.