DePaul University for Jewish kids

Colleges and Universities A-Z DePaul University
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You are correct - it depends on the scholarship and aid. Some are 2.0 and some are 3.0, depending on the award.

Chicago is a relatively cheap compared to West coast and NE (where we live) markets. Philly, though, is absurdly cheap, which is why so many young professionals are moving there. It is much cheaper than DC, New York, or Boston.

Philly is more “up and coming” than it is “arrived”. The progress that has been made since I lived there in the mid 80’s is remarkable. Two of the “hip” neighborhoods, Northern Liberties (“NoLib”) and Fishtown did not exist at all in their current back then. Now those areas are full of trendy dining spots, upscale bars, and desirable shopping. Fairmount has really made progress since I lived there. It is next to the second largest inner city park in the country. You could see the potential years ago and now it is reaching it.

I am with you - Chicago is a wonderful city and has more to offer than Philly (imo) but if you get tired of the local scene you can be in NYC or DC by train in two hours for minimal cost. It is easy to make a day of it in either city.

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So pricing for housing off campus is all relative to your comparison but 800/month sharing an apartment is probably a good normal around DePaul. Many kids live in my neighborhood which is Lakeview west. Not far from Wrigley field (which can be Lakeview east… Lol)… I see Northwestern and DePaul and Loyala t-shirts all day long. It’s not even 10 minutes to campus. But lots and lots of kids live actually a block or two away. Chicago is made up of neighborhoods. That is the draw for lots of students. Students also know where to look for cheap housing like $500 /month sharing with 2 others. Their out there… Just have to know where to look. I wouldn’t live in the loop and he won’t be able to afford West Loop area. That’s $3,000 for a 2 bedroom. I assume DePaul has advice on housing or ask any theater kid. They have ways to find great deals… Lol. Out theater friend lived one block away like across the street from the diner you talked about.

Chicago is a great city and like no one drives. My kids took the El to a bus to go to high school 40 minute each way. The El trains are packed with high school /college students in the morning (pre Covid). You can get within like 1-2 blocks of just about anywhere your going to. The mass transit (El) with bus is actually phenomenal.

It’s totally an urban campus in an affordable major city compared to most large cities but again, you need to know where to look for the bargains…

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This is very helpful information. Still trying to get a feel for DePaul. We’re coming from the Bay Area, so not much sticker shock for us either. Looking at rentals on Zillow they look to be charming older buildings which is very appealing.

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FYI… A very good friend of mine is a real estate agent that knows this area extremely well and lives in Chicago. Both her kids went to local Chicago schools for high school like ours. Elementary they all went to a Jewish day school in Chicago (not that, that matters). She can find you what your budget is. Zillow is over priced. Many OOS students use real estate agents to find things not even listed. There are many diamonds in the rough places. If your son is going to do school housing the first year then you will have plenty of time to explore options for Sophomore year… Just PM me if this is useful.

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Great information, thank you to all!

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We are visiting end of March and daughter is Jewish as well. This is a great thread, just found it. Question regarding on-campus living. Someone said it’s more commuter after freshman year? Huge bummer, as my daughter def wants that traditional campus feel on the main campus - for more than a year.

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It is a fair observation supported by facts and is the weakness of DePaul. Most kids live off campus after freshman year. DePaul simply does not have enough units to house too much more than a single freshman class.

What I learned from this thread, and further confirmed, is that many students live close to the Lincoln Park campus, so it is still the center of student activity and involvement, even for those taking classes at the Loop campus. I also think the thing to consider is that many large, inner city schools have a similar situation. For that matter, many large state schools are the same. What makes it more distinctive at DePaul is the split campus. If the two campuses were combined it would likely be less noticable.

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Thank you, makes sense.

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Hi guys. We’re Jewish, and my son is admitted to DePaul to study animation. We are still waiting on places, but my son loves the program at DePaul and as of now it is his top choice. We visited both campuses, and he wasn’t fazed at all by the Catholic vibe.

Good luck to everyone on their decisions!

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219Dave - where did your son decide on? My son is going to DePaul for Film. We too are Jewish, and he also was not phased in the least by the Catholic vibe. On the tour, upon entry to the building where the dining room is, when we came to the larger-than-life-size cutout of Pope Francis, my ex-husband (who is an atheist now) did laugh and whisper to me, “I’m surprised the 3 of us didn’t burst into flames when we walked in here” . I reminded him that the Pope’s best friend and co-author is Rabbi Abraham Skorka, head of the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary. Overall, I got a very accepting vibe from the school, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, etc…:star_of_david::latin_cross::star_and_crescent::om::yin_yang::atom_symbol::peace_symbol::heart::rainbow_flag::earth_americas::vulcan_salute:t2:

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So, as the person who started this thread, I figured I would provide an update. About a month ago, my daughter and I flew to Chicago to visit Columbia College and DePaul. To be honest, by that point DePaul was out for her because her former best friend had committed to DePaul and she did not want to attend the same school, but I really wanted her to keep an open mind given the comedy arts program and the strong merit award that had been offered (unbelievable, we are from NY and this other kid manages to pick a school in Chicago that mine is considering). The Catholic thing was there in her mind, but it was primarily the former.

So, on Friday, after a flight cancellation the night before the moment we got to the airport (brutal), we flew in and because we missed our tour group, we were given a one-on-one tour at Columbia (so, as exhausted as we were, the missed flight turned out to be a benefit). Now, I am a Big Ten grad and I am big on college towns and being on a campus, so a city school encompassed by a few buildings in a small area is not for me. But, then, I am not the one picking a college and my daughter, who struggles with ADHD and is not an academic even though she is highly intelligent, loved Columbia. She is big into the music business, media and is a comic gift to the world. And she loved the vibe and the type of kid who goes there (she knows she’s a quirky weirdo). Also, the tour guide was wonderful. And the residence halls are nicer than my house.

We toured DePaul the next day. I love Lincoln Park because it is a lot like Brooklyn Heights, where I lived for many years, and my daughter liked the area too, but the tour did not move her (another in a long line of inconsequential tour guides). And, while I commented afterward how there are not all that many Catholic symbols, my daughter immediately said, “I counted 14.” So, for her, DePaul was just not the right place, but I know she was predisposed not to go where this former friend goes.

I was able to get more merit award money out of Columbia and that is where my daughter will attend college. It is actually the perfect school for her in so many ways, even though she and my wife and I would have preferred her to be closer to home. We did a final tour of a school in Boston, but it just does not offer what Columbia offers and did not give off the same vibe.

By the way, I am a college counselor and one thing I loathe is rankings and people’s obsession with US News. Well, as it turns out, my daughter will be attending the lowest ranked of the 15 or so schools she got into, including 4 US News Top 100 schools. She is an example why rankings really do not matter, especially where the fit is not there. She is also proof that even kids who struggle, do not have stellar grades and did not have honors and AP classes all over their resume can get into many good schools.

Good luck to all my lansmen and lanswomen who attend DePaul.

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Congratulations on you D’s great outcome. Kudos to all!

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Columbia is a perfect place for an artistic kid. She will find her peeps with ease. Know many that went there with great outcomes. Congratulations to your family and your daughter.

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It is a true pleasure to read this story. “Fit” is the single most important factor in college choice.

Thank you for sharing.

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Congratulations and good luck to your daughter.

Fit beats rankings.

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Felix, We are with you re USNWR rankings. Thing #1 was accepted by two top 10 MechE programs, but he decided to go to the #30 school because it was a better fit. I think he chose wisely.

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