<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>It looks like I might have to dorm for my first year of grad school at Northwestern. Anyone here know anything about grad housing there? I'm looking into Engelhart Apartments, the twin studios...</p>
<p>Although you posted this 2004, I have the same question today! I want to live alone in a studio or one bedroom - any suggestions? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>According to all the grad students and (business) professors I’ve talked to, don’t live in grad housing. I found a 1BR/1BA 15 minutes walking from campus for about $1000/mo including heat/water/internet/cable, which is on par with the grad housing studios, but is much much bigger.</p>
<p>Hey guys.</p>
<p>Yes, I do have the answer now.
Cons:
- It’s more expensive (avg of 788 dollars a month for a very small twin studio where you live with a roommate)–compared to the cost of a studio apt. you can have all to yourself living in Rogers Park in Chicago. You can find studios there for like 600 dollars with utilities. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>I lived in the twin studio, which is the cheapest thing. It’s VERY small. You come in, make fewer than 9 steps before you hit the door of the first bedroom. I lived in the “bigger” bedroom (they are side by side rooms, you get your own door that you can lock) but that just means I have like 2 extra feet or something. The bathroom is small too, stand-up shower. The “kitchen” is basically a corner that has a stove, microwave, cabinets, sink. So when you leave your room, you basically have just the kitchen area to the left and the bathroom a few steps away to the right…or vice versa, depending on the layout. </p></li>
<li><p>I hate the lighting. It has that pale yellow color that never really helped me with reading tons of pages. The table and floor lamps are the same, nothing bright. The floor lamp I got is also wobbly–but that can just be my case. There is just one window…I would prefer more. </p></li>
<li><p>I hate the thin walls. SO THIN. You hear everything. Kids screaming (there are many kids in Engelhart), people practicing their instruments (but we have quiet hours after a certain time, so it gets better), watching TV or whatever. I used to have an impatient neighbor who would knock on my wall each time he heard me talk on the phone…and my conversation was on a weekday, in the afternoon, in a normal tone! </p></li>
<li><p>The train noise. Engelhart is “conveniently” a 5 min walk from the train. HA! That means you inconveniently hear it, too. I have to pause videos or Skype conversations I because my window faces the train tracks and I literally cannot hear whatever I am listening to. </p></li>
<li><p>The usual dorm situation: you can’t remodel the room. I put some stuff on the walls, using those non-nail hanger things…you can probably get more creative and switch the curtains on the window, put some fabric on the chair (you get a rocking chair, which seemed cool at first but got somewhat annoying in the long run), or a little rug (the rug installed is this grayish–beigeish color that’s bland).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The pros:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The office staff: nice folks. They assist you downstairs with move in and move outs, any information you need, they sort your packages for you so you don’t have to worry about going to the post office to get incoming stuff. Also if you get locked out, they will open the door for you.</p></li>
<li><p>The maintenance staff: they are nice folks too. They fix whatever problems you may have and usually pretty quickly. Same or next day. </p></li>
<li><p>If you have kids, there is a playground for them and I think there are schools in Evanston that are nearby. </p></li>
<li><p>It’s close to campus, of course. I was about 10-15 mins away from my dept., which is great when you know you don’t have to stand freezing in the winter time waiting for the train.</p></li>
<li><p>It is close the train. Despite the noise, it’s easy to get around the city. </p></li>
<li><p>There is a nice lounge with a flat screen TV and the another lounge with another TV that’s next to a really nice washer/dryer room. There is also a kids room that’s adjacent to that. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>I think that’s all I got…!</p>
<p>If I could upvote you, I would.</p>
<p>$788 for a shared studio is pretty steep when you can pay that much (utilities included) for a 400 square foot studio in downtown Evanston.</p>
<p>Hello, I am in need of a roommate for the 2011 school year. It’s a gorgeous 3 bedroom. 2 full bathroom apt a block from the center of campus. The rent is $650/month (not including utilities). We are looking for anyone that wants to either rent fall quarter or for the entire year. Thanks! you can email me at alyssa.keller.02@**********</p>