<p>Hi I'm a transfer student entering Chicago as a Sophomore. I'm wondering whether it's more common for Sophomore UC students to live in dorms or in apartments. Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>In addition, which dorms would be best for a Sophomore or what area would be best for a Sophomore looking for an apartment?</p>
<p>I’m not sure, but I think most transfer students in general end up at either Stony Island or Maclean.</p>
<p>I can’t give you exact percentages, but the majority of second years stay in the dorms. My house has about 65 first-years, and only 7 or so are moving to an apartment next year.</p>
<p>I would think that it’s always a good idea to stay in the dorms for the first year at the school.</p>
<p>My rough sense (vicariously, through my kids and their friends) is consistent with what others have said: Maybe 10-15% of second-years move off campus (and about that percentage of third-years stay ON campus). Also, that transfer students don’t really have a choice where to live. Before this year, for a few years they had all been placed in Stony Island, and this year most were placed there and some in Maclean.</p>
<p>(You may want to note a little quirk of local terminology. Apparently, the University of Chicago does not have any “sophomores”, or “freshmen”, etc., either. It has first- and second-years, and on from there.)</p>
<p>If I enroll soon, what’s the possibility of me getting a room at South Campus? Also, which is better: Stony Island or Maclean? In what ways is Stony Island/Maclean better than the other?</p>
<p>Stony Island = 2 BR apartments (w/ kitchen + living/dining room, bathroom), four people per apartment. About 3/4ths mile east of the center of campus, but in the nice part of Hyde Park and close to shops, restaurants, train and bus to downtown, Blackstone, Broadview and Breckinridge dorms. About 20 years old. No first-year students.</p>
<p>Maclean = all singles, a block north of the northwest corner of campus, near the Ratner and Crown gyms, playing fields, Pierce dorm. Renovated nursing home built pre-WWII, huge institutional kitchen students can use, lots of common spaces, bathrooms in hall serving 5-6 people. Somewhat bigger than Stony, about half first-years, including many athletes who wanted singles.</p>
<p>Max Palevsky is still the best. No communal washrooms. A washroom and a bathroom for a suite (4 students maximum). The singles and doubles here are all larger than those at South Campus for some sort of reason (coming from a person who has lived in both). Max Palevsky is close to everything, so it is very convenient. Pick Max Palevsky. It has ugly buildings but if you live in Max Palevsky you don’t have to look at them. 
You won’t regret it.</p>
<p>^ I’d imagine Max P. is full by now? Ideally I’d like to live in SCRH, or Max P., and was wondering in which I might still have a shot at getting a room (if I enroll and send in my housing forms by this weekend). In all likelihood however, I’m probably going to get Stony Island as a transfer. My only concern there is how far away it is from campus.</p>