Colleges in Chicago

[pottebaum]

Hey


After visiting Chicago a few times, I absolutely love it. It's the place I want to live when I'm older. This is thinking way ahead, though, since I'm only a freshmen in High School....

Just to plan ahead, though, and maybe set some goals for myself, I wanted to look into Chicago colleges. I'm not all that sure what I want to do as an occupation yet, but I am interested in economics, business and I've recently explored city planning. I'm not exactly what my budget is, since its still a while away, but I figure I could afford a pretty nice college and hopefully I will get a scholarship of some sort. I do great in all my classes, except for those that would fall in the math category.

.....I'd like to attend a college with a student body interested in politics and current events. I enjoy sports, but big sports teams aren't that big of a deal to me. I love the urban enviroment Chicago offers, so it'd be nice if the college was near downtown--but im not quite sure how many of those there are.

Thanks!

[Simpatico78]

Originally Posted by pottebaum

Hey


After visiting Chicago a few times, I absolutely love it. It's the place I want to live when I'm older. This is thinking way ahead, though, since I'm only a freshmen in High School....

Just to plan ahead, though, and maybe set some goals for myself, I wanted to look into Chicago colleges. I'm not all that sure what I want to do as an occupation yet, but I am interested in economics, business and I've recently explored city planning. I'm not exactly what my budget is, since its still a while away, but I figure I could afford a pretty nice college and hopefully I will get a scholarship of some sort. I do great in all my classes, except for those that would fall in the math category.

.....I'd like to attend a college with a student body interested in politics and current events. I enjoy sports, but big sports teams aren't that big of a deal to me. I love the urban enviroment Chicago offers, so it'd be nice if the college was near downtown--but im not quite sure how many of those there are.

Thanks!

UIC, might be your best fit based on what you've described.
It's close to downtown has sports and I believe has an urban planning course. However, if its economics or business you are intersted in, Northwestern would be what you want as U of Chicago does not have a downtown campus and NW does.

[goonsta]

There's also Loyola, DePaul, Northeastern, and Chicago State for the financially challenged.

[Rivernorth]

Roosevelt University, Columbia College, Illinois Institute of Technology... University of Chicago if your crazy go nuts smart

[Rail Claimore]

UIC is my top choice for grad schools I'm applying to, and the only one in Chicago. The rest are in New York. There isn't another PAB accredited school in urban planning in Chicagoland. The closest two are UW Madison and UIUC. I'm not doing a small city.

[edsg25]

Sulivan Joe,

Unless I'm mistaken, there are no undergraduate business or economic programs on NU's downtown campus; all undergrad divisions are in Evanston. I believe downtown is just grad divisions in medicine, law, and business. I believe that's it (might be wrong); they used to have a dent school, but that's gone.

In that sense, there is a little overlap with the U of C (although on a much smaller scale); their graduate school of business is less than a mile south of NU's much larger downtown campus.

[edsg25]

I think UIC is a very attractive choice for undergrads outside of the Chicago area who want a real campus but want the excitement of a major city.

Here's one thing I never knew (and I am a UIC grad): with the addition of dorms and more housing going up south of Roosevelt for students, does anyone know about how many downstate Illinois kids are enrolled at the university? I mean real downstate (non-suburban). It would seem to me that for the right kind of kid, taking advantage of in-state tuition and living in Peoria, Springfield, Dectaur, Quad Cities, etc., this would be a marvelous opportunity that kids in other states don't have.

[DeMaFrost]

Originally Posted by goonsta

There's also Loyola, DePaul, Northeastern, and Chicago State for the financially challenged.

Uhhh your kidding right. I'm not sure the cost to goto the other schools, but DePaul is damn expensive.

[Kevin J]

Originally Posted by edsg25

Sulivan Joe,

Unless I'm mistaken, there are no undergraduate business or economic programs on NU's downtown campus; all undergrad divisions are in Evanston. I believe downtown is just grad divisions in medicine, law, and business. I believe that's it (might be wrong); they used to have a dent school, but that's gone.

In that sense, there is a little overlap with the U of C (although on a much smaller scale); their graduate school of business is less than a mile south of NU's much larger downtown campus.

You're mostly correct, Edsg25. Northwestern's downtown campus primarily houses the schools of law, medicine, physical therapy, and the part-time MBA program (the full-time MBA program, i.e. business school, is in Evanston).

There are undergraduate classes offered on the downtown campus as part of Northwestern's University College, which is a part-time undergraduate and/or continuing education program for working people. Because of the presence of the part-time MBA program downtown, I know that many of the University College offerings are business classes. But again, this program is designed for part-time students. Anyone who wants to earn an undergrad degree from NU full-time has to go to school in Evanston.

Sullivan Joe: All of the major colleges in Chicago offer an urban experience, even Northwestern, which is officially in a suburb, but one of the more urban suburbs that you'll ever see. While being in or near the Loop would be nice, all of Chicago's other major schools are in dense urban neighborhoods too, and there's more to urbanity than skyscrapers. So I don't see you being deprived of anything based strictly on your location.

There are fewer than 10 schools in Chicago that would satisfy what you're looking for and you have a long time to see them on return visits to Chicago to better help you make up your mind.

College students, virtually by definition, are interested in politics and current events. That will be the same everywhere. Maybe at some sun-belt party schools, it's a lesser priority, but I wouldn't describe any Chicago colleges as party schools.

[Simpatico78]

I agree that all colleges in Chicago offer an urban experience but he stated a preference for a downtown campus. As far as NW 's downtown campus is concerned I guess I was wrong. I thought they had a Business school downtown.

[Kevin J]

Sullivan Joe: My apologies for addressing any comments to you. I mistakenly thought you were the original poster. I wasn't trying to correct anything you said. I was just trying to offer my opinion directly to Pottebaum, who was the original poster.

And in case I muddied the waters regarding Northwestern's business school: the full-time business school is in Evanston. The part-time business school is downtown. A degree from either location is exactly the same. So Northwestern does have a branch of its business school downtown.

[pottebaum]

Cool, thanks you guys! I'll look up some of those colleges you guys mentioned.
I agree that there's more to urbanity to skyscrapers, and saying that I specifcly wanted a college 'downtown' wasn't the right thing to do--- I just want to live in somewhat busy, urban, safe area of Chicago.
I look forward to posting more in this forum---Chicago is just so awesome. Definitely my favorite place in the world. I can't wait to (hopefully) live there.

[Wu-Gambino]

^ Christ you sound just like me. How good is UIC's urban planning school?

[wheelingman]

I hope you make it to Chicago pottebaum. Good luck.

[pottebaum]

Thanks! I'm not quite sure what it is about Chicago that makes me like it so much.. Just a feeling, I guess. I can't wait!