Chicago as a city: NWern vs Pritzker

[Nookular]

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I know how NWern and Pritzker compare as schools, but what about their location. Any Chicago natives care to share any pros and cons about the two parts of chicago that they are in?

 

[Phoenix.]

Hah. If you're not comparing the med schools in any way, and are simply comparing location, the only thing Hyde Park has over the Gold Coast is diversity, and the fact that you can find a cheaper place there. Then again, you don't have to live right near Northwestern if you go to school there. You could save some bucks if you live in another hood. And while there are some proponents of Hyde Park, the vast majority of Chicagoans (especially those posting on SDN) would prefer to live in the Gold Coast area, or at least to go to school there, over Hyde Park. The only people I know that live near Hyde Park do so because they went to school at UofC and stuck around.

Oh, and for the record, I have no beef with Hyde Park. I think that anyone deciding between Pritzker and Northwestern should make their decision based on the differences in the med schools, and not just geography, but that's just my opinion. I do not think Hyde Park is a strike against Pritzker, it's location just isn't as much of a plus as Northwestern gets from the Gold Coast. If it were based on location alone, I believe Northwestern would win hands down every time.

 

[TxiL86]

i definitely agree.

 

[Nookular]

What is so bad about hyde park? I used to date someone who lived in the Gold Coast (or "viagra triangle" as it was called) and have also spent a lot of time near Lincoln Park, but never down to Hyde Park. Is it just thuggish or what? I tried googling it out and didn't get much.

 

[tap that]

I really like hyde park.

The reason Hyde Park is looked down upon most of the time is because of the surrounding area. The hyde park with regards to the university of chicago campus is pretty awesome. However, the area is surrounded by not so great neighberhoods and therefore, you do not want to wander far from campus all willy nilly all the time. People prefer the Northwestern area over the Hyde Park area usually because of the safety factor. NE is on the north side where it is more of an affluent area as opposed to the south side where UC is. But truly if you do not wander all around campus by yourself at the wee hours of the night you should be fine. Bottom line; if you are not a ******* most of the time then things will be good.

the UC region is pretty diverse. You're also a 20 minute train ride from downtown chi town. I really don't know any specifics on the NE region.

 

[The Buff]

You're also a 20 minute train ride from downtown chi town. I

I feel like this number is a bit low (are you quoting Metra times here?), which is one of the main disadvantages of hyde park (its isolation from other safe/fun neighborhoods) . There is not that much going on down there as far as night life, and if you do want to escape to (or from) downtown transportation can be long/dicey at times. I've lived in Chicago for years and would be hard-pressed to think of an acceptable way to get back to hyde park using public transit at 3am on a Sunday. Hyde park isn't that bad of a place in and of itself, plenty of people like it, but I think you need to see it for yourself to know if you'd match well with the area.

NU, on the other hand, is right in the middle of everything. That said, you will pay for that great location via your rent. (Unless you live in the only affordable apartment in the area, like I do 👍)

 

[The Buff]

What is so bad about hyde park? I used to date someone who lived in the Gold Coast (or "viagra triangle" as it was called) and have also spent a lot of time near Lincoln Park, but never down to Hyde Park. Is it just thuggish or what? I tried googling it out and didn't get much.

Technically the viagra triangle is just a small portion of the Gold Coast. It is bounded by Chicago, State, and Rush. It also happens to be where I live! (Don't know if that is good or bad, although I do love where I live)

 

[LostLost]

Personally I would choose NU definitely.. its right in the middle of downtown with convenient access and right by the lake and its the BEST....... Hyde Park is more of like an academic island in the middle of the "hood". But U of C has definitely a cool campus and it seems that it has insulated itself like a middle kingdom monastery from chicago. Its quiet and diverse but not terribly convenient if you don't drive cause its way too far down south.

 

[SigurRos]

Who does NU compare with U of C (the actual medical school). I never interviewed at University of Chicago, and know very little about it.

 

[LizzyM]

NU is to U of C as

Cornell is to Yale.

anyone else want to weigh in?

 

[Nookular]

NU is to U of C as

Cornell is to Yale.

anyone else want to weigh in?

Meaning NU < U of C and Cornell < Yale???


Thanks for your input guys. I'd be happy to get into either school, and am def. not making my decision based on where in chicago the schools are, but I was just wondering and you guys have really helped.
Thanks.

 

[LizzyM]

Meaning NU < U of C and Cornell < Yale???


Thanks for your input guys. I'd be happy to get into either school, and am def. not making my decision based on where in chicago the schools are, but I was just wondering and you guys have really helped.
Thanks.

No, I'm referring to their neighborhoods (posh vs institutional enclave within a larger, gritty community) and connection to the outside world (easy access to the cultural offerings of the big city and public transportation vs. you can get there but it ain't easy)

Schools are required by federal mandate to report crime statistics annually. It takes some digging but they can be found.
Crime stats for Cornell and NU are similar and one might expect that U of C and Yale would be similar but Yale is notorious for under-reporting.

 

[sanchopanza]

.

 

[BurnEmUpBears]

I've visited both campuses for interviews. I would have to saw hands-down Northwestern is a much better location. It is in a central location, while UChicago is in very out-of-the-way, isolated Hyde Park (and a pain in the ass to get to from O'Hare). I actually would argue that there is better patient diversity at Northwestern- you have access to the many ethnic enclaves in Downtown Chicago, as well as, I believe, a larger medical complex serving more patients.

UChicago is on the same campus as its undergraduate and other graduate programs, which is very nice, and has a small college town going for it. Northwestern's main campus is just outside of Chicago in Evanston (30 minutes?).

On the academic side, UChicago seems like it has a quite traditional lecture-based curriculum, while Northwestern has are more progressive, PBL-based system.

Something I never knew before was that UChicago won the first Heisman, and used to be a power in the Big 10. But after WWII, its sports programs were dismantled and they now play Division III football. (Incidentally, they lost in a blowout to some team which did not complete one pass the week I was there. That was their Homecoming too.) Northwestern plays Div 1-A in the Big-10, and has an okay program, but the stadium is in Evanston.

Anyways, this post went on longer than I thought it would. Keep in mind I'm just a guy from California who visited each school only once, but those are my 2 cents.

 

[eel800]

Hyde park is unsafe. A PhD candidate was just killed there a few weeks ago walking home from school. For absolutely no reason whatsoever, just some gangbangers looking to hurt someone. People getted mugged pretty often down there, and while hyde park itself is ok, the surrounding neighborhoods aren't pretty horrible. Very poor and run down. You would be crazy to pick u of c over northwestern based on location, but both are amazing programs, so don't pick based on location alone.

Also, transportation from hyde park to downtown is slim to none. The el doesn't go there, only a sketchy bus that never comes when it's supposed to. You absolutely have to have a car when you live down there or you may not even be able to get groceries. and good luck finding somewhere to eat/study that isn't on campus. there just isn't that much down there compared to the gold coast. that is just my two cents.

 

[EBI831]

as a uchicago med student who decided not to even apply to northwestern here is my input. i've always just been turned off northwestern for personal reasons and i honestly don't think it has any benefits over pritzker except maybe that extremely naive people would feel a lot safer there (don't get me wrong it is probably safer). both are great schools that appeal to different kinds of people. but then again a lot of great med schools are not in the poshest areas. in fact, the posh area of northwestern and the vibe it gets because of it may be a turnoff as far as clinical training goes to some and a perk to others.

(1) location ie Hyde Park: Hyde Park is actually one of the safest neighborhoods in chicago...believe me we had police and safety people come show us charts. it's just the surrounding areas that get a bad rep. There are many great cultural museums/events in HP. Also I don't know who said it was hard to get downtown b/c it isn't really...we go all the time. Public transportation will take you there in a 30 minute ride (only because it has to stop) and a cab will get you there in 20 minutes and it won't be expensive if you split it with classmates. Also, what i love about it is that it's not far from the Gold Coast, River North, Michigan Ave and all the other places with great restaurants and shopping.
CONS: it's rather far from wrigleyville where if you're single you may want to meet the young crowd. However, we went all the time and it's doable if you go with classmates and the ride can be cheap. (2) public transportation: it's free in most cases but i'm not that big of a fan and also there's not much parking. but that can be said for most of chicago. (3) dumb people who feel the need/feel invincible and wonder into dicey places at 2 am and then complain of feeling unsafe...c'mon people! get a clue. (4) honestly the worst thing is: the undergrads (but that has nothing to do with Pritzker)
bottom line: if you're fortunate enough to get into both NW and Pritzker I wouldn't let location be a big factor in eliminating Pritzker. Rather, I'd think of (1) true pass/fail ie no grades at all for Years 1-2 (only a few schools have this...trust me I've talked to my friends in other schools) (2) smaller class size, so it's like a family (3) it's actually fun...no competition, you get to know the faculty and classmates (4) social activities: class ski trips, talent show, Orientation week, boat cruise, prom, social rounds, theme parties.... (5) clinical exposure from the get-go: you can work in clinics, they have suturing workshops, CPR training, and everyone has to learn how to take a patient interview (standardized patients) and perform physical exam, lung exam, heart exam in first quarter, also you get paired up with residents and go interview real patients and present in your first quarter (6) health disparities awareness: you get a weeklong course on this with interesting speakers (Michelle Obama was one) and get to go tour hospitals
--hhahahha can you tell i love my school? hope this helps. I know i never got any of this during my interview day at Pritzker.

 

[engineers]

i've spent the past 6 years as a grad student in hyde park, and have worked at northwestern so here's what i think -

the uofc campus/hyde park is an amazing environment. it's a big academic bubble filled with brilliant people working on lots of different things. it has one of the best bookstores in the world (the seminary co-op) and walking around you'll hear people talking about a lot of things that gives you sense of a very traditional academic institution. i really enjoy that aspect and i think it def. lends a certain air to the university. your neighbors in hyde park will be affiliated with the universty - there is no getting away from it.

hyde park is nice, but it is not as safe as the school makes it out to be but it is also not as dangerous as some believe. using general 'living in a big city' caution you should be fine. however, the university and community do not get along. there are serious issues between the two and that's pretty evident when you step outside the university grounds.

northwestern is fairly self contained (in terms of the hospital), although the law school has buildings next door. you will not get the same academic atmosphere living in the gold coast as you would in hyde park.

also, getting from hyde park to downtown by public transportation takes more than 20 min - it's 20 min by car. hyde park does not have much in the way of grocery stores (in fact there is a big debate about the current large one and it's future), so most people drive into downtown to do their shopping (and going out).

 

[EBI831]

Hyde park is unsafe. A PhD candidate was just killed there a few weeks ago walking home from school. For absolutely no reason whatsoever, just some gangbangers looking to hurt someone. People getted mugged pretty often down there, and while hyde park itself is ok, the surrounding neighborhoods aren't pretty horrible. Very poor and run down. You would be crazy to pick u of c over northwestern based on location, but both are amazing programs, so don't pick based on location alone.

Also, transportation from hyde park to downtown is slim to none. The el doesn't go there, only a sketchy bus that never comes when it's supposed to. You absolutely have to have a car when you live down there or you may not even be able to get groceries. and good luck finding somewhere to eat/study that isn't on campus. there just isn't that much down there compared to the gold coast. that is just my two cents.

do you live in hyde park? wow, you must really have something against Pritzker. I can honestly say it's not hard to get downtown from Pritzker honestly. And I can honestly say it's pure bull**** to say you definitely need a car...you don't. Public transportation will take you to the grocery store (come on seriously, that you won't be able to get groceries...just on 53rd and 55th alone there are many stores and grocery places). There's a starbucks, borders for studying and these are not on campus...what else do you want? As far as eating, there's a restaurant every time i turn a corner serioulsy...have you ever walked down 53rd or 55th? the place is packed with restaurants and eateries. the basement of my apartment even has a fancy italian restaurant. Now, if you don't like asian food, subway, italian, american food then you might have to look elsewhere but aren't these the main foods in any location? Yes, I will say there isn't the same kind of thing in Hyde Park as Gold Coast but I'd never go so far as to say there isn't much. And honestly to another post, people don't come to U of C/ Pritzker for sports...they just don't.
As far as the killing goes, I'm pretty certain it was not directly on U of C main campus or close to Pritzker. It was in the area they tell you not to walk in at night (and it happened at night)...it shouldn't have happened but once again as I said....and muggings are fairly common in most big cities. I lived in Nashville on a campus as posh as vandy and people got robbed often. one thing I will say is that the police presence and safety options on this campus are stellar and unlike anything i've seen. i don't feel threatened and I'm a cushioned suburb girl who sleeps with the lights on...just be aware and don't do risky things.

 

[barto123]

NU is in downtown, gold coast, near michigan ave, close to very nice EXPENSIVE places to go and hang out, if you want to lead a fancy lifestyle, by all means, NU is the place to be. Hyde Park has so much history, diversity, and it is actually a neighborhood, meaning you see regular people in the streets, kids playing tag, people sitting outside talking. hyde park borders run down areas, but is actually improving every year, one of the few neighborhoods in chicago where blacks and whites live together in relative harmony. in my opinion i would much prefer to live in hyde park over the gold coast.

 

[LovesBikes]

If you go to Northwestern, you can live pretty much anywhere off the red line (Howard/95th) and get to Northwestern in a reasonable amount of time (as long as the red line runs like it should, which, with the funding issues we have had lately, and the current construction is iffy). That's Lakeview, Wrigleyville, parts of Lincoln park, Andersonville, Rogers Park, and Uptown, as well as Chinatown and Bridgeport, just to name a few neighborhoods. You can also live off the Chicago, Division or North buses, which run fairly late (Division and North until approx. 1:30 am and Chicago 24hours), which opens up the near NW side to you. Wicker Park and the Ukrainian Village are really fun places to live, and you can get to Northwestern in about 25-30 minutes by public transit.

If you go to UChicago, you can live in Hyde Park.

I've lived in this city for five years, from north side to south side, and if it was me in that (wonderful!) conundrum, and I was picking a school purely on location, I'd pick Northwestern. Hyde park is a fun visit, but like others have said, it's an island.

 

[BigRedPremed]

In terms of location, there's no comparison. NU is in a much better, much more fun location. Then again, location is only part of the equation.

 

[flaquita69us]

I went to U of C for undergrad and am now attending Northwestern for medical school. I couldn't wait to get out of Hyde Park. I felt very unsafe while I was there and several of my friends were mugged. Also, nothing is open later than 10pm, so if you want to study late at a cafe - good luck. About the shooting, it was on campus, next to the network services building. Furthermore, the same night there was a robbery right in front of the BSLC, where med school classes are held, so bad things do happen on campus. There are good things about Hyde Park, such as the diversity. If you go to U of C for medical school, your experience in the hospital will probably be very different from that at Northwestern. You do not have to live in Hyde Park if you to school there. I know that some people live in the South loop and take a bus. Taking the el in Hyde Park is difficult though.
As for Northwestern, its in the Gold Coast/Streeterville area where most of the residents seem to be either students/faculty or rich people. Very different feel. Safer, but less interesting. A lot of students live in Lincoln Park or Lakeview, which are very nice, trendy areas and have a short commute to class.
Oh - and price is a huge difference. Its very expensive to live near Northwestern and its much cheaper in Hyde Park.
If you have any questions about Northwestern Medical school in general, feel free to PM me.

 

[rgarrig]

I know how NWern and Pritzker compare as schools, but what about their location. Any Chicago natives care to share any pros and cons about the two parts of chicago that they are in?

A sibling worked for several years at the medical schools of both Pritzker and Feignburg (sp). According to her - and from visiting her, I agree - NW is in a MUCH nicer, funner neighborhood. UofC is in a boring dump. You're five minutes north of very dangerous neighborhoods and there are no good bars and few decent restaurants in Hyde Park.
NW is safer, and a much hipper area.

However, according to my sib (and this is complete heresay, I don't swear by it), the doctors/researchers at NW were far more competitive and stuck up than UofC - she made it sound like the docs at UofC knew they made it and were comfortable, whereas the NW docs acted like they had something to prove. Of course, my sib may be completely wrong about this.

Either way, Chicago pretty much rocks the socks. I miss you, Chi-town!

 

[Nookular]

Thank you guys SO much for such great responses.


Now that I know so much about the locations...
...does anyone want to expand this conversation and start the comparison between the schools' programs?

ready.... GO!