•••quote:•••Originally posted by P:
•Hey any general info on Chicago would be great. Pros/Cons of the area. What activites do the students partake in? Do you have any personal perspectives on Rush from people you know who go there? What are the students like? I ask because we only had the opportunity to meet with two students during our interview..who were in the middle of exams...doesn't really help you get a great perspective.
Thanks,
-p•••••The UIC/Rush area (the two schools are only a few blocks away from each other) is great. Little Italy is right in the area, and you're right on the outside edge of downtown Chicago. There are SO many things to do in Chicago, I couldn't possibly name even 5% - you name it, Chicago has it. Including crime - it can get a little shady around the Medical Center area late at night (after midnight) because you have some inconveniently placed ghettos in the surrounding areas. Honestly, though, I've had more problems with this sort of thing on the north side (which is considered safe) than downtown. You just have to be smart - don't go to ATMs at night, don't walk around counting money at 2am, always let someone know if you'll be out late, etc.
As far as Rush itself, I have a really good friend there who is finishing his 1st year right now. According to him (and people I talked with on my interview day), people at Rush really love it there. There are lots of student activites and they are actively pursued (I think I read that 85% participate in SOMETHING). In fact, they have one night of the week where they do volunteer work at a clinic for the uninsured that I worked at during undergrad, so it'll be nice to continue there as a med student. In general, students are really happy there. Very non-competitive, lots of support from the students, faculty, and administration, etc etc. I've not really heard a bad thing except for something one of my interviewers mentioned: she felt that Rush babies their students to much because they give you a syllabus at the beginning of the semester detailing everything that you will need to know for the exams. Apparently, this makes it so that you pretty much know what to expect, what to study - in other words, she felt that the material was too spoon-fed to students. Although I'm not sure I agree with her that it's a bad thing, necessarily, I can see where she's coming from on this point.
Of the 15 or so Rush students I've met and the one I know personally, I've not heard a complaint. And they're pretty convincing - I pulled all my apps/waitlists after I got accepted. For me, it's a perfect situation - I'm right near downtown Chicago, have a good friend there, was really impressed by everything, etc. And I got a pretty nice financial aid package, which truly sealed the deal.
If I didn't fully answer your question, let me know - I'm happy to give more info.
