questions regarding commute to ICO

[leaves84]

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hi

i'll be going to ICO this year. originally i was going to commute since its like a 30-35 minute commute...but lately i've been thinking if thats a good thing to do during winter with all the snow and traffic.
since exams are 8 am sharp i really dont know whether i shud live in the RC or commute.
any current students that went thru a similar situation or have any advice?

 

[panzer]

What is RC? Do you live in the chicagoland area?

 

[leaves84]

the rc is the residential complex of the school...and yes i do live in the chicagoland area.

 

[panzer]

I don't even know what bus goes there (#1?) but switching 2 trains will be a hassle. Is Green line very frequent?

 

[leaves84]

actually i plan on driving...i was only worried about travel on snow days

 

[in_translation]

I don't live too far from the school, and I don't find the commute too difficult. I have a tiny car, too! Sometimes in the snow, instead of your usual 15 minutes, you have to give yourself 35... or if it usually takes an hour, you have to give yourself two hours. My advice: live close enough to an elevated train so that in the event road travel is bad, you could always fall back on the train ride (especially on an exam day). If you live close enough to an el stop, then it's just a train or two, and then a walk/bus ride to the school. If the buses are having problems, you can always hoof it the five or so blocks.
If you live off campus and all else fails, make a friend at the RC. Then, if you anticipate bad weather before an exam, you can plan ahead and sleep on their floor for the night!

(By the way, I've only had "bad" travel, two days here so far... so don't worry too much!)

 

[in_translation]

I will also say that I think it depends where you live in the Chicagoland area and the route you will take into the school. If it involves a major expressway on an exam day... and you are not a morning person... you may want to re-think your choice of accommodations, since you may be getting up at 5 am to arrive with enough time to allow for the unexpected. For this reason (and for non-morning folk), the RC is a great option!