woowwwwzers...32 shot in chicago, including multiple homicides....

[IWANT2BMD]

and I just got into UIC....loool. I am from out of state, and I was just accepted into UIC last week. I have not yet chosen a campus, however, this statistic alarms me greatly. I am from a fairly safe city, and I have never been exposed to such violence before...one of these shootings involved a man with an AK 47 running around and shooting people. This makes me uneasy. Can any students from UIC comment about this? Do you guys have safety concerns as well, or is this violence happening far away? THANKS

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[CubaLibre]

i immediately checked today's news stories to make sure my relatives in chicago were safe. i hate you.

 

[IWANT2BMD]

but I was shocked as well....DAMN

 

[Caesar]

and I just got into UIC....loool. I am from out of state, and I was just accepted into UIC last week. I have not yet chosen a campus, however, this statistic alarms me greatly. I am from a fairly safe city, and I have never been exposed to such violence before...one of these shootings involved a man with an AK 47 running around and shooting people. This makes me uneasy. Can any students from UIC comment about this? Do you guys have safety concerns as well, or is this violence happening far away? THANKS

given the large population density of Chicago, you are statistically safe. For "normal" crime its all about what area you live in. As for "random violence" it can happen in any city, at any time. I live near the Murder capital (St. Louis), and haven't even seen an arrest of ANY kind in over 8 months.

 

[bcat85]

Me too.. I live right outside of STL and I think that, excepting random crime (which is, of course, random, but also somewhat rare), if you aren't selling crack on a corner in North St. Louis or borrowing large amounts of money from drug dealers, you should be alright.. Really

EDIT: Though I have to admit, that did make me a little nervous too

 

[tiedyeddog]

Did this dude just make two almost identical threads except make one include murder so it would catch people's eye? Wtf? Dude, chill out. We get that you have two days to decide what school you're attending but that's your problem. Maybe you should have asked way before two days till you had to pick your school? I understand you're freaking out but wait a little while for people to respond..

 

[Maxx4]

Might as well make it legitimate.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24224833/

 

[IWANT2BMD]

first of all, I am not a dude...thank you. Second of all, no, I did not make two postings in order to recieve a quicker response. I posted one about choosing a campus, and then I posted another about safety and the issues of safety in Chicago, and whether they should affect ones decision. I am not worried about the two day period, for your information, because at the end of the day, it is my decision. I am not waiting for some ***** like you to make my decision. This is merely a way for me to recieve some opinions...and you know what? I don't want yours.. you thought you were smart in being able to identify someone who posted twice..oooooo...nice job! maybe we should grant you an acceptance to med school!

 

[Caesar]

Me too.. I live right outside of STL and I think that, excepting random crime (which is, of course, random, but also somewhat rare), if you aren't selling crack on a corner in North St. Louis or borrowing large amounts of money from drug dealers, you should be alright.. Really

EDIT: Though I have to admit, that did make me a little nervous too

aren't you going to SIU SOM next year?

EDIT: nevermind. I look at your MDAPPS page. My bad. Good luck!

 

[shiftingmirage]

I currently go to school in Lincoln Park, just north of down town Chicago. I personally feel safe in the city. I have had a few weirdos start talking to me on the train and sometimes the homeless are a little too aggressive, in my opinion, when they hit you up for money, but I have never been the victim of a crime and the only crime I 'witnessed' was one day on the train just as it was leaving Addison (there was a cubs game) and an older gentleman said 'that guy stole my wallet.'

UIC is in a different area but I am going to Rush which is right next door to UIC's medical campus. From what I understand it was a run down area that has since been getting improved but still has more to go. While checking out apartments in the area, I've seen a few comments about theft and cars being broken into, but no mention of gun violence. Speculation here, but I think the run-down is more due to low income housing than gang violence.

 

[shiftingmirage]

I also believe UI's Chicago campus is already full, but I am sure there will be some movement on the waitlist for the campus.

 

[DeadCactus]

First, you are an androgynous screen name on an internet forum. Second of all, most people use "dude" as an androgynous term, so get over it.

Third, if you're going to call anyone a "*****", proper grammar and sentence structure tend to be a prerequisite. I mean really, what the hell is "loool"? And if you're going to randomly throw ellipses ... in the middle of ... a sentence, at least don't bail out on the third stop.

And finally, if you're looking for input, try not to derail your own thread by launching into some tirade on someone else's reply. It makes you look arrogant and whiny and leaves most posters no longer caring if you die in a crackhouse explosion in the middle of Chicago.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Sorry I called you a dude? Just want to throw this in there from the other thread:

"HELP PLEASE...I must turn in my card in like 2 days!!"

Thanks for belittling my intelligence through some random thread on SDN... Really, people would be waaayy more helpful if you would just make one thread. Here, I'll try to help you, even though you diagnosed me as a *****.

Plenty of great medical schools are in crappy areas. Johns Hopkins is right smack in the biggest ghetto I've ever seen in my life. But you know what? People still go there.... Alright, I'm editing this. Appears that you can interview at a location that is not where you will be attending.... My bad.

 

[IWANT2BMD]

I could do without your opinion too...thanks!

 

[Quadratic]

In general, UIC is a safe campus. It's only when people stray outside into the surrounding areas where the crime usually happens, and that's usually if they go alone. Therefore, for safety, I'd advise you always travel with someone. It's kind of what happened this year with a Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago, who was murdered a little outside the UoC campus. Shame really, but yeah the best solution is to travel in the day time, and if you can with other people. No where is really "safe." It's not safe in Urbana, heard stories of people getting kidnapped there and rape and so forth, so these principles apply anywhere.

 

[ehjay]

I also believe UI's Chicago campus is already full, but I am sure there will be some movement on the waitlist for the campus.

This is true. Not to rain on your parade, but chances are you'll be in Champaign/Peioria/Rockford if you decide to attend the school. But who knows, depending on where you are on the waitlist, you may get in

As for the violence around chicago, i believe many of these shootings occurred on the far south side/west side/southwest side and were kinda far from the UIC campus from what I've read. The frequency of the shootings is sort of an anomaly so it's not like we're experiencing this everyday. What I can tell you though is that the area around the campus isn't the greatest area in Chicago when it comes to security, but it has improved drastically since it started to become gentrified. As long as you don't do stupid things like whipping out a wad of cash on the el at 3am in the morning after a long night of studying, you should be fine. Just follow some common sense practices and trouble won't easily find you.

 

[CubaLibre]

It makes you look arrogant and whiny and leaves most posters no longer caring if you die in a crackhouse explosion in the middle of Chicago.

 

[Jolie South]

whoa, let's try to keep things civil in here. please refrain from attacking other users.

thanks!

 

[shiftingmirage]

The frequency of the shootings is sort of an anomaly so it's not like we're experiencing this everyday.

I think the total number of individuals shot this weekend was 37. During the spring/summer months, the average number for chicago is 22 individuals/weekend. Scary number.

 

[45408]

And people say that gun control doesn't work. Chicago has very strict laws, and they've managed to keep crime to a minimum.

 

[Wylde]

Me too.. I live right outside of STL and I think that, excepting random crime (which is, of course, random, but also somewhat rare), if you aren't selling crack on a corner in North St. Louis or borrowing large amounts of money from drug dealers, you should be alright.. Really

EDIT: Though I have to admit, that did make me a little nervous too

oh crap... but the guy seemed really sympathetic to my school loans!

No one else borrows money from crackheads to pay for school? I think it's a really underrated option, med schools should have some formal programs for this imo.

 

[Doctor]

And people say that gun control doesn't work. Chicago has very strict laws, and they've managed to keep crime to a minimum.

Strict gun control has worked wonders for D.C. the past 30 years as well.

 

[xiaoyi666]

guns for condoms. just kidding. tossed that out there kinda like a modest proposal.

 

[candbgirl]

Actually Chicago's murder rate is down from last year and is continuing to follow a trend over the last few years of declining murder rate. No matter where you live or work or go to school you have to be aware of the environment and your surroundings. Chicago is safer than many places and might be safer than Peopira/Rockford/Champaign. In fact I am sure it is safer. Go to school where you are going to be happy and comfortable. The operative word here is YOU.

 

[dArroway]

I could do without your opinion too...thanks!

Really dead dead cactus.... I mean what were you thinking? This dude is just too fly for SDN.

This thread is heading in a bright direction.

 

[kronickm]

95 dead so far in Philly this year and the closest thing I have seen to a crime is a homeless guy peeing in the street.

 

[sunny1]

and I just got into UIC....loool. I am from out of state, and I was just accepted into UIC last week. I have not yet chosen a campus, however, this statistic alarms me greatly. I am from a fairly safe city, and I have never been exposed to such violence before...one of these shootings involved a man with an AK 47 running around and shooting people. This makes me uneasy. Can any students from UIC comment about this? Do you guys have safety concerns as well, or is this violence happening far away? THANKS

Chicago is a great city and it has a lot to offer. I was just there this weekend around the UIC campus. I generally felt safe. Greektown is right there and seemed "happening" enough. There were two cops with their bulletproof vests on at the drugstore (hmm...).

There is the blue line metro that has the stop right at campus (which I assume you know about since you must have interviewed there). If instead of heading towards the campus at the stop you go the opposite direction, there are lots of nice loft style condos and apartments. They have door attendants so only residents can get in and lots of security cameras.

I've been told that the current UIC campus was built during riots, so it was made to be a fortress so to speak. Ergo, you'll be safe. Really, it's mostly a matter of chance (there are a lot of people in Chicago and statistically it's not likely to be you who gets shot) and having common sense about where you go, when, and with whom. And as someone else mentioned, the crime rate is slightly down this year.

 

[Bananas Foster]

Don't forget a handful of stabbings, one of which came into the ER while I was dropping off an Altered Mental Status patient! Woot Chicago!

Oh, someone said that crime isn't that bad near where they live by the DePaul campus, well, Depaul is in the nicest neighborhood in the whole city of chicago, so take that for what its worth.

but I lived in a kinda rough neighborhood last year, and its really nothing much to worry about. of everyone i know in my old neighborhood, no one has heard of anyone being a victim of crime (other than vandalism) except for one guy who was hit with a bat a few years ago.

 

[eel800]

First off, like others have said, there is a slim-to-none chance you will be going to the chicago campus in the first place. rockford can be kind of dicey as well, so do your research on that as well.

second, chicago is wonderful! if you don't want to get shot, don't join a gang during medical school. the majority of chicago's gun violence stems from that and is isolated to areas of the city where gangs are. for example, the people shot in that article posted above all were shot in areas you would have no reason to go to living/going to uic. this is not "downtown where the tourists are". i've lived in the city for 4 years now and have never once felt unsafe. and i'm from iowa originally. i ride the el/bus everyday by myself and am absolutely fine. i also work at rush which is next to uic, and even walk home sometimes when the weather is nice.

uic is in a changing neighborhood, and there are housing projects nearby, but most of them are being torn down and being replaced with $400k condos. if you keep your eyes and ears open, you should be fine. but, again, YOU need to be comfortable. if in doubt, come and visit. it's lovely here in the spring!

 

[johndorian32]

I go to the University of Chicago, which is in a far worse neighborhood than UIC, and I still feel safe. It's true that crime is a more likely occurance in urban areas, but universities compensate for this by having outstanding security. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Hope that helps!