anyone going to chicago?

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valentino
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anyone going to chicago?

Post by valentino » Tue May 12, 2009 11:25 am

i'm suddenly not happy with my choice...

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twistor
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by twistor » Tue May 12, 2009 1:57 pm

Why?

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dlenmn
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by dlenmn » Wed May 13, 2009 4:11 pm

What, you don't want to be mugged?

excel
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by excel » Wed May 13, 2009 11:59 pm

:lol:

I find it remarkable that students can live in the stress of an (apparently) unsafe environment for 5+ years and still produce the good research that underlies U. Chicago's strong reputation.

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twistor
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by twistor » Thu May 14, 2009 12:31 am

A lot of urban universities are in sketchy neighborhoods. It's not a reason not to go. A lot of crime happens on rural campuses, too.

cato88
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by cato88 » Thu May 14, 2009 12:35 am

The area around MIT is not so great.
There is public housing nearby as well as Central Square which is not so great.
http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/11/11.001j/f ... mage1.html

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quizivex
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by quizivex » Thu May 14, 2009 1:53 am

Yeah, I did my undergrad in an urban slum and had no major incidents, but every few weeks something crazy happens at Princeton.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

But valentino, if you're going to post something like that on here, you might as well explain WHY since you know you're going to be asked anyway. Otherwise don't bother saying it.

excel
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by excel » Thu May 14, 2009 12:51 pm

No "major" incidents :?:

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dlenmn
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by dlenmn » Thu May 14, 2009 2:36 pm

I hear more stories of crime out of Chicago than anywhere else. My office mate's car was broken in to when he was down there a couple of weekends ago. Know of someone who transfered out of there because of a shooting on her block. Someone else got mugged while jogging in the morning...

Then again, I've got a cousin there and she hasn't had any trouble.

All that said, it's not hard to get the facts. Schools are basically required to submit a yearly crime report to the feds. You can get the details here.

pqortic
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by pqortic » Thu May 14, 2009 4:49 pm

thread beginner is not going to explain why he doesn't like Chicago. probably he is encouraging us to guess and so far, the campus safety is not the reason!
maybe he is not satisfied with the atmosphere of the department. it is different from what he has expected.

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razor
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by razor » Sun May 17, 2009 4:24 am

but why?
isn't chicago a good school for physics?

theoretical_phys
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by theoretical_phys » Sat May 23, 2009 12:09 pm

I went to undergraduate school in New Orleans of all places. No matter where you are in this city, you always have the chance of being mugged, attacked, etc. There are no "good" or "bad" parts to this city.

I participated in an REU last summer at the University of Chicago. I honestly felt safe (even at night). Yeah, you have to be careful as in any large city. As long as you familiarize yourself with the neighborhoods and know the good/bad parts of the city, you should be fine.

Be excited. I loved Chicago and the university. The professors were amazing (and hilarious) and the grad students were very nice.

stardust
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by stardust » Sun May 24, 2009 12:50 am

Well, read this story of a student killed on the street at UChicago
http://allafrica.com/stories/200711260499.html

It really is disconcerting. I was thinking of not applying there for that reason, and that
they use students on the admissions committee and that too seems ridiculous. In this
case of the student, it was teenager mugging him and he refused to give his wallet. I mean,
how many people would not bow down to a teenager forgetting they may have a gun - lots. But,
the dumb part was the teenager used a car with doors of a completely different color than
the rest of the car like that won't be easy to find. He was from the South side of Chicago which isn't that far from the school but can be avoided. It's just as in this case, they may come to you. When the Obamas say they are from the South Side of Chicago, they mean it - it was a rough
neighborhood. I drove through there once and parts looked like bombed out and run down and unsafe. But, as any city, you have to change what you do a bit and maybe not walk alone as much or go out late at night as much, and keep on your person a decoy wallet to give over. I loved the school, the department, and the city . And Chicago pizza is out of this world.


Just one more story: some senior scientist 40 years ago at Columbia in NYC, said as
bunch of students they were trying to find free stuff for their apartment if anyone threw out a
sofa or something. So, 4 of them carry back to their apartment this rolled up carpet they found
on the street. It was a lot heavier than they thought it should. When they took it home and
unrolled it, there was a dead body in there.
Last edited by stardust on Sun May 24, 2009 10:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

blackcat007
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by blackcat007 » Sun May 24, 2009 10:52 am

ok.. :x this discussion has officially started spooking me.. but i have something in mind.. ie. unless you are in Utopia, there will always be such cases.. but you have to put up with them.. i think thats why every civilized inhabited place on earth has local police depts. they are there to look into those mugging and bugging cases. so as budding physicists we should forget these stories and cases... and concentrate on the beautiful sections of society.

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twistor
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by twistor » Sun May 24, 2009 5:00 pm

You're not thinking like scientists. Some people get mugged. Some people are victims of crime. Most people do not get murdered (and most murders are committed by people who know the victim, not complete strangers). Incidents of crime are outliers -- rare, even on the most dangerous campuses. Most people will be safe most of the time. If you are not from a major metropolis then you might have to adjust your habits a bit (not go out and walk the streets at night, not walk around with headphones on, not display your money publicly, stay with groups of people, etc.) but you should be fine.

Don't let criminals choose your school for you.

blackcat007
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by blackcat007 » Sun May 24, 2009 6:52 pm

twistor wrote: If you are not from a major metropolis then you might have to adjust your habits a bit (not go out and walk the streets at night, not walk around with headphones on, not display your money publicly, stay with groups of people, etc.) but you should be fine.
:? i thought these rules only apply in the 3rd world countries...
twistor wrote:Don't let criminals choose your school for you.
Exactly!!!!..

i should add, that crime can take place even in the (apparently) safe places...so following the commandments :D that you mentioned.. a person can live safely..

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twistor
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by twistor » Mon May 25, 2009 10:46 am

blackcat007 wrote:
twistor wrote: If you are not from a major metropolis then you might have to adjust your habits a bit (not go out and walk the streets at night, not walk around with headphones on, not display your money publicly, stay with groups of people, etc.) but you should be fine.
:? i thought these rules only apply in the 3rd world countries...
twistor wrote:Don't let criminals choose your school for you.
Exactly!!!!..

i should add, that crime can take place even in the (apparently) safe places...so following the commandments :D that you mentioned.. a person can live safely..
Parts of New York, Chicago, and LA might as well be third world countries. Frankly, I'd be more worried about getting jumped by a bunch of drunken frat boys on a rural campus than a mugging on an urban one. At least you know if you are mugged they just want to get your money and get away. Who knows what the other group wants...

blackcat007
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by blackcat007 » Tue May 26, 2009 8:37 am

twistor wrote:Parts of New York, Chicago, and LA might as well be third world countries. Frankly, I'd be more worried about getting jumped by a bunch of drunken frat boys on a rural campus than a mugging on an urban one. At least you know if you are mugged they just want to get your money and get away. Who knows what the other group wants...
good gracious !!! :? :!: :!: :!:

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quizivex
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Re: anyone going to chicago?

Post by quizivex » Tue Jun 02, 2009 5:17 pm

quizivex wrote:Yeah, I did my undergrad in an urban slum and had no major incidents, but every few weeks something crazy happens at Princeton..
Well, it's been a few weeks since that last post about the serial masturbator, and surely enough, something else was bound to happen. Swine flu has arrived at Princeton.



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