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Quality of Life Survey |
| Full-time MBA program |
No question about it, Hyde Park is probably the worst part of the GSB.
Some people actually like it, but more or less the neighborhood is an
island of culture in a sea of destitution on Chicago's South Side. A
pretty island to be sure, with lots of trees, park areas, the beautiful
lakefront, appealing architecture, etc., but an island nevertheless.
Depending on your frame of reference, Hyde Park either has lots of
cultural and dining options, or is a veritable wasteland. If you are
used to Midtown Manhattan or Chicago's Lincoln Park area, you will vote
for wasteland. If you are from Topeka, you will find the offerings to
be very diverse.
But really, what you think of Hyde Park is sort of irellevant. Many
students live on or near campus and make the quick trip downtown or to
Lincoln Park for better cultural options. Others simply choose to live
downtown or in Lincoln Park and commute to campus. As a broad
generalization, Hyde Park is for school or the occasional party / get-
together in someone's apartment. More of the social activity winds up
being in Lincoln Park.
There's plenty of affordable, decent rental housing in Hyde Park near
campus. (Well, affordable at least by Chicago standards). Lots in
downtown Chicago and Lincoln Park as well, but somewhat more expensive.
Chicago's facilities on the Hyde Park campus in 1997 were definitely sub-
par. The school is building a major new facility, however, which
promises to be a terrific site for the school.
One huge benefit in terms of GSB facilities is the state of the art
Gleacher center in Chicago's loop right on the river downtown. It's a
beautiful building with great classrooms and meeting rooms, and full-
time students can take classes there as well in Hyde Park. You get the
same professors, same education, and a mix of both full-time and part-
time students in the classes. This leads to both more interesting and
ocassionally frustrating class discussions, as the part-time students
have (in general) a greater depth of business experience to contribute
but are (on average) not quite as smart as the full-time students. And
the building location can't be beat, especially if you are headed out
downtown or in Lincoln Park after an evening class session.
During the day, the Hyde Park campus is perfectly safe by the standards
of any decent urban neighborhood in the U.S. If you are used to the
crime levels of Singapore, that may not be completely reassuring, but
the reality is that during the day serious crimes are extremely rare
within a few blocks of campus. At night, the area around campus becomes
a bit more dicey, but given sensible precautions most students do just
fine.
Of course if you are a single female stumbling about alone in a drunken
stupor at 3 a.m. on a Saturday night, you are putting yourself at
greater risk of being victimized. So keep your wits about you, use
common sense, and you shouldn't have to worry about crime while at the
GSB.
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