What do you think of Northern Illinois University and the city of DeKalb? (Chicago: sublets, rent)

[MitchArk87]

What are your thoughts/opinions on DeKalb, IL and Northern Illinois University?

I'm interested in attending NIU for graduate school since it has the best program in Rehabilitation Counseling in Deafness. Sadly, it's about 60 miles away from Chicago in DeKalb, Illinois. I'm not that familiar with Chicagoland.

Would it be the best for me to live in DeKalb or commuting from Naperville if I decide to live with my cousin? Would the commute be terrible or too far?

Naperville sounds appealing to me since it's halfway between the bustling city and isolated DeKalb.

Two more questions: Is it true that Chicago is very dirty and the most dangerous city in America with 500+ murder rate yearly? Are the summers very hot and humid (similiar to the South) there?

I am leaving the South because I want to live in a bustling, world-class city with cold winters and mild to hot summers with less humidity or none at all. LOL!

[thePR]

Dekalb is about 45 minutes away from NIU so if you're willing to make the commute it would save a lot of money.

Chicago as a whole does have crime, it's not as bad as you might think. I don't think that you're really going to spend your time in the areas that you'd be worried about.

The summers regularly reached the 90s and, because it's the Midwest, it's humid though not nearly as humid as you'd be use to.

[Drover]

Let's get this out of the way first: Chicago's murder rate is roughly half that of Little Rock. "Most dangerous city in America" my ass. Yes, big chunks of it ain't pretty. So stay out of those chunks and you'll be fine.

People who complain about Chicago's summers have never spent quality time in the deep south. Our average July high is 83 degrees. The weather you deal with on a daily basis in the summer is what we call a "heat wave" and complain about bitterly for the week or two a year that we actually experience it. This past summer was unusually mild, but I think we reached 90 degrees maybe 3 times.

DeKalb: it's a mostly boring little town, but I honestly don't see that living in Naperville is particularly advantageous considering the commute you'd be looking at. If you need to get to Chicago on a weekend, living in Naperville would save you about 40 minutes on your drive. It doesn't make sense to add 40 minutes every day to your commute just to save 40 minutes on those few occasions where you'll be heading into the city on a weekend. What might make it worthwhile is if your cousin will put you up for free or close to it; then at least you'd save on housing costs.

[aiwei]

DeKalb is in the middle of a very flat landscape. It is a small town, like any other. The things I remembered the best were the occasional windy Fall days (had to ask some guy to pull my into the building one time!) and winter walks from dorm room (Stevenson Towers) to classrooms and the library.
Entertainments in town are your usual kinds: bars, movies, bars, eateries, bars.
Being female, I trust buddy system whenever I go out. Most times, I stayed in because I had too much to study anyway. I am sure crimes happen. But if you are careful and pay attention to your environment, you should be able to avoid troubles.

[Jax419]

I would not commute, It's a pretty far drive from naperville, probably around 45min each way.

[sgresident]

the drive from naperville to dekalb is totally doable..if you don't mind it! It is a straight shot out the I88 tollway. 45 minutes..tops. not much traffic etc. If the cost savings are there, I would certainly think about it. Also, with college, you may not have to go every day. Naperville will allow you good access to metra if you didn't want to drive into chicago. As far as what to do in dekalb? same as any college town, bars restaurants etc. Naperville..more bars,restaurants, shops etc. Weather..can be hot and humid. Not as bad as florida or houston for the humidity.

[IRV007]

My concern with this commute would be the 3-10 day in winter when the wind can drift that snow to zero visibility and can close the roads. BUT....
I had a co-worker who commuted from Sterling to Streamwood for a couple of years. He finally wised up, but it can be done.

[sgresident]

they keep the tollway pretty clear!

[fairmarketvalue]

Originally Posted by MitchArk87

What are your thoughts/opinions on DeKalb, IL and Northern Illinois University?

I'm interested in attending NIU for graduate school since it has the best program in Rehabilitation Counseling in Deafness. Sadly, it's about 60 miles away from Chicago in DeKalb, Illinois. I'm not that familiar with Chicagoland.

Would it be the best for me to live in DeKalb or commuting from Naperville if I decide to live with my cousin? Would the commute be terrible or too far?

Naperville sounds appealing to me since it's halfway between the bustling city and isolated DeKalb.

Two more questions: Is it true that Chicago is very dirty and the most dangerous city in America with 500+ murder rate yearly? Are the summers very hot and humid (similiar to the South) there?

I am leaving the South because I want to live in a bustling, world-class city with cold winters and mild to hot summers with less humidity or none at all. LOL!

If you are moving here to go to grad school, why not live in DeKalb, where NIU is? I'm not sure the inquiry about the city of Chicago and how that factors in. Living in the city and commuting to NIU is not even remotely possible unless you plan on driving 2+hours each way. Is your cousin letting you move in for free? If so, understand Naperville and if not too far from I88, it would not be too bad of a commute. However, depending on where, it can take you a hike to get to the interstate before you cruise on to DeKalb. There are further west suburbs that might suit your commute better, look along I88. Some that come to mind are....Warrenville (cantera area), Aurora (Kirk or Randall rd cross sections), Batavia, Sugar Grove. All of these are further west than Naperville and closer to DeKalb. Again, maybe I'm misunderstanding, but DeKalb is livable. It's not Chicago, that's for sure, but you are either coming to go to grad school or coming to the City of Chicago to party, can't have both.

[purplesky]

I would live in Naperville and commute. Grad school is not like regular school where you are going to class every day. If there was a bad snow day, you could just stay with a friend, or rent a motel for the night. If the commute got too bad, you could rent a place later on. There are usually sublets and such available.

I went to NIU when I was 18 and hated it. I ended up leaving NIU after one semester and joining the Navy.