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You can now activate your U-SHIP student health insurance.
Hunting for Housing
Here are some recommended websites for apartment searches/house hunting, most of which are private search organizations, and operate inside Chicago. ** means highly recommended by locals!
Ivy Residences ** Service that works with students, especially international students, find apartments at their price point near campus and offers video calls to show rentals.
Student Space ** For grad students, and international grad students! You contact the company, tell them what neighborhood you want to rent in, and at what price-point, and they find apartments to show you. The service is free.
Marketplace ** Run by UChicago’s Maroon, it’s open to all of Hyde Park and surrounding neighborhoods. It’s a good place to find rooms and apartments up for rent from fellow students, and those nearby.
Graduate Housing Resources
The University of Chicago UChicagoGRAD Office will be holding a series of online webinars designed to introduce students to the neighborhoods around our campus and provide an overview of the apartment-search process. The seminars are now scheduled for: March 31, April 1 and 5. To register, indicate you are with the “Physical Sciences Division.”
UChicago GRAD, TTIC’s partner on campus for all graduate student resources, has a resource website just for the graduate population to address residential planning. We encourage you to look through the website to learn more:
Things to consider and Renter’s Rights when you're thinking about finding a residence, including what to check in an apartment if you or a friend is able to visit beforehand.
Join a Housing Webinar to learn more (for dates, see above).
Housing and Leasing Vocabulary - this will help you interpret a lease before you sign.
Utilities (Chicago)
Once you find a place to live, you will need to turn on the electricity, maybe a phone, water, gas, cable, and satellite network. Here are some of the services that are in Chicago. You may need to check with your Lease Management to see what utilities may be covered under your leasing contract.
Electricity
ComEd Customer Care Center
1-800-Edison-1 (1-800-334-7661)
Cable TV/ Internet/Phone
Xfinity Cable, Digital Cable, High Speed Internet, Phone Service
1-800-XFINITY
AT&T Wireless Internet, High-speed Internet, DSL, Phone Service, (DirectTV, AT&T TV)
(866) 861-6075 or (800) 288-2020 for technical support
AWB High-speed Internet
(312) 951-9600
http://www.awbworld.com/about-awb/
*** A note about cell phones/ mobile phones
Some cell phone companies may require that you be able to show proof of citizenship before they will sell you a cell phone. Other companies may require a copy of your passport. Some may require contracts that have a 2-year minimum. Please be very careful about requirements, contracts, and carriers. Most popular carriers all have good reception service within the city. There are also pay-as-you-go services, where you buy the phone, and put pre-paid time on your phone. There are many options if you are interested in cellular phone service.
Furnishing an Apartment
Once you have an apartment, students may find that they need more furnishings such as: sheets, a desk, laundry basket, dishes, a fan for hot nights, a lamp, etc. Below is a list of some local retailers that carry such merchandise.
53rd and S Kenwood Ave. (in Hyde Park)
Small, convenient version of the large retailer and great online sales too!
54th and Lake Park Ave. (in Hyde Park)
This place is surprisingly fun!
55th St. & Cornell (in Hyde Park)
This place has so much more stuff than you would think!
Chicago has two: one in northwestern suburb of Schaumburg, and one in the southwestern suburb of Bolingbrook. Bolingbrook is closest to Hyde Park.
Package Delivery
Check with your apartment building about how packages/boxes are received. Services such as Amazon have Hub Lockers where you can have larger items sent. Those have certain size restrictions too (such as mattresses or furniture).
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