I received the following question via PM, but am posting the answer here for everyone's benefit.
Q: I see most of the students live in MPP or Loop. I was wondering do students live in the graduate student housing? I noticed the price in graduate student housing is significantly less than MPP or Loop. I will be moving with my family members, so would like to find something that's reasonably priced. A: Approximately 60% of Booth students live in the Loop or River North. Included in that number are the ~400+ Boothies who live in MPP. Other popular buildings are MDA City Apartments and Columbus Plaza. Another 10-15% of Boothies (including my wife, soon-to-be-daughter, and me) live in the South Loop (roughly from Van Buren to 18th Street). The South Loop generally offers much more space for comparable or less money than the Loop, but is a little farther from the social scene (5 minutes cab, 10-15 minutes bus/train). As a result South Loopers includes a higher percentage of families and pet owners, although many single folks live here too.
Only 5-10% of Booth students live in Hyde Park. Of those, I actually don't know any that live in university graduate
housing (although there probably are some). Hyde Park Boothies are more likely to have families, be international students, or both. That said, the majority of either category still lives in Loop/South Loop/River North. The pros of living in Hyde Park include: more space for less money and proximity to campus. The drawbacks include: being a bit removed from where most Boothies live and not having as much access to restaurants, nightlife, Millennium Park, the river, Gleacher Center, and the city of Chicago in general. Hyde Park is much more limited in terms of food, grocery, and entertainment options, many of which cater to the thriving undergraduate community. The Booth community is incredibly strong, but it only revolves around Hyde Park/Harper Center during weekdays. During evenings and weekends, the focus shifts towards downtown.
The best way to get a handle on
housing is by coming to Admit Weekend. There will be flyers, representatives, and tours of each neighborhood, so you can chat with current students and go get a feel for the neighborhoods yourself.
All of this is just my take. Here's the official neighborhood info and current stats from the Admitted Students site:
https://www.chicagobooth.edu/fulltime/ad ... g/map.aspxHere's similar info (p. 3-5), in a slightly different format. The stats are a few years old and the rents looks 10-20% low to me.
https://programs.chicagobooth.edu/intern ... 2-2013.pdfOther great resources: Student Space (under "Resources"),
https://www.domu.com, Craigslist