Transportation to UIUC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do no college students drive a damn car anymore?

No. My child is a junior in college (in Pa) and does not have a car, nor will they have one before graduating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do no college students drive a damn car anymore?

Bitter much?

[Anonymous]

Extended family lives in Urbana. I recommend flying to Indy over Chicago. There are rumors that a direct flight between DC and CMI is in the works - time will tell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There used to be excellent, reliable, clean bus service through a private company or two between Champaign and Chicago.

IIRC, the Amtrak stopped outside of Urbana-Champaign proper, though there was talk of fixing that. Just make sure you are clear on the drop-off points.

It's a two hour drive -- a straight shot up I-57. Chicago traffic is fine once you get used to the route, unless it's brutal winter. (Take the train if the weather is bad and you need to get to Chicago -- when it's really bad, the trains are the last thing still running. They light the tracks on fire at the switch points to keep them from freezing locked, and they just keep running.)

I am from there and went to UIUC. The Amtrak station is in downtown Champaign. It is not "walkable" but it's not at all far. There also buses to/from airport that have various pickup locations specifically for students. The local airport is also accessible, though expensive, and many of the connections go through O'Hare so you don't avoid that hassle.

The drive to O'Hare is fine. It takes about 2.5 hours if there is "normal" but not "heavy" traffic. My best friend prefers to fly out of Indianapolis for some reason, which is about the same distance. IME it's about the same time but Indianapolis traffic is a lot chiller than Chicago traffic so you don't have to account for that as much.

Then this has changed. As I said, there was talk of fixing that. When were you there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There used to be excellent, reliable, clean bus service through a private company or two between Champaign and Chicago.

IIRC, the Amtrak stopped outside of Urbana-Champaign proper, though there was talk of fixing that. Just make sure you are clear on the drop-off points.

It's a two hour drive -- a straight shot up I-57. Chicago traffic is fine once you get used to the route, unless it's brutal winter. (Take the train if the weather is bad and you need to get to Chicago -- when it's really bad, the trains are the last thing still running. They light the tracks on fire at the switch points to keep them from freezing locked, and they just keep running.)

I am from there and went to UIUC. The Amtrak station is in downtown Champaign. It is not "walkable" but it's not at all far. There also buses to/from airport that have various pickup locations specifically for students. The local airport is also accessible, though expensive, and many of the connections go through O'Hare so you don't avoid that hassle.

The drive to O'Hare is fine. It takes about 2.5 hours if there is "normal" but not "heavy" traffic. My best friend prefers to fly out of Indianapolis for some reason, which is about the same distance. IME it's about the same time but Indianapolis traffic is a lot chiller than Chicago traffic so you don't have to account for that as much.

Then this has changed. As I said, there was talk of fixing that. When were you there?

August.

[Anonymous]

There are many pros of choosing an in-state college that is close to home. One big advantage of my DD going to UMD (we are in MoCo) has been that there is no travel headaches or cost. It is enormous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It must be hard in bad weather. Chicago is brutally cold and then to be so far away.

Chicago is extra cold because of the lake effect. Down state does not have that specific problem. I grew up there and it was pretty normal winter for us. I lived in Chicago for a while as a young adult and it's a completely different winter. More like New England whereas downstate is more like DC with more snow.

I see. Thank you for clarifying that.

[Anonymous]

I mean it's still Illinois. Last week was unusually cold, but it did hit -9 before Christmas. Christmases at my parents house are usually quite icy.

But proper gear and your fine. At some point you sort of stop feeling it.

[Anonymous]

UIUC is unusually difficult to get to, from the DMV, compared to almost any other out of state flagship university.

We are in Va and only considered out of state publics. Our kids applied to Us in CA, OH, NY, IN, PA, CT, NC, FL, MI. We found UIUC to be a problem.

Lots of publics have helped make it happen for OOS by providing university van transportation from the nearest airport, whether it's 1 hour or 1 1/2 hour. It's smart because OOS parents are willing to pay, happy to pay for reliable, assured transportation for their student. Champlain is just too far away from Chicago for this, and no one want so rely on a connecting flight.