Alexis Gordon is a junior Marketing major at DePaul from Bartlett, IL. She is also a current resident at 1237, DePaul's affiliated housing option in Lincoln Park.
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Deciding where to live as a college student can be stressful. Whether it’s your freshman year or senior year, it can be a daunting process. For me, living off campus seemed like a huge responsibility to take on in addition to a full class schedule and extracurricular activities.
So I decided to live at 1237 West - a DePaul University affiliated housing option that isn’t owned or run by DePaul, but does have standards set by the University such as Resident Advisors and same sex rooms/units. I love it because you get the benefits of off-campus housing with your own bedroom, but you aren’t responsible for your roommate’s rent! Not to mention the units and the building come pre-furnished with Herman Miller furniture.
This is a photo of my room!
I have been living in 1237 West for almost a year now and have had a great experience. I have been happily surprised by the sense of camaraderie and belonging I have felt being a part of this community. Similar to the DePaul residence halls, 1237 West offers fun events for its residents such as Cubs games, cooking classes, Broadway shows, and one of their biggest events, Casino Night. For this event, they actually have professional casino dealers come in with poker and blackjack tables and residents can play for fun or for the chance to win prizes such as Apple gift cards!
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Just to give you an idea how close 1237 West is to campus. This is a campus map of the DePaul Lincoln Park campus buildings. The red circle is 1237 West.
Not only do they have these great events but they also have a floor dedicated to freshmen. This is a wonderful opportunity for these residents to really bond together during their first year. Another great aspect of 1237 West is that if you do not already have roommates, the management company will match you with someone based on a questionnaire so that you are sure to get a roommate that has a similar living style to you (i.e. night owl or morning bird). In the beginning of the year they also host a freshman welcome event where they have pizza, cake, refreshments and it really gives the new residents a chance to get to know one another.
Sound like a great place to live? It gets better because it is essentially on campus; the new Theater School building is going up right next door and Public Safety (DePaul’s campus police) will pick you up from 1237 West and drop you off anywhere on campus from 6pm-6am as part of a free escort service for DePaul students. Other great perks of living in 1237 West include having a Starbucks, nail salon, Thai restaurant, Citibank, Sports Clips, tanning salon, and Uncle Sammy’s (my favorite sandwich shop that gives great DePaul deals) on the first floor of the building. Not only do most of these businesses give deals for DePaul students, but they also have affiliations with 1237 West and have special deals just for 1237 residents.
I know that some people look at 1237 West and think that it might be too expensive. However, a great thing about 1237 West being affiliated with DePaul is that you can use your financial aid or college savings for rent. Additionally, rent is due when the financial aid is dispersed each quarter so you do not have to worry about paying a monthly rent. Instead, you pay quarterly just like you would living in the dorms at DePaul.
Typical living room and kitchen area of a 1237 West apartment
Another plus is that you can stay during the winter break, which you cannot do while living in the DePaul dorms. This is a great benefit because if you live out-of-state you do not have to worry about packing up half of your belongings to bring home for a couple of weeks. In addition, they offer both academic leases (10 months) and calendar year leases (12 months) so you can pick the option that works best for you.
Overall, I have had a great experience living in 1237 West and would recommend it to anyone who wants to have the apartment feel with a dorm community. For more pictures and information, or to apply visit www.1237West.com.