Welcome prospective MAPH students! As you may already know, MAPH’s Campus Days is coming up on April 6th and 7th. This two-day introduction to the program is a great way to get a feel for what it’s like to be a MAPH student: you will have the chance to mingle with current MAPHs, meet Alumni, visit courses, and, as is MAPH tradition, eat lots of food while engaging in a series of intellectual conversations (often centered around the opening film screening and subsequent panel discussion).
For those of you who weren’t able to house with a MAPH student, whether because placements fill up quickly on a first-come, first-serve basis, or because you’d simply like a different housing experience, MAPH has compiled some suggestions for alternative housing for the 6th & 7th.
1. Hotels
View of Downtown Chicago from Hyde Park
The most convienient and recommended hotel for visiting students is the Hyatt Place Chicago, the newest hotel in Hyde Park. MAPH has a block of rooms available to be reserved a discounted rate—please use the following link to ensure a lower price for a hotel room:
Book a Room at the Hyatt with the MAPH Discounted Rate
You can find additional hotels at discounted rates in Chicago through websites like Priceline.com and Hotels.com.
2. Hostels
There is an International Hostel in downtown Chicago a short bus or train ride from Hyde Park that offers inexpensive rates for students. Many MAPH students have stayed at this hostel in the past and had positive, cost-effective experiences!
The IHSP Chicago Hostel in the Wicker Park neighborhood is another hostel option for visiting students, though it is farther away.
3. Couchsurfing
Cloudgate, AKA “The Bean,” in downtown Chicago
Couchsurfing.org offers a surprisingly legitimate way to stay somewhere for only a couple days. The major disadvantage is that you end up staying with someone you’ve never met before, but the advantages of having access to a full kitchen and staying in prime downtown (or near downtown) locations can make up for having a roommate for a couple nights.