Opinions on Chicago?

From the Midwest originally and exclusively recruited Chicago. Lower COL and closer to my family were the two main reasons.

Couldn’t agree more with the above poster. Really here is the pros and cons:

Cons:

• Harder to find high paying job opportunities
• less diversity
• Worse food scene
• harsher winters (this is balanced by way way better summers imo)
• Girls are fatter on average
• People are dumber on average
• crime can get dicey in some neighborhoods 

Pros:

• lower cost of living across the board. As the poster above mentioned, paying $3700 would get a top of the end 2 bed apartment in the best neighborhood. But perhaps more important to me, the burbs of Chicago have the best public schools in the country and there’s million dollar 5,000 square foot homes within an hour commute of the city
• People are more kind. Midwest nice is a thing. People help each other out. Girls are looking to settle down and settle earlier rather than trying to keep up to date on fashion or being seen places.
• The seasons get better as you get older. The summers are objectively way better than NYC—there’s clean not crowded beaches all around Lake Michigan/ in the city and beachfront properties on lakes for sub $1 million. The winters people harp on because it is so cold, but that ends up being just more work centric for most people.

I think the only justification for NYC, is there is more wealth and more people there, which becomes a non-factor if you can find a high paying role in Chicago.

Really fun city to visit. Too cold to live in.

How hard is it to break into Chicago IB if you aren’t at the two target schools in Chicago?

Outsider perspective of Chicago from someone who visits ~2-3 weeks a year

- Good food scene
- Amazing summers (manageable winters)
- Bad crime
- Medium to Low COL
- Good social / going out scene

Overall solid 7.5 / 10

Unless you’re from a neighboring state / went to one of the 4 schools that place there (mich, Notre dame, northwestern, u Chicago; not you Kelly, everyone finds you insufferable), or from Chicago, you won’t really like it. Everyone I know that was a transplant was trying to get back to where they came from (east / west coast) within a month of hitting the desk.

Yeah lower col, but just a totally different set of people and vibe. Great techno scene though

Chicago is absolutely terrible, I hate it here! Do not come, not worth it. Please stay far far away.

If ur a 5 in nyc ur a 7 in chicago

Past and present Chicago resident here.

Everything's comparative, but I'd highly suggest it.

Winters are worse than the east coast, but besides one terrible week that was -20 wind chill and maybe a week or two of snow, it wasn't that bad. Global Warming seems to really be doing its thing.

Cost of living is about~ 20-25% cheaper than NY, and rent is ~50% cheaper. Your money goes way way way farther in Chicago. 

Safety concerns are overblown, and isolated to parts of the city far from where an IB analyst would live. 

For social life/things to do, its restaurants, nightlife, culture, concerts, sports etc. can arguably go toe-to-toe with NY while being a good 20% cheaper. NY 

Only big knock is the public transportation isn't as good as maybe NY (~5-15 minute waits for trains), but it's also easier to get around with a car.

One of the best cities in the world no question

One of the best cities in the world no question

An old comment I made for the NYC people reading this post. Make sure you read this as someone living in Chicago—don’t want you to make a mistake.

I would not recommend coming to Chicago. For example, below is an average day:

I usually start my day off eating a bowl of corn (no restaurants here). Then I bundle up in 4 coats (polar vortex makes it below 0 most the time even during the summer). Commuting also is tough because there are no trains here (city isn’t industrialized like New York). Also, the bullets! You have to weave between streets because the gangs are always blasting at commuters (the mayor provides them bullets to discourage business). Finally, when I get to the office the only people in the city went to state schools and places like Northwestern and University of Chicago which everyone knows contains finance duds. There also are no billionaires or millionaires in Chicago. After citadel moved, all the wealthy ex-employees and the PE shops left as well (was a package deal). My firm only deals with paper companies that have less than 1m of Ebitda. Although, I heard last quarter my colleague got to do the accounting for a “10 bager” we call those deals that cross $10m of total valuation. Was a super cool experience where we went to a minor league hockey game and chillis after (we couldn’t afford something like seeing the Yankees or Mets). Anyway hope that’s helpful! 
 

Oh yeah, also the girls are horrible here. They seem to want commitment and value being moms and family over more worldly things like fashion. I know a guy who moved from New York and after the move he was never able to get a job again, ended up homeless—not worth the risk. I’d turn down the offer and stay put if I were you.

I was in the River North area for 5 years. The neighborhood has this great energy, cool art galleries, awesome vibe from the nightlife, and much more. The high-rises here make you feel like you’re living right in the heart of everything, with an amazing skyline. Many days, I’ve just stood on my balcony, looking at the city lights. One of the best things about River North is how everything is right at the palm of your hands. Whether you’re in the mood for some of the best restaurants in the city or just want to grab a quick bite, there’s no shortage of options. I’ve found myself becoming a regular at some of the local spots where they know you by name after a few visits. And there’s a good nightlife scene too. Whether it’s a chill evening at a rooftop bar or a late night at one of the clubs, there’s always something going on. But even with all the fun activities, there are still those quiet moments, like walking along the riverfront or finding a cozy corner in a cafe to unwind.

The neighborhood is also where the old meets the new, and you can see it in the architecture and the way the neighborhood has grown. There’s this perfect mix of modern high-rises and historic buildings that gives the area so much character. It’s a place that’s growing but holds onto its roots. I’ve watched new developments go up, but there’s something comforting about seeing those familiar spots that have been around for ages.

What I love most about living in River North, though, is the sense of being connected to the city. You’re just a short walk from the Loop, but not too far from the city. The river, the bridges, even the street art. All of these add real character to the environment. From the energy of the streets to the quiet moments along the river, it’s a neighborhood that’s got a little bit of everything.

I haven’t spent much time in Chicago but I know that Chicago users of this forum are  insecure about the status of their city and obsessed with pumping it up.

All the “don’t go it’s terrible haha *wink wink*” comments are hilarious because people are literally leaving Chicago in droves for warmer places. Every few months there’s another announcement of a company leaving Chicago. I work in REPE and whenever we look at deals in Chicago it’s very hard to spin the city in a positive light for IC. The bright spot of Chicago is the suburbs and that’s where we mostly look to invest.