This place is as bad as weed is for you. The food here is horrendous. I have been informed that some of the dancers here have been ingesting the food in the cafeteria and have had to dash out of class due to nausea and the feeling of throwing up... Which they did later. Additionally, I had bought a token for disposable boxes because of course their lousy Dishwasher broke one day. I came down to the cafeteria and they gave me a green unclean plastic box (supposedly washed) to put my food in. How is that sanitary? In what world is this ok? first of all this is not what I paid for and second of all why are they putting their customers at risk? also, our toilet sucks. You have to hold down the flusher for at least 15 seconds in order for any piece of toilet paper to flush. I see the potential in the university center, but I feel like they've missed the mark on this one. I will come visit in 10 years. I hope to see this place improved tremendously. Good luck. read more

The University Center provided me with a wonderful experience. The housing would be ideal for international students. The environment is friendly and clean, the majority of the population are younger adults, very diverse. The Cafeteria provides variety of Meal Plans. Chef on staff, fresh and well prepared nutritious menu options. Connie keeps the place looking really sharp including the good vibes staff. The Location is great! Near the Buckingham Fountain, the area gets busy and crowded during scheduled events for the public, everything is near by! I wish they offered a full year contract. read more

I've been hearing good things about this place and their food from my college-aged nephew who stays here for school. Unfortunately, I may have caught everyone who works there on an off day. The food was plain and seemed like it was heated up in a hot box or microwave. This next part I won't necessarily blame on the University Center, but my wife and I got into our biggest fight ever during our visit at this eatery. She kept saying that drinking water shouldn't have a golden-brown tint to it, while I defended the water, arguing that it's an extra bit of flavoring. This simple argument ended up kickstarting this whole ugly divorce process with Janet, and for that reason I cannot grant University Center Dining more than one star. read more

No hangers, Paint smell, No sink, No TV... Management is illusive and clearly never inspected the room! I hope not to be here again. read more

University Center - University Housing Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is actually better off sinking down into the earth or burning down. But I cannot express how much I want to wreck it with a wrecking ball instead. The staff here does not exist whatsoever, meaning that the amenities that you pay for are inaccessible and that includes any sort of RA. The staff here couldn't care less even if you're dying in the hallways. The security would either be super nice to you or total douche bags, depending on how they feel that day. On top of all that, there's not a single moment of peace, there's been construction every day starting at 8am since the summer started and it's simply put all the tenants under the same headache each morning. On top of that, you pay almost $400 for a meal plan that is entirely worthless because the food is either not put away or restocked every day like it should be or they preheat it every single time and only taste more and more like ass and to vary on that, the cafeteria's schedule does not comply at all with a student's schedule when you have people leaving classes at almost 9:30pm starving and the cafeteria? closed. And let's not forget to mention that they lie saying that this is the best place in downtown. The bathrooms are always clogged and flooded and you don't have someone coming in to check on it until almost a week after you fill out the work order they ask you to fill out, just to then find yourself constantly calling every day to check in on when tf they're gonna fix that. The laundry room is not included in the lease for the simple reason that you have to pay for laundry and drying on every small separate machine, meaning you spend at least $5 each week worth on laundry, that $20 a month for laundry alone. To then find out that more than half of the laundry machines are already broken and the drying machines don't even dry your clothes properly. The bedrooms are no bigger than 450sf which is totally useless for someone who's paying almost $2,000 a month for this place, on top of the fact that you sleep in a literal inflatable mattress, which is the most uncomfortable sh!t ever. And as a girl with wardrobe problems, the closets are barely big enough to hold out any sort of piece of clothing. Also, can we talk about the privacy? because this place has none. If you're in a room inside the E shaped part of this building, your window has the view to the inside of other peoples room, and this may be anecdotal, however I personally know somebody who would constantly creep out his window and be watching to look into other peoples rooms. And on the other hand of zero privacy, the staff, the RA's AND the construction team that does not even work in the building, they're just hired, have access to peoples room and would open the door whether you're inside or not. Which is a total invasion of privacy and it's by law illegal to do. All in All, DON'T EVER STAY HERE. Its a total waste of money, time, space and peace. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE read more

University Center is by far the absolute worst place to stay. I had guests who came over to Chicago and I got their guest pass and everything made. At 5am my friend just wanted to go out for a smoke on the sidewalk. He walked right next to the security guard, stepped out, smoked, and came back in 10 minutes. I gave him my ID to enter back into the apartment, not to show the security at the gate. The security didn't let him upstairs despite the fact he had a guest pass and stated that a guest isn't allowed to go out and come in without the host to accompany him. What the actual fuck? He apologised because he didn't know but they still didn't budge. As I was asleep, I was unable to answer his calls to come downstairs. To add insult to misery, they saw that he had my pass and BANNED HIM FOR LIFE from the building and threw him out of the building and if he didn't leave threatened to call 911. He stood on the sidewalk for 2 hours because his phone died and there was no way to contact me. He also told them to just let him go upstairs with them to wake me up to confirm that I am his guest (which he shouldn't have to do because they have all his details on the computer they literally took a picture and his ID while making the guest pass), but they wouldn't allow that either. When I woke up they told me he's banned and you can appeal Mon-Friday 9-5 which was idiotic because it was Saturday. Then I asked my friend to sit in the lounge with me so we can try finding him a hotel and the security told both of us to leave. I have never lived in a place that humiliates you like this. On top of which the hotel costs were insane because they kicked us out last possible minute. My friends call their guests all the time and they have entered multiple times without the hosts. Why was stuff different for my guest? I am living here out of necessity (thank god) because my employer has given us this accommodation for our internship but I will make sure to notify my employer about their policies so they can avoid ever booking with University Center again if this is how they treat their tenants. read more

It's good overall. Food is not that great but yes you can manage if you are not into more of that.

I lived here in 2012 and 2013 while attending Columbia College Chicago. The UC, as students know it, is a pretty nice building and convenient for students. I had my own room in a shared apartment on each occasion, and usually had no roommate problems. The food in cafeteria isn't great, but it's edible, and helpful on rainy days or when you're not feeling well. Laundry room is clean and convenient as well, nothing really note worthy about it. The exercise room is decently sized, well kept, and great for students. This is a great building for social and antisocial students alike, and is located right in the heart of the South loop. I highly recommend it for any students in the area. read more

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This is a nice, friendly place for people of all ages. There is a nice fitness center and the lounge area has pool, table tennis, as well as a huge laundry area. The living room and kitchen are big but the rooms are pretty tiny. But nonetheless, they get the job done. read more

University Center - University Housing Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Columbia RA Genna Reed is amazing and helped me have a great experience at the UC. She helped me with a lockout. The renovations & the digital media lab are awesome! It is a pretty nice building and convenient for students. read more

Zach was so helpful in taking the time to explain all the available leasing options to me! Thank you so much for such excellent service! i really appreciate you taking the time to answer all my questions! read more

it was an okay stay, the service was fine, and quick, but the staff was rude, and would make fun of us. many items would break often due to low quality materials read more

DONT LIVE HERE. Currently staying here for the 2021-2022 school year, and before we moved to Chicago we were shown pictures of a specific unit and told that would be ours for the year. It was advertised as brand new and fully furnished with no previous tenants. Come move in day, we're put in a completely different unit, WAY SMALLER AND NOT THE SAME ONE WE WERE SENT MULTIPLE VIDEOS/PICTURES OF. Their idea of furnished is two pieces of $40 target furniture and a side table. The farthest thing from brand new too. Paint chipping/drips everywhere, our blinds don't function properly and fall out of the frame multiple times a week, there's chips of paint or something all over the shower, the dishwasher leaks, etc. So yes, if you want to spend 2k+ a month on shared laundry, broken appliances, beat up rooms and RAs on every floor, be my guest! Or just live at an actual condo apartment building for $500 less a month, and you won't have to "sign in" every single guest you bring to your own apartment, and they'll treat you like an actual adult (: read more

University Center - "Brand new" blinds - University Housing Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I woke up every morning at seven AM to construction in the room directly above me for the past four months and I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. I wish I could add an audio file to prove that this is not me overplaying this issue whatsoever. As I write this review the sounds of an electric screwdriver are piercing through my air pods despite them being at full volume. The security is either nice and normal or the worst person you have ever met. The staff will also go into your room without permission despite that breaking Illinois state law, and if you don't believe me you need to read more of the reviews below. Several RAs have told me that they are only here because they are being paid to live here and it shows in their actions that they don't really care about you, despite a few nice people that I've met of course. It takes months to even get a response when you tell them that something is wrong with your room, for example, my closet door hasn't closed since I've been here, and the ceilings were caked in a layer of dust and dirt when I first arrived. There is water actively pouring through the ceilings in the cafeteria to which the comment incredibly unsanitary would be a compliment. Even before that the food was average at best, and felt like a downgrade from my local high school (that wasn't managed the best either) There is mold growing on every crevice and wall in the bathrooms, as well as the air conditioning unit. Only one of the computers on location works, and you have to bring your own printer paper if you want to take a shot at printing something. The pool table miraculously stopped working and was not fixed during my entire duration at the UC (which was a full school year) despite them using it to advertise the place still. The music recording rooms are not as advertised either since, yes its an almost soundproof room, however, that doesn't matter when there is consistent construction happening on the floor above those rooms rendering them useless. I know several people who dropped out of college entirely because of how overpriced and undermanaged this place is, and how much it negatively affected them on top of the fact that they have to go into debt to simply live here. I hate living here, and I'm miserable stuck in this lease. Please if you are an incoming freshman, or anyone looking for a place in the south loop for that matter, I urge you to reconsider dorming here if you want to set yourself up to be successful. read more

DO NOT LIVE HERE. This place was advertised to me as apartment units for graduate students located near depaul, UIC, etc. in downtown Chicago. Little did I know, It's essentially like living in a dorm with an overpriced, small, cheaply renovated room with rude staff, RA's, and incredibly intrusive guest policies. Save yourself some money and stress and live somewhere else. read more

LiVE! STUDY! PLAY!......then go die. if you are..... -new to chicago - a first year student - don't know your way around the city and would starve to death if you were left with the responsibility of buying/cooking your own food then im happy to say that the UC is for you I was grateful for the privilege of higher education and a place downtown complete with three meals a day and easy access to class and the city. saying that... i find the rating of this place weird. the UC got great reviews? These must be people they are holding by gunpoint or super seniors that are held hostage by the crazy fee's they have to pay to break the lease agreements. everyone i ask hates this place and turns a pale ghostly white when i ask them if they are coming back . When I took the columbia college housing tour, Utopia by Goldfrapp started playing in the background, this wasn't going to be a nice place to stay but pretty much amazing. After setting foot in the bear trap I realized I was stuck in High School hotel. Many of my precious "amenities" had loopholes, things got old really fast. Straight up dirt: -I got my stuff stolen by one of the lovely R.A.'s.......it took me 5 months of phone calls..being ignored and purposely mislead to get it back...if something of yours is taken here during the check up's do save the little pink slip as it probably is allowed and you just got jacked. -terrible horrible shit being shared over the itunes network and security not caring....i'm a freak myself who's into pretty much everything but there are limits. -if your roommate that you secretly hate so much puts dents/marks in the wall..stains things...spills India ink /hair dye on the pretty white bathroom interior..... and you secretly snicker to yourself "hahaha I cant wait to see their face when they get that large bill!!!!".....laugh at yourself too because you'll be getting one also. - were ya best buds with yer roommate the first weeks of school? did you skip arm in arm to get your CTA passes and have brunches at panera?....do you now want to chew their head off and spit it on lower randolf?.....sit on your hands dear. wait. for if you do not become a raging nuisance your roommate request form will be ignored Welcome to the University Center.....have fun with the bro's and the entire urban outfitters catalog....all for 900+ a month plus a 1000+ meal plan you will waste. cheers. read more

I've had a few years to cool off since this place. That being said...this place is awful. You get charged top dollar to be treated like shit. First of all, they roomed me with a girl who was just out of high school and sleeping with a 40 year old married man that gave me heebeejeebees. I couldn't stay in my room because his wife was always calling and screaming at my machine or whoever picked up the phone. My RA was an idiot. He came home drunk every night, and then would bust everyone on the floor for drinking. The "Security" is mean, mean, mean. They really hate their jobs. I mean REALLY. They only look out for their kind. The food...let's just put it this way...they have absolutely no healthy food. You have no choice but to buy a $5,000 dollar meal plan, and if you don't like eating crap you're out of luck. Their idea of "healthy" is taco salad and cereal. The Gym For the amount of money you're paying, you should expect a David Barton Gtm, but instead you get 2 treadmills, 2 bikes, 2 elipticals, and a few weights. LISTEN UP FRESHMEN. Get an apartment. Don't pay money to live here. This is the worst experience I've ever had in my short 21 year old life. By the way....I only lasted two and a half months in this shithole. read more

The UC is great for freshies but even better for upperclassmen capable of appreciating the building and its amenities. The location is unbeatable, the convenience of all-you-can-eat meals, laundry, rec games, and a 24-hour gym is arguably nice, and the staff is great if you're not making a fool of yourself signing equally drunk guests in at 4AM. The fact is, as Will K. noted, those complaining are probably the ones crawling in on the weekend with a strong slur and rude tenor. The security, maintenance, and cafeteria staff will show you tenfold the respect you show them, which still equals zero if you show none. Granted, it's expensive, and granted, one grows tired of the food quickly. But it's sure a good stall for avoiding the "real world" a couple more years, no? read more

University Center - University Housing Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Is it expensive? Sure - what college housing isn't? Does it have everything you need as a new student ? Yep.. and then some! is it safe? Seems to be so far! Can you act like an uncivilized person who's portraying every stereotype of college available and expect no consequences? Nope.. and you shouldn't be allowed to. The staff have always been very nice and cordial in all of my interactions.. the people that write negative remarks on here are also the same people who probably come into the building with a bad attitude and guests who can't follow the rules. This is a college housing facility ... as such you must understand and abide by the rules of the community.. if you aren't willing to do that don't live here. This place is great for someone new to the city who doesn't know enough about areas to avoid when looking for apartments. Live here for the first year then move out after you've had time to figure out what is acceptable in the city.. or stay for however long you are a student! The services and amenities are equitable to what you'd find at any college housing facility. read more

I am staying here from May 26 to June 1 for a conference. It has been very cold at night with no heat in the building, and my roommate and I have developed bronchitis. I have a chronic illness, am very sensitive to temperature changes, and have been in terrible pain all week from the cold conditions in the room at night. I've missed most of the conference I worked so hard to get to because I chose to stay here. After asking at the front desk, a very helpful young receptionist named An initially promised me a space heater, then went back on that promise. I never heard from him or saw him again. Many of the young students staffing the front desk need an attitude adjustment: I do not enjoy being smirked at, for example. We could never get the room cleaned, never received new towels or even toilet paper, and I kept having to go ask for everything at the front desk. This place is in need of mature, professional staff. I will never stay here again, and no one else should if they have health problems. University Center ruined my conference experience. read more

My partner and I stayed here for three nights while visiting Chicago. It's a good location. The Center was able to accommodate us to stay in the same room. We didn't have any neighbors so we didn't have to share a bathroom with anyone which was nice. Bedding and towels were provided which was nice for us. We merged the twins beds together to make a bigger bed. View was amazing. Location was amazing--close to the Aquarium, Willis Tower, shopping and all that. Still, it was a bit expensive. At $55/night for each person-the room total came to be $110, for that price, you could find a decent hotel. Staff stored our luggage after check-out. Water pressure in shower was not great at all. Guest policy is a pain, but overall, we felt safe with the digitized entrance key cards. read more

This conference space is is easy to find & metro accessible. The rooms are spacious and well equipped for media. Continental breakfast was simple but well done. read more

University Center - University Housing Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is a decent place for summer intern housing. I got a 4 bedroom / 2 bathroom apartment. The apartments were fully furnished which is amazing when you're only going to be living in the city for 3 months. The apartment/building quality was also high (definitely nothing like a traditional dorm). The decor/furniture was a bit dated, but perfectly functional. Bathrooms were incredibly spacious. Maintenance was always prompt; never waited more than a day. The tap water here tasted a little bit... fishy (not really sure what else to call it; it was drinkable though). The mail room was a nice perk (they sign for your packages while you're at work and you stop by after work to pick it up. The thermostat in my apartment didn't really work. As in, it did blow ACed air and you could control whether it was on or off and how hard the fan blew. But the temperature control never worked (i.e. you set the thermostat to 70 and it completely ignores your setting; it just keeps running 24/7 at the set fan speed). It did get a little bit chilly at night; but never anything unreasonable (probably 68-70 degrees). The UC had a lot of elevators (if I recall correctly, 8 elevators total; 4 per side of the building though you could use either side). However, they're really slow because the elevator dispatching software the UC uses is stingy. I regularly waited 2 minutes for an elevator in the lobby even when 2/3 elevators were idle on floor 2 and the third elevator was on its way down from floor 15. The El tracks are just east of the building and it runs from 6am to about 2am. So, you'll be hearing it whenever you're awake. I honestly stopped noticing the noise after a week. No issues sleeping whatsoever. There's a red line station across Harrison St. which was super convenient. You can get to a station on every line within a 5 minute walk. I walked to work most days. You can walk to anywhere in the Loop in ~20 minutes easily. Location was definitely the best part about the UC. There's a Jewel-Osco (the main Chicagoland grocery store chain) and Trader Joe's a 10-15 minute walk south. When I felt lazy, I usually took the bus or red line back from the grocery store. Price is good (aka not expensive, just not cheap either). Having 24/7 security is nice as they are effective at requiring everyone to tap in, in order to access the upper floors. That being said, I'm not sure exactly how effective they are. Security is pretty slow at checking people in. The fastest I ever got a guest checked in was 5 minutes (and that was with no one in front of me in line). Since the UC is a college dorm, they're legally required to publish notices of criminal activity that occurs nearby. And good lord was there a lot. It seemed like every week there was a new notice of a mugging, shooting, or robbery late at night. Hobos/beggars regularly panhandled just outside the main doors to the building. All that being said, I never felt like I was in danger during the summer. The gym and terrace were nice perks. There's a good selection of restaurants/food options within a block (including a 7/11 directly connected to the lobby). Overall, I was happy with my experience living here for 13 weeks and would do it again if need be. read more

This is a great location. Super convenient and close to the red and blue lines. Free breakfast, media center, gym, and WiFi! Suites are very modern and spacious. Definitely worth what you are paying for it compared to other apartments nearby offering less amenities. There are so many restaurants just underneath you and a 7 eleven on the first floor. It is within walking distance to Grant and Millennium Park! Also you feel very safe and secure 24/7 which is hard to find in the city. I definitely recommend living here! read more

Pros: - The Cafe (Seriously, this is the best thing about the UC was the cafe. I wish they would let the cafe be open for visitors to sign in and out because the all you can eat buffet here is awesome) - Events hosted by RA's - The Resident Service Desk Area Cons: - Security (I was watching TV and some random person asked to see my ID to prove I live there. What the hell? Ruins the experience) - RA staff can be clicky - Upper managament - Pricy All in all, I have one request......PLEASE MAKE THE CAFE OPEN FOR VISITORS!!! read more

The University Center is awful. You should not live there. Management is terrible. The first thing new managment did was start a renovation project kicking people out of thier rooms for a week to remodel... They did this in the middle of the spring semester so that they wouldn't have to do it over the summer so that they know 100% they can charge and even more insane price for housing than they're already doing. Managment is unresponsive, rude, and when they do get back to you are either ignorant or make up things which force you to call your schools housing office to find out what is fact. The rooms. The rooms are small and they bathrooms look like they haven't been touched since the 1970s... The rooms are as basic as possible and include the slowest internet on the planet, so long as you provide your own router, and a cable package which include 4 HD channels, channels go missing depending what day it is (NFL network was not available during Thursday games) The guest policy. you can have someone stay over 3 nights in a 14 night period. They need to be signed in with a photo ID. A friend of mine didn't leave with their guest and was written up... The guest policy is insane. If you want to be treated like a 5 year old come to the UC. The meal plans. Don't do it... they serve the same undercooked food every night.... the chicken in pink, the vegetables are brown and it is the same pizza, burgers, pink chicken, or past every night... it is so bland and so disgusting that you will only eat the 1 thing you can tolerate... not worth the $11 a meal that you will be charged... The price... The prices are not market price for the area, you can get a cheaper room with more space, more freedom, better amenities. read more

I don't like UC because he lacks basic facilities and is too expensive. At the same price, you can live a better apartment. And when UC was last decorated, the residents were very fussy, too tedious, and the decorators stole a lot of things, including my roommate's $1000. But I made many good friends in UC, such as UC's RA:George. He is a very friendly Mexican. I often help me deal with trifles and work out together. I really like he. read more

The negative views are still accurate even after a few months. Please take your chances and get an apartment north of the loop. (since it's generally more safer). PROS: 1) Convenient location CONS: 1) Not worth the price. 2) Internet constantly cuts in and out. 3) Noticeably small washers. 4) Ventilation system sucks - gets too cold at night, extremely hot in the morning. 5) The Quad private apartments have laughably small rooms. My room is about the size of a large walk-in closet with the shelves removed. Just enough room for the bed, desk and mini-bookshelf. That's it. If you e-mail management more than once about an issue, they will ignore your emails. And good luck trying to get into a private room especially if you're a grad. read more

Whatever you do. Under no circumstances should you love here. If I stop one person from living there it is a success. Monetary The UC does not care one bit about your stay. You are a piggy bank and all they care about is making money. The rent is astronomical and the apartments are small, dirty and outdated. Cafeteria The basic fee to eat in the cafeteria was about 800 bucks. It equaled one meal a day. I might as well set fire to 8 one hundred dollar bills. The food was absolutely disgusting. Fruit was rotten. Chicken was consistently undercooked. The hamburgers either still moo'ed or tasted like a shoe. Security The security team was quite the miserable bunch. They were unhelpful 7 days a week/365. They were rude and pointless. I never felt safe in the lobby or building because of their lack of effort to do anything beyond watch tv at their desk. Business Manager She was just rude and annoying and it pissed me off. RAs They didn't know what the alarms meant. Where to go when they went off. Or what to do during anything sort of emergency. Overall Annoyance When moving out I was forced to leave at 1 pm even though I was told I had until 5. After promptly moving my stuff out of the apartment and to the lobby. I asked security if I could leave one box in the lobby as I went to the post office. I was told no, get out and I don't live there anymore. I guess they did kinda do their job once. DONT LIVE HERE read more

I pay the rents without been noticed there going to be a renovation and I was kicked out from my room without an apologize. The food is way more expensive than it should be...This place never worth the price. And if you live in here, you will fill like you live in a prison, you have no right at all, you can't say no to the management people, on the contrast they will never say yes too what ever you talk to them. This place really disappointed me. So I have to let more people notice this before they give you money. read more

I lived here 2017-2018 as a graduate student. That said, this is not an ideal living situation for graduate students. This is heavily catered towards college students who i would assume are freshman and sophomores by their immaturity. The laundry room was always a mess and people were always just doing the most...for the absolute least. Now for the pros: the location is awesome. You are within a 5 minute walk to the red, green, blue, pink, brown, and orange line train. There is a bus stop right in front of the building. Many universities are nearby. The Harold Washington library is one block away. There is not any parking available, so leave your car at home. This is great for students new to Chicago. Also, I appreciated the front desk security and the mail room. I never tried out the cafeteria, so no comment there. Also, they renovated every floor in Spring 2018, so that was a nice touch. Hello, laminate wood floors and fresh paint. read more

I've lived hear all Summer and let me preface this review with if you enjoy being insulted, being treated like crap, having a sub-standard living condition, and overpaying to live in Chicago then the University Center is right for you. Every time I walked inside, I felt like I was a prisoner checking back into my cell. The security guards pretended to be cops and treat you like it accordingly. If you want to bring friends over, forget it. They make your friends feel like crap as well. If you are trying to bring a girl home at night, you might as well go back to her place because you'll end up having to just get her a cab after all this sh*t she'll have to go through. They basically do background checks every time a guest comes over. Besides security though, the workout room was nice. The laundry room cost a ton. If you need something fixed in your room, that's not going to happen. This place may look nice, but appearances are one thing. This place is hell. Go stay at the Buckingham or anywhere else. This is not worth your time or anyone's time. read more

LIVE! STUDY! PLAY! GET RIPPED OFF GRAD STUDENTS! I am only giving this place one star for the location. It's in walking distance for most of the students attending the schools that rent the spaces for their students. Don't trust the ads for this place at all. It seems ideal to be right downtown and live only blocks from campus, but it is a far fetch from being ideal. DePaul Grad Students and law students (even from overseas) please be aware! Don't live here! It is a huge rip off. You may think you will be housed around other grad students on your floor, but that is not the case. You will be surrounded by recent high school grads. Also, be ready for all the overlapping rules. You get the privilege of paying out the arse to live here, but if you have guests, it is not your choice to decide how long they stay and how many you can have. God forbid you have three of your friends stay from out of town for three days. The security staff invest their interest in being extremely rude to the student residents and their guests, but they can let a random rapist into the building. No problem! Now that's what we call quality security here. They are more concerned about quarreling with residents that may forget their ID, who they see come in and out of the building EVERY SINGLE DAY. Don't you dare go get your roommate's ID for them with their very own picture on it, so they can get back into the building they are paying $1,200 a month to live in! The staff in the dining/convenience store area are to be desired. Get ready to be called at like cattle or a convicted criminal while you are waiting in line to be cashed out. You can usually rely on the dining room staff to cut you off in line too. They have amenities and even some useless ones like broken vacuum cleaners that make your floor dirtier. Make sure you inform the desk personnel they gave it to you that way so they don't go out of their way to charge you with breaking it. I don't even know why they offer to rent something to you that is broken- pretty pointless. The management and administrative staff are extremely unhelpful, and if you are lucky enough, they will be rude to you too. You literally have to go see them at least two times before they will help you with anything. After three months here, I could not take much more of this place. I had to move out .When I made an appointment to be checked out of my room, no one came to my room. I had to go down to the management office and resource room about three times before I could get someone to come up to the apartment. I am glad I did not do express checkout because I asked the RA about it, and they even informed me they are more likely to add on damages and charges to your bill, if you are not with them. Make sure you write up every little scratch on your furniture when you check into your room/apartment, if you are going to live in this place based upon the dashing reviews. You are pretty much socially responsible for your roommates' actions. If they break a table or something in your apartment, you pay for it too, even if you were at class or miles and miles away. Luckily, this was not the case for me, but I wanted to make sure I had a fair checkout since everything else at this place was a scam. When you are in grad school, you don't need this bunk! I hope people listen to this review, especially the grad students out there. (Actually, I don't think I would even want to live in this place as a freshman.) I had to leave my grad program of choice because of the ridiculous fees they charge to break your housing agreement. It's actually more if you stay at your school, than if you continue to attend. Because hey, who wouldn't want to live in this shit-hole while attending grad school or law school? Don't waste your time with this place. You are much better off getting an apartment, even if it results in a commute on the el train to get to campus. I got the student affairs department involved in my complaints. Apparently, I was the first student to bring this nonsense to their attention. I am sure more students would do it, if they didn't feel like the fees of the UC were holding them hostage. I know I am not the first person to have issues with this place and certainly won't be the last. DePaul freshman, you are better off living in Lincoln Park. You get the experience of living in a big city and a college town vibe. As for the other schools, I would check out other options and residence halls, if they are available. I have one final point to make. I am writing this review after having four months to cool off from this place. I do not even know what this review would say, if I wrote it back in November. Perhaps it would be more dazzling and exciting for readers looking to live in this lovely place. Don't let the pictures fool you! read more

Great apartments except for one thing THE ROACHES. This is my second year in the building with no complaints until now. Management has been notified a total of 7 times and they do not seem to care. This surprises me considering the price tag attached to the apartment. We eventually decided to simply spray ourselves. They really let me down this year. read more

I'm currently a graduate student, and only chose this place since it's so close to my classes. I'm living in the 4-person apartment (with 2 shared bathrooms), and the rooms are definitely small. The kitchen and living room are pretty big, and they're fully furnished. The rooms are fully furnished as well, and the closet has a built-in organizer. The bathrooms are also a good size. Pros: - The building is pretty safe, students have to swipe their card in order to get in (past the security desk). - There are 8 elevators in the building, and they're not usually that crowded. - They have a fitness room, pool table, ping pong table, computer lab, main laundry room, and movie room on the second floor. - From the 15th-18th floor, there are two washers and dryers on each floor. - There's a 7-Eleven connected to the first floor, so you don't even have to step outside to get there. - The building is nearby Panera, Panda Express, Epic Burger, Chutney Joe's, etc. There's also a CVS across the corner of the street. - There's a bus stop right in front of the building, which makes it easy to get to anywhere on State Street and even North Michigan Avenue. Cons: - I live on the 18th floor, and sometimes the wireless internet just stops working. - As for having guests, you have to sign them in no matter what time it is. If they stay the night, you'll have to get them a new pass the next day if they plan to come back. They're also not allowed to stay more than three nights. - At my previous college, laundry was always free. But here, they charge you $1 each for washing and drying. Also, the washing machines are so small. They can only fit half a load, so I do laundry way more than I used to. - The mail room is only open from 4-9pm, so if you have a package you'll have to wait until they're open. (But you also get your own mailbox, which will only fit regular letters) - Some of the security guards can be either rude, lazy, or pretty much useless. You'll be lucky if you run into one that actually does his work. - For the price you pay here, you might as well get your own apartment. If I knew this place was going to be this bad, I never would've stayed here. Overall, this place is horrible. I definitely wouldn't have chosen to stay here if I knew it was like this. I'm canceling my housing contract and will be moving out before the spring quarter starts. I cannot wait to get out of here. read more

I can not even formulate an accurate sentence to express my hate for this place. It was expensive, and not at all what expected to be. My room had questionable stains on the floor from previous occupants, broken appliances, and sand (???). After one year, I made sure to never return. read more

this place is fucking shit! They are constantly making new rules that helps NO ONE and are completely illogical. They use all our money for new renovations and (everyones paycheck) but god forbid I want to go get food at the beginning of a meal period and then again at the end of it (4 fucking hours later) and its huge no-no. I pay 1200 MONTHLY and I'm supposed to starve cause I already used my meal plan four hours ago??!?!?!? Are you fucking kidding me!?!?!?!?! I encourage no ONE to move in here, i wouldn't wish this unfortunate experience on nobody, perhaps maybe just Hitler, cause he'd hate this place as much as EVERYONE IN IT. I'm so mad - just don't come here. just don't. DON'T read more

I've been living here for this summer and I have nothing but good things to say about UC ! Firstly, the location can't be beat. It is right smack dab downtown Chicago, with easy access to the Red Line and the 29 Bus (which takes you straight to Navy Pier). Being surrounded by various restaurants and bars is an added bonus, especially since the 7/11 is accessible literally from the lobby (which is perfect for the late night munchies, which I so often get). Secondly, I've always had very solid interactions with every one of the workers here. The security team is great and make me feel safe, especially since I get home past midnight every night. The Guest Services desk and its interns are so lovely and have such a genuine, welcoming manner that it warms my heart every time I enter into the building. Thank you for making me smile !! Thirdly, I am pretty pleased as punch that my rent includes free breakfast at the cafeteria (which has everything from bagels, waffles, an omelette station, fruit, yoghurt, and the eggs/bacon/sausage type foods on the hot food area). In addition to a free meal, I also get access to the gym-- which includes your basic cardio equipment (bikes, treadmills, ellipticals) as well as free weights and lifting equipment. For the duration of a summer internship, I couldn't have asked for a cleaner and well-managed flat complex, and I consider myself so fortunate to have stumbled across University Center ! read more

I live in the building and it's fantastic. The rooms are nice, clean, and colorful. No white walls here. The cafeteria and security aren't the friendliest... the management staff really do run it like a business and not a dorm.. I attended a few town hall meetings this weekend that went over surveys about the building and what they're doing in response. Amazing facilites, cafeteria that's open till midnight, 24 hr fitness center, art and music practice rooms, pool and ping pong tables, multimedia room, and an outdoor terrace and study and social lounges on each of the eighteen floors. Best part- 7/11 right off of the main lobby and panera is also in the building, although you have to go outside to access it. i've been in the conference center a few times and the rooms do seem a little small and blah. read more

Decent location, terrible policies. Pros: Gym, close to Grant Park Cons: Dining hours subject to change at random. Today I showed up to dinner only to find out that the only options were a refrigerated salad or small sandwich, no idea how long this will last either. I've tried asking around and nobody has any answers, UC staff included. It's also quite difficult to get in contact with the people running the place. I was emailing the person whose email address I was given for a week before I could get any response about my fiancée staying in the dorm. I finally got a response saying they'd get back to me the next day, but had to go up to the office on the day she arrived to see if she'd have a bed that night. At another point the contract left for a week and took another few days after he came back to get to the email backlog, apparently when his email away message said to email another person with concerns it meant so that someone else could ignore it for him. I could get into the other policies (left your card in your room one too many times? $50!, rules against being in a room containing alcohol even in the refrigerator or cabinets while under 21, could go on), but the plethora of negative reviews should speak for itself. This is the last I'll be staying here. read more