Relocation information:

Things to do while your student studies:

RELOCATION INFORMATION

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Housing

1) Make a list of amenities that you’re looking for. Some examples:

• Walk-up or elevator
• Parking – on the street or in a covered garage
• Dishwasher – not a standard in all apartments
• Laundry – in the basement, on each floor or in your unit
• Pet-friendliness (see further below for more information)

2) Decide whether your student wants to walk, drive, “El” or bike to class.

• Driving: There are borders around Evanston beyond which the University prohibits you from obtaining a permit to park on campus. The North border is Central Street, the West border is Ridge Avenue, and the South border is Lake Street. If you live outside these areas, you may obtain a parking permit.
• Taking the "El": The “El” is Chicago’s elevated train/subway system. The nearest to Kellogg is three blocks away at Foster. Train commutes are possible from the Rogers Park neighborhood just south of Evanston, where rental rates are cheaper, but it’s further from campus, and the neighborhood is generally not as safe as Evanston.

3) Think about how you might commute for your job, if you’re working outside Evanston.

• The “El” can connect you with the Chicago “Loop” area (about 35-45 min peak/45-55 min off-peak) and can connect you to certain suburbs including the north side of Chicago, Wilmette, parts of Skokie and Lincolnwood (other suburbs require a car). 
• The Metra has three stops in Evanston (from North to South: Central, Davis, Main) and is a much faster commute (20 minutes to the Loop).

4) Consider how close you want to be to Kellogg and Downtown Evanston.

• The Davis/Sherman & Orrington intersection is considered the heart of downtown Evanston. Kellogg is about a 10-minute walk from downtown and many students walk to campus. Restaurants, bars, and shops are located both north and south of this area. There are also convenient shopping/dining spots on Main, Dempster, Ridge, and Noyes.

5) Consider using a broker to help you find an apartment. Brokers can be helpful in finding an apartment or at least to help you understand what the various apartment buildings have to offer.

6) Prepare your documents. You will most likely require some form of credit check. You’ll want to prepare some basic information, such as previous residences, references, bank statements, and driver’s license/identification. Be prepared to submit an application fee or advance deposit. If you are an international student, have your passport on hand.

7) Start early. The sooner you start, the larger the selection. DAK weekends are a popular time for students to sign leases, for maximum selection flexibility. Evanston rent cycles tend to start May 1st, July 1st, and October 1st, but many buildings that rent to students are willing to start on August 1st or June 1st (for 1Ys) as well. If you are unable to find a place while visiting Kellogg during DAK, you can sign a lease remotely or take a long weekend to view apartments.

8) Consider on-campus housing. Northwestern offers on-campus housing for Kellogg and Graduate students that can be more affordable. The McManus Living & Learning Center houses Kellogg students with spouses and/or families and is located in downtown Evanston.

9) Finally, the move. Before moving to Evanston, call Parking Services at 847.866.2923 to set up a street blockage to park your moving van upon arrival. The city will post “No Parking” signs for the length of your vehicle. They usually only permit this from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. After that, residents usually require the space for their vehicles.

Download a checklist for apartment hunting.

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Kids

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Internationals

As the JV of an international student, it can be both exciting and overwhelming at the same time as you make your move to Kellogg. Kellogg has an extremely strong international community to help you with your transition and provide you with tips and ideas to settle in and meet new friends. Kellogg has a large number of International Clubs geared toward creating awareness about different cultures and nationalities. It is a learning experience and a lot of fun. You are invited to actively participate in any or all of these clubs!

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Pets

Evanston requires pet owners to register their animals with the city. Pet Licenses for City of Evanston cost $10.00 for neutered animals and $15.00 for non-neutered.

There is a 2.7 acre “Pooch Park” located at 3220 Oakton St. in Skokie that is co-managed by the Evanston and Skokie park districts. Permits are required. Evanston's Dog Beach is located just north of the Church Street launch facility, where Church St. meets the lake. The dog beach is open from 7 am to 8 pm, May through October, weather permitting.

Chicagoland Tails is a free monthly magazine that covers ALL pets, and has listings of daycares, great advertisements for pet ideas/ information, and great articles about pets in the Chicago area. You can find copies of Chicagoland Tails at various places in Evanston, including Uncle Dan’s on Church/ Orrington, and Pot Belly Sandwich Works on Davis/ Sherman.

See the directory for vets.

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Getting around

1) Vehicle stickers:

Vehicle Stickers are $75.00 (01/01/2010 – 01/10/2010), $113.00 (11/01/2009 – 06/30/2010) – not a typo, it is more expensive after the 10th, and $37.50 (07/01/2010 – 12/31/2010). If your registration ends, 11/15/2010 and you want to register your vehicle in Evanston, you may purchase a 2011 sticker and start displaying in right away, in place of getting a 2010 AND a 2011 sticker!

2) Residential parking stickers:

3) Metered parking:

4) Other parking options:

• Apartment garages: Many apartment complexes have indoor or outdoor parking facilities, either included in rent or for an additional fee. While they will tell you a given rate, this is an excellent area within your leasing agreement to negotiate, as many landlords are flexible and are willing to give breaks in order to fill vacancies in their units.
• Garage parking: The following link provides information about various garages around town and their associated fees: http://www.cityofevanston.org/departments/parking/parking.shtml.
• Ryan Field: You may park in Ryan Field (located on Central Street, between Ashland and Asbury on the North side of campus) overnight, so long as the vehicle is removed by 8:00 am (usually when you are allowed to re-park your vehicle back in front of your building). Student Parking for Ryan Field costs $25.00 a school year. This lot is only allowed for students outside the “Designated Walking Zone”. So, if you live on the North Side of campus, you can park your vehicle here instead of on the street. The only downside is you must remove your vehicle for game days (Fall - Saturdays) and Graduation. But this does save you from purchasing a City of Evanston sticker as well as a Residence Sticker.
• “FREE” Parking: Note the “Free” Street parking spots off of Noyes, Simpson, and Foster as these can prove handy to your student especially during Winter Quarter when interviewing. Students are able to park for a limited time (usually 2 hours if not longer) and pack their suits, etc in the vehicle or take the vehicle directly from class to their interview(s).

5) Other notes about parking:

If you believe your vehicle has been towed, call North Shore Towing Company at 847.864.2828 to verify cause and charges. Tow charges are typically $145.00 + storage fees based on length of time stored.

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Insurance

• Aetna Student Health – Northwestern University Health Plan: Kellogg requires that all students have health insurance. You may purchase a plan as a dependent. Check out the details here: Evanston campus or Chicago campus.
• All Kids/FamilyCare/Mums & Babies: All Kids is Illinois’ program for children who need comprehensive, affordable health insurance, regardless of family income, immigration status or health condition. FamilyCare offers healthcare coverage to parents living with their children 18 years old or younger. Parents can get FamilyCare if they live in Illinois and meet the FamilyCare income limits. Expecting a child? Check out Mums & Babies.
• COBRA: Some students, JVs and dependents may qualify for COBRA, the temporary extension (up to 18 months) of their employee provided health coverage. Costs of COBRA insurance vary depending on your previous insurance. For more information on COBRA, contact your employer and visit their website. 
• Private health insurance: The third alternative is seeking out private health insurance. There are several companies that offer this sort of coverage, and a convenient way to navigate the options available is through this website where they compare Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield, Humana and other carriers. If you decide to pursue private insurance, be sure to begin this process as early as you can, as the time for processing applications can take time.

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Winter

You will need:

• Insulated winter coat 
• Warm hat, scarf, and gloves 
• Waterproof snow boots with insulation 
• Warm sweaters to layer and pants 
• Silk long underwear (optional)

THINGS TO DO WHILE YOUR STUDENT STUDIES

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Career opportunities

The Evanston Chamber of Commerce could also offer help. Contact Brooke Saucier,?Manager of Membership, Marketing and Development?at:

We have also put together some career transition tips here for you to get started as soon as possible:

1) Remote/Transfer opportunities:

• If it is a possibility, ask to work remotely. 
• If there is a branch of your company in the Chicagoland area, ask to be transferred.

2) Use your contacts:

• Ask your boss or colleagues for referrals in the Chicagoland area – do they know of other companies hiring here that could use your skill set? Do they have contacts here you could reach out to? 
• Ask family and friends for job leads. 
• Use your university – most universities have career centers for placing people after they have entered the job market. 
• Use your JV Career Rep, Kellogg Student Affairs contacts and local contacts for connections to people already working in the Chicago area. 
• Network, network, network!

3) Connect with temp agencies, executive search firms or career centers:

• Depending on your industry, there are most likely agencies that are dedicated to placing people in your field (i.e. technology, accounting, HR, finance, healthcare, etc) 
• Call these agencies and get your resume in their system 
• Make connections with recruiters – go meet them in person. This will help them remember you better when opportunities arise. 
• These jobs can lead to permanent positions or can keep your income coming in while you search for the right permanent opportunity.

4) Ask for informational interviews:

• Look for companies you are interested in and find a contact within (you could do this on Linked In or even Google). Try to find a hiring manager and reach out to them. 
• Contact via email or phone and ask for an informational interview – a short period of time to learn about what they do, their group, the types of people they hire; learn about their organization, etc. This can lead to learning of job openings within that organization, making new contacts and possibly even a job.

5) Use the internet – but don’t solely depend on it:

• Search for your ideal job openings and apply - use the internet as a tool to find what is out there. 
• Take it a step further and contact the person (if you can) on the job. 
• Post your resume on Monster, Career Builder and industry-specific job boards.

6) Read to prepare yourself: For example, "What Color Is Your Parachute" by Richard Nelson Bolles – This book is an excellent resource for people making career changes or job hunting.

Notes:

• Keep in mind that moving expenses, job-hunting costs, and tuition may all be deductible, so save your receipts. 
• If you leave your job to relocate for your spouse to attend school in another city or state, you may be eligible for unemployment. You need to file with your prior state of residence and only after you are no longer employed.

At Kellogg, the JV Club organizes career panels and workshops from time to time to help JVs in their job searches. These events usually include networking, resume advice, alumni connections, and upcoming job fairs in Evanston/Chicago. Career panels and workshops are conducted by the JV Club and/or other professionals who volunteer their time to share in-depth knowledge of the various career fields.

Please refer to the "Career Opportunities" tab for current openings.

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Other meaningful engagements

1) Study! You could take part-time courses at any of the different universities in the area (Northwestern, DePaul, Loyola, University of Chicago). There are also a number of recreational courses in Evanston itself, e.g. language courses at Norris Center.

2) Volunteer! At one of many non-profits.

3) Read! Evanston Public Library offers special programs and story hours for preschool age children at least 20 months old. It also offers seminars on job hunting and other special topics. The library’s website also is a great resource for general information about the Evanston area. The Main Library is located on 1703 Orrington Ave.

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Fun stuff in Kellogg

When school starts, go for the TGs, which mean free booze every Friday. Drink yourself silly if you must. But stay sober for some fun TGs which are held concurrently with other activities, such as the marketing competition in fall quarter.

GIM, TREKS and Exchange Programs – Kellogg offers many travel opportunities for career development and global experience in conjunction with classroom experience. GIM, Global Initiatives in Management, is a ten-week course during winter quarter that culminates in a two-week trip to an international destination to meet with executives. JVs can audit the course and participate in the trip. Treks are short trips, organized by student clubs, where students and interested JVs visit companies and Kellogg alumni across the country and the world. Exchange programs are available across six continents for your student, and as a JV, you can your accompany him or her on a three month adventure to another country.

Ski Trip – Each winter and spring, Kellogg organizes ski trips to different ski destinations across the United States. This winter, over 775 students and JVs went to Vail, Colorado for a week filled with skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, theme parties, cooking class, poker tournament and more.

Go to the Keg, among others, with your student.

See how the students party.

Come to the conclusion that the “b” in b-school stands for “beer”!

But there is more to Kellogg than the beer. JVs are allowed to attend classes, including those that your student is not taking, for free! A few simple steps here:

1. Check out the course catalog to see what classes pique your interest – marketing, finance, business strategy, media etc. They start as early as 8.30 am and end as late as 9.30 pm. Or thereabouts.
2. Email the professor to see if he/she is willing to / can accommodate a JV. Ask around for recommended classes and professors.
3. Once you get the thumbs up from the professor, show up in class with a smile! There is no homework, no exams, just pure learning.

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Fun in Evanston, Chicago and beyond

Chicago has over 180 different neighborhoods with unique culture and vibe. There are a handful of neighborhoods frequently visited by Kellogg students and JVs:

• Rogers Park: Home of Loyola University, a melting pot of residents of many nationalities and the following “El” stops: Howard, Jarvis, Morse and Loyola. 
• Lakeview/Wrigleyville: Home of Wrigley Field, exciting nightlife, Boys Town, more affordable Chicago housing, and the following “El” stops: Sheridan, Sheffield, Addison, Belmont and Wellington 
• Lincoln Park: Home of DePaul, recent graduates and young families, the actual Lincoln Park and Zoo, many bars and restaurants, and the following “El” stops: Armitage, Fullerton, Diversey. 
• Gold Coast/Streeterville: Home of the Magnificent Mile of shopping, Navy Pier, the Hancock Building, many hotels, and the following “El” stops: Clark & Division, Chicago, Grand. 
• Bucktown/Wicker Park: Home of trendy restaurants, upscale boutiques, and galleries. The Blue line runs through the neighborhoods, stopping at Damen, Division and Chicago. 
• Loop: Home of The Art Institute of Chicago, Broadway in Chicago, Millennium and Grant Parks, the “loop” of tracks joining all of the “El” lines in the city, Union Station or Ogilvie Transportation Center and Chicago’s center of commerce.

For more information, visit:

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