For Chris Otto, a senior at DePaul University, college is more than textbooks and tests.
“The education is more than academic,” says Otto, 21, a finance major from Wauwautosa, Wis. “I chose DePaul for the experience.”
Part of the DePaul experience is diversity; almost 40 percent of its students are minorities. Otto says it’s one of the best life lessons the university has to offer.
“When you come to DePaul, it’s impossible not to expand your mind and understand other cultures and races,” he says. “It’s going to push you forward in life.”
Otto says he felt that push during his freshman year while rooming with a Hispanic student.
“He took me several times to his family’s house for dinner. It was a really neat experience and really opened my eyes,” Otto says. “We’re still good friends.”
Elected president of the student government in June, Otto says being involved on campus has helped him gain networking and public-speaking skills.
“It’s not so much what DePaul offers academically, but what they do to make you a better person,” he says.
Although a third of DePaul students are enrolled part time, Otto says student life is active. The campus, he says, isn’t dead.
“It’s just not confined to Lincoln Park,” he says. “Students expand into the city.”
And DePaul students are familiar with the city. About 80 percent are from the Chicago area.
Otto is one of the few out-of-state students. But after three years in the city, Otto says he has become a Chicago convert and plans on staying after he graduates next June.
With graduation less than a year away, Otto says he is prepared for life after college.
And not just academically.
“DePaul tries to point out that there is more to life than financial success,” he says. “They try to make you understand what this world is all about.”
“DePaul tries to point out that there is more to life than financial success.
They try to make you understand what this world is all about.”
–Chris Otto
By the Numbers:
Undergrads 14,343
Grad students* 7,837
Average tuition $18,750
*There are 1,047 students in law school.
Top 5 things about
DePaul:
– Diversity. About 40 percent of DePaul students are minorities.
– Unique classes such as the 11-week Discover Chicago course.
– Study-abroad program takes students to exotic locales such as Ghana or Zimbabwe. MBA students can earn degrees in Bahrain, Hong Kong or the Czech Republic.
– DePaul ranked first in the Princeton Review’s Happiest Students list.
– 73,000 DePaul alums live and work in the area.
ETC.
Mascot: Blue Demon (Originally named D-men for DePaul-men and later adapted to demon.)
Best team: Women’s basketball played in the NCAA tournament last year.
U.S. News & World Report ranking: Third tier
Greek system: Thumbs down.
Greek Life is small, and sororities
and fraternities don’t have houses.
Famous alums
– Mayor Richard M. Daley
– former Mayor Richard J. Daley
– ComEd CEO Frank Clark
– Former McDonald’s CEO Jack M. Greenberg
– “X-Files” actress Gillian Anderson
Worth checking out
From metromix.com:
Kelly’s
949 W. Webster Ave.
773-281-0656
Irish pub is a popular spot for catching the Blue Demons on TV.
Clarke’s
2441 N. Lincoln Ave.
773-472-3505
Grab greasy eats at this spotless
24-hour diner.
Wise Fools Pub
2270 N. Lincoln Ave.
773-929-1300
Legendary club was resurrected and specializes in live, radio-friendly rock.
Bourgeois Pig
738 W. Fullerton Pkwy.
773-883-5282
Intellectual crowds descend on this cozy coffee shop for chess, lofty conversations and tasty sandwiches (try the ham and brie “Hamlet”).
