chaim
Member
I am in the process of applying to graduate school. There are many criteria I'm using in choosing:
-quality of the school
-cost of the school and cost of living in the area (I already have a ton of student loans so unfortunately this has become the number one criteria)
-can I get in?
-there must be an Orthodox Jewish synagogue w/in an hour from the school (I am Orthodox) and some kosher food available nearby
Last, is how good/bad the area is for guns. I am a gun owner and gun rights are important to me but for school the most important thing is the school, next would be my ability to properly follow my religion in the area, and then would be guns. Partly, this is because I already live in a bad gun state so I'm already used to bad gun laws.
Well, I am strongly considering Governor's State University for my MA. It is has a good masters program in psychology. It is cheap (if I don't get financial aid) and it seems that I have a good chance at an assistantship making it even cheaper. It isn't far from Chicago which has a great Orthodox population (and while Chicago isn't cheap it certainly can't be worse than the DC area).
However, Illinois is supposed to be really bad on gun laws. One of the few states that can rival MD for the title of "worst gun state". Also, you hear buzz that handguns may be outright illegal in Chicago.
So, how bad is it really? Is there any way to own handguns in Chicago?
I don't really know Illinois at all. Where is Skokie (I do know that there is a good sized Orthodox community there)? Is it near Chicago? Is it north or south of Chicago (i.e. is it even further from Governor's State University in University Park)? Is it a neighborhood or suburb of Chicago with the same gun restrictions as the rest of Chicago or are the restrictions the same as the rest of the state?
If Chacago is my only option religiously (I need to be able to live within walking distance from an Orthodox synagogue since driving isn't allowed on the sabbath) and handguns aren't allowed in Chicago then Illinois schools aren't an option.
Even if I don't go to GSU a few of the Ph.D. and Psy.D. programs I'm considering going on to after my masters are in or near Chicago so I really need to know if it is a viable option.
-quality of the school
-cost of the school and cost of living in the area (I already have a ton of student loans so unfortunately this has become the number one criteria)
-can I get in?
-there must be an Orthodox Jewish synagogue w/in an hour from the school (I am Orthodox) and some kosher food available nearby
Last, is how good/bad the area is for guns. I am a gun owner and gun rights are important to me but for school the most important thing is the school, next would be my ability to properly follow my religion in the area, and then would be guns. Partly, this is because I already live in a bad gun state so I'm already used to bad gun laws.
Well, I am strongly considering Governor's State University for my MA. It is has a good masters program in psychology. It is cheap (if I don't get financial aid) and it seems that I have a good chance at an assistantship making it even cheaper. It isn't far from Chicago which has a great Orthodox population (and while Chicago isn't cheap it certainly can't be worse than the DC area).
However, Illinois is supposed to be really bad on gun laws. One of the few states that can rival MD for the title of "worst gun state". Also, you hear buzz that handguns may be outright illegal in Chicago.
So, how bad is it really? Is there any way to own handguns in Chicago?
I don't really know Illinois at all. Where is Skokie (I do know that there is a good sized Orthodox community there)? Is it near Chicago? Is it north or south of Chicago (i.e. is it even further from Governor's State University in University Park)? Is it a neighborhood or suburb of Chicago with the same gun restrictions as the rest of Chicago or are the restrictions the same as the rest of the state?
If Chacago is my only option religiously (I need to be able to live within walking distance from an Orthodox synagogue since driving isn't allowed on the sabbath) and handguns aren't allowed in Chicago then Illinois schools aren't an option.
Even if I don't go to GSU a few of the Ph.D. and Psy.D. programs I'm considering going on to after my masters are in or near Chicago so I really need to know if it is a viable option.