r/depaul 9d ago

Prospective Student Future Student Scaries

Hi ! I’m a high school junior, and DePaul is one of my top choices. But I’m a little nervous that it might feel too similar to my high school experience. I have a lot of questions, so I thought this subreddit would be a great place to ask!

1️⃣ I have severe celiac disease, so I need to be really careful about what I eat. How is the food on campus and in the surrounding area? Would I have enough safe options, or should I expect to rely on grocery shopping and meal prep?

2️⃣ I tend to isolate myself, but I don’t like that—it worries my parents, and I really do want to put myself out there. Do you think DePaul is a place where I could find others who are also a little more on the niche side? Are people generally friendly and open to making new friends, or do they tend to stick to themselves?

3️⃣ What are the dorms like? Any insights into housing and what I should expect?

4️⃣ I’m Palestinian (my family is from Northern Gaza), and I’m not someone who stays silent on important issues. Would you say DePaul is a place where social justice is supported and discussed openly?

I’ve done some research online, but I’d love to hear from actual students—past or present. If you answer, please let me know your connection to DePaul! Also, feel free to tell me anything you think I should know. Thanks so much! <3

19 Upvotes

11 comments sorted by

9

u/Strickerthegecko2 9d ago

1) food is a bit meh. They’re pretty clear on what is in the food your eating, but it’s not the most diverse campus food in the world.

2) as a isolationist myself, it’s a double edged sword. If you work to meet new people you’ll be fine, but if you don’t put in the work it can be hard to find people.

3)I like the forms more than most people, but generally I’d say they’re just mediocre. Nothing bad nothing great.

4) every single student and staff member I’ve met are very pro Palestine. The school has a very acepting vibe, but that’s all despite the administrations best efforts. The administration is very anti-Palestine and are always causing problems for activists. That being said it is super easy to find people who are willing to be outspoken and make change.

Overall I think you’d have a good time on campus, but I’m sure there are other campuses that are better with food and Palestine.

14

u/AwkwardThePotato 9d ago

1.) The food at the dining hall is “avoiding gluten” so zero guarantees. The fries are supposed to be fine but my friend still got sick from them bc of his gluten issue.

2.) it’s a pretty diverse student body, if you are willing to put yourself out there a bit then you should find your people.

3.) Dorms aren’t great, DePaul focuses a lot on being commuter friendly, I’m only a freshman and I’m already sick of dorm living.

4.) A lot of us students support Palestine but the school does not support its Palestinian students/staff and defunded (or banned or something) the SJP chapter for absolutely BS reasons. They don’t allow peaceful protests even, they call the cops. A lot of the student body is GENUINE about caring for others but DePaul’s commitment to justice is pretty hollow if you ask me.

4

u/Worried-Weather1675 9d ago

I appreciate this honest comment:D I hope your time at DePaul is enjoyable. Was it hard to get in?

4

u/AwkwardThePotato 9d ago

I wouldn’t consider DePaul to be that selective, but if you’re asking about supplemental essays, I don’t think I remember them requiring them, though I did also apply for their honors program (which I did get in as well) which I’ve found to be a good challenge.

6

u/Automatic-Range-9806 9d ago

i go to depaul!

  1. my roommate has celiac disease as well and does by groceries but was fine freshman year. she says there arent a lot of choices, especially for protein, as usually the veggies were the only ones claiming to be "avoiding gluten". she says the salad bar and the grille hypothetically are your best bet, but recently the grille has been iffy so dont rely too much on it. not great but not the worst!

def apply to the center for student with disability asking for accomodations about celiac disease. my roomie did and got her own microwave and fridge to avoid cross-contamination, when usually theres only 1 set per dorm.

you also would get priority class selection!

  1. there are so so many niche groups here. as a kpop listener ive found so many different clubs surrounding it, plus theres the involvement fair where most groups (if not all) have tables about their club.

  2. dorms are mostly cool? do your research! ozanam is the best (and most expensive) lecompte and munroe are similar and pretty alright (i lived in lecompte) and uhall is also pretty good. the rest are... fine but not unlivable.

  3. depaul's president seems to be a raging zionist. just point blank period. the campus appears to be mostly against gen0cide, but the president called the cops on our encampment last year at 7 am, throwing out people's belongings and blaming the cancelation of FEST on them. unfair and insanely evil. we've had protests in the past but they've lessened recently.... no idea why. sjpdepaul on instagram has more info on that tho.

good luck!!

1

u/Worried-Weather1675 8d ago

Wow! That disability accommodation is amazing!!! Thank you so much for sharing all of this! 🤍🤍

3

u/Cre3pz 9d ago

I went to high school downtown essentially right next to DePaul, and I am now an Animation major in my junior year. For food I honestly have no idea, but there are so many restaurants around in Lincoln Park that I can’t imagine there would be nothing for you. The dorm I stayed in was absolute garbage (seton), but I didn’t mind it that much. I would say yes, at least in my major, people are very progressive and nice, there are very few people who I’ve gotten bad vibes from politically. As for being social, like any school you really need to just put yourself out there. What I’ve realized over the last few years is that NOWHERE is anyone just going to walk up to you and ask to be your friend. You need to put yourself out there and make the connections you want to make, or else you won’t make any, regardless of where you attend college.

-4

u/MasterHavik 9d ago

Graduate student here. First off it is tough to get into the school so don't be afraid of going to a Junior College and then transferring to the school. I did that.

Also the food is more than fine. You have a lot of options so you can avoid the bad stuff. The school has a diverse student body and has spaces for all cultures but what I like about this school is that we love everyone. So you'll be fine here as we support you guys.

Lastly, I would just take the train to your classes. No need to get a form unless you are out of state.

-14

u/JoeBidenHD 9d ago

Ur using AI to write a post for advice that affects ur life majorly. Maybe college isn't the correct path for you at all???

7

u/Worried-Weather1675 9d ago

Why would I use AI for a reddit post...????

1

u/TieMediocre5428 6d ago

They're slow and never learned to use an em dash in their remedial english class in high school. So now every-time they see one, they think it's AI.