r/ilstu 5d ago

Apartment or cardinal court?

Hey guys!

So I’m a sophomore currently & as I understand it, they basically kick you out of the dorms after ur sophomore year.

I’ve been looking at some apartments as well as cardinal court. So I guess my overall question is, which one would be the better to live in when you’re on a tight budget?

I think when it comes to rent, I’d probably only be able to afford $600/month max.

And I’m not sure what the costs typically look like when it comes to cardinal court. I was wondering if I could perhaps get some insight on costs & what would be a better option for me to look for if that makes sense.

They said I have to start exploring options in a timely manner so I’m trying not to waste too much time lol.

Upvotes

7 comments sorted by

u/Ok_Serve7281 Alumni 5d ago

Apartments, cardinal court is super overpriced. Plenty of apartments under $600

u/Vince_stormbane 5d ago

Cardinal court sucks.

u/Strong_Concept_7342 5d ago

APARTMENT UTILITES INCLUDED OR NOT… cardinal is soooooo expensive

u/derekh3219 5d ago

Don’t you need an exemption? Sorry been 9/10 yrs for me lmao. If you can go apartment tho. Closer to campus and cheaper. If you’re forced to the dorms 100p to cardinal ct. they brought that back for the first time my soph yr and loved it compared to the jail cell I was in at Tri

u/torster2 5d ago

OP is currently a sophomore and planning for 27-28 school year when they are a junior. No exemption needed

u/derekh3219 5d ago

I read that too fast. Ya go apt 1000% no question

u/torster2 5d ago

With your budget, look for an apartment. I lived in Cardinal Court and while it worked well for me at the time I wouldn't recommend it unless you have to live in university housing