As an international student, I get asked why I ended up at DePaul out of all the schools in the United States. It's a valid question, and to be honest, I had never heard of DePaul University before I started applying to colleges, and even though I applied I didn't think I'd actually end up here.

While I've had a positive enough experience at DePaul that makes me want to come back through the double-demon discount, it's the city of Chicago itself that keeps me content, entertained, and nurtures my professional development.

In other articles, I've talked about the benefits of living in a city. Beyond just the constant flow of entertainment, there are also more job opportunities post graduation in the city itself. Chicago is the Midwest regional headquarters for many of the fortune 500 companies, and living here has offered me career benefits - as I've been able to work in startups as well as corporations. Since 2015, I've worked five different (and occasionally overlapping) jobs and internships, all based in the city. Each experience has been different in its own way, despite all the offices being located less than three miles away from one another.

I've talked to other friends from high school who have ended up on more rural campuses, and they were not required to take an internship course in the 4 years of their undergraduate career, at the end of the day, is a degree from a good school more valuable than no experience on your resume?

On another note, I've known since I was at least a teenager that I needed to be in a city. I don't have a driver's license, permit and I've never taken a single driving lesson. I've never felt the need to, having always lived in cities with efficient public transportation and cheap ride sharing or taxi options. If I were to choose a school in an area that couldn't accommodate these, my inner pedestrian would go insane.

Speaking of going insane, I'm the kind of person who gets bored very easily. I'm a night owl, so why should my surroundings go to bed before I do? Living where I do, there's a constant ebb and flow of entertainment within walking distance of my apartment, which is an awesome way to spend free time and weekends. This entertainment isn't restricted to nightlife either, as Chicago has such a rich, cultural history. Between restaurants, museums, concerts, and being by the lake this summer, I've had plenty of time to reflect on how this time six years ago, I had no idea what the city I've grown to love so much would be like, and how I placed so much blind trust in a metropolis I'd never been to, just because I knew that I'd be able to find what I enjoy doing - just by being in a familiar, urban surrounding.