Campus Days | Master of Arts Program in the Humanities

Classics Building Every Year MAPH hosts admitted students here on the University campus for our Campus Days. Campus Days offers students a chance to get a more in-depth view of what a year at MAPH has to offer them, and to experience the program first-hand. Campus Days include social and scholarly events, as well as opportunities to sit in on classes, and meet with current students, professors and alums to discuss the program and studies at the University of Chicago.

Campus Days for admitted students will be held April 7th and 8th, 2013. Please RSVP online by March 24th, 2013. A rough schedule of Campus Days events is here. Events will start at approximately 2:30 p.m. April 7th and end at about 6:00 p.m. on the 8th. The online schedule will be updated as we near the date, but the final schedule will only be available to admitted students as they arrive.

Campus Days Housing

Staying with a Current MAPH Student

There are a limited number of spaces available with current MAPH students. Campus Days visitors who request housing will be placed on a first-come, first-served basis. It is unlikely that we will be able to accommodate every request for housing with current students, but please do check with us to see if spots are still available.

This option is primarily for Saturday and/or Sunday night; however, you may also make a special request for a Friday night stay. Please be respectful of your student host and limit the number of days you request. Indicate on the registration form the night(s) you are seeking accommodation and if you have any pet allergies.

Most current students live in Graduate Student Housing in Hyde Park. Some current students live in other Chicago neighborhoods. If you are considering living in a neighborhood other than Hyde Park and would like to stay with a student living outside Hyde Park, please include this information in your request.

We recommend making alternate reservations if you do not have confirmed housing with a current student. You must RSVP by March 24th to be considered for housing with a current student. This deadline allows us to give you, and the current student, time to make any necessary arrangements.

Staying at International House

Getting anywhere from I-House is easy, thanks to its exceptional location. You’re just a short walk from the center of the University of Chicago campus, the Museum of Science and Industry, the spectacular lake front and its bike and jogging path, and a wintertime outdoor skating rink. Downtown Chicago is only 20 minutes away via the Metra train line, which stops one block from the I-House front door.

International House accepts short-term reservations when space is available. They offer single-occupancy student rooms with shared bathrooms and a limited number of double rooms. Linens are provided. There is no telephone service or air conditioning in the rooms. The front desk is staffed from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily. Check-in is not possible after hours.

For reservations, call the Residence Office at 773.753.2280 or the Front Desk at 773.753.2270, or email I-house-housing@uchicago.edu. A Master-Card or Visa number with an expiration date is required to make a reservation.

Short-term rates:
Single room with shared bathroom: $65 per day
Double room with shared bathroom: $80 per day

Guests must pay for the entire stay upon arrival. Payment may be made by Visa, Master-Card, traveler's checks, or cash. Personal checks are not accepted. Check-in is at 3:00 p.m. on the day of arrival and check-out is by noon on the departure date.

Staying at Chicago Hotels

If you plan to stay in a hotel, we recommend staying downtown or on the near-north side. Great deals are often available this time of year through web sites like Priceline or Expedia. The Chicago Hotel Guide is another helpful site for finding accommodation in Chicago.

Travel for Campus Days may be reimbursed up to $200. Please save all receipts as they will be needed to complete your paperwork during Campus Days. You will need to request paper copies for receipts at the airline counter if you are flying; copies of emails may not be submitted. Unfortunately, travel to campus can only be reimbursed for visits during Campus Days.

Staying at a Hostel

There is an International Hostel in Downtown Chicago a short bus or train ride from Hyde Park that offers inexpensive rates for students.

Campus Days Travel Reimbursement Instructions

Students who have been offered admission to MAPH and who join us for Campus Days (April 7th-8th) are eligible for up to $200 in travel reimbursement. If you need reimbursement, you must fill out a Travel Expense Voucher during Campus Days, whether or not you have the appropriate receipts with you. If you have the receipts, your reimbursement can be processed fairly quickly. It takes about a month for the University Financial Services to cut and mail checks. If you do not have the receipts, we will keep your expense voucher on file until you mail us the receipts. Our mailing address is MAPH, 1010 E 59^th St., Suite 117, Chicago IL 60637. The University has very strict rules about what counts as an acceptable proof of expense. Please read through these instructions so that you can obtain the proper receipts. You won’t be reimbursed if you don’t have the right receipts.

If you have questions about any of this, please email us.

Here is what you'll need, according to how you travel:

Flying to Chicago

There are three different ways to get reimbursed for airfare. Any one of these will work:

Obtain an official paper receipt from the airline, showing your name, the dates of travel, and the airfare. These are available at ticket counters.

Or: Print your receipt, showing name, dates of travel, and airfare from a website and save your boarding pass. It must be an actual, paper boarding pass issued at the airport not one that you printed out at home.

Or: If you cannot do either of the above, and if you put your airfare on a credit card, you can submit a copy of the credit card bill, along with your airfare receipt (printed from a website). The bill must show your name (only the person whose name is on the bill can be reimbursed) and the airfare. You may cross out the credit card number for security. You may cross out all the other entries for privacy.

If your airfare is under $200 and you use public transportation or a cab to get back and forth to the airport, these expenses can be reimbursed. Get receipts from cabs.

Driving to Chicago

In order to be reimbursed for travel by car, bus, or train, you must provide evidence that your method of transportation is less expensive than flying. Go online (to Travelocity or Expedia or any other travel website) and find the cheapest airfare that would get you to Chicago. Bring a printout from the website showing the airfare and the dates to Campus Days or mail it to us.

Private car: Go to Google maps and have it calculate your shortest route. Bring a printout that shows the mileage to Campus Days or mail it to us along with the rest of your receipts. Multiply the mileage of the shortest route, round-trip, by 55.5 cents. If the airfare costs less than mileage expenses, you can still drive—it's just that you'll be reimbursed only up to the amount of the airfare.

Rental car: Get actual paper receipts (receipts must show your name and indicate that the fees have been paid) from the rental car agency when you drop off the car (so, after Campus Days). These can be mailed to MAPH. Nothing printed from a website is acceptable. If the rental car costs more than the airfare, you'll be reimbursed only up to the amount of the airfare.

Buses & Trains: Receipts, receipts, receipts. Actual tickets will work, if they show the fare and your name, and these can be mailed back to MAPH at the end of your trip home. Nothing printed from a website is acceptable. If your tickets cost more than the airfare, you'll be reimbursed only up to the amount of the airfare.

Chicago parking fees and highway tolls are reimbursable. Get receipts.

Visiting from within Chicago

See instructions under Driving. If you use a cab to visit the University, or if you incur highway tolls or parking fees, you may turn in those receipts for reimbursement. Public transportation (CTA bus or train) fares are reimbursable without a receipt.

Lodging

If your travel expenses do not amount to $200, and if you live more than 50 miles away from the University, you may be reimbursed for lodging expenses (up to a total of $200 for both travel and lodging) on the nights of April 6th, 7th, or 8th. A receipt showing your name and indicating that payment has been made is required. A copy of your credit card statement showing your name and the expense will also work. Nothing printed from a website is acceptable.

Meals

Meals are not reimbursable.

RSVP for Campus Days

If you plan on attending Campus Days please RSVP by logging into your account and responding to the Campus Days invitation by March 24th.

Please include the following information when you RSVP: Would you like to stay with a current student and which nights do you need housing? Do you have any pet or food allergies? Are you vegetarian, vegan? Do you have any other dietary concerns? Are you uncomfortable staying with a host of any gender? The deadline to RSVP online for Campus Days is March 24th.

Can't Make Campus Days? Visit us anyway!

MAPH welcomes prospective students throughout the year. Campus visits can be arranged by contacting us. Please note that campus visits can not be scheduled the two weeks prior to Campus Days.