very reasonable - more quiet than most kellogg buildings - great location - affordable price - no doorman is annoying and very long hallways - view is not stellar

I love the space we have - tons of natural light, a view of the lake, and tons of room for storage. I have no complaints about the building but you do have to go through a landlord which is less convenient than going through a management company. The gym is small but there is never an issue getting to use the equipment you want to. The pool isn't glamorous but it's nice that it's indoors to use the Jacuzzi in the winter. It's also in a great location for bars and restaurants but a bit far from campus.

I enjoy living in Optima Towers. It's less than 15 minutes walking to the Jake and it has good amenities, like a gym and indoor pool. Our particular landlord (Kim Matsuzawa) is not very responsive/helpful, but the apartment is great and affordable.

Great apartment in 10th floor, very illuminated. One of the best I've been during my time at Kellogg too. Perfect location, near lots of bars and restaurants. Building has a very nice pool and hot tub, which is always available. No noise in the building, very tranquil place to be. Perfect for families too.

Optima Towers is located right in the center of downtown, so it's close to all the bars, food options. Rent is also reasonable for the huge amount of space in the apartment. My only complaint would be there are very few Kellogg students who also live in the building. There also is no doorman, if that is important to you.

Great Condo, very well located. My apartment has a clear view but not all of them have (Important)
It has a pool that is very good for kids especially on winter.
Very close to Bright Horizons daycare

Great building with large apts and amenities (pool, gym, hot tub, etc.) Apts in modern and great condition, though typically have an unremarkable view. Very conveniently located in Downtown Evanston, but I wish it was a little closer to campus. Very few Kellogg students live in building. My apt came fully furnished, which was a huge cost-saver and allowed for stress-free transition.

Optima Towers is the least popular of the three Optima buildings for Kellogg students, but I've enjoyed living there so far. Here are some pros and cons:

Pros:
1) Lots of space to entertain
2) Nice kitchen with gas range and all the appliances you need
3) Washer/Dryer included!
4) Gym downstairs (though it's tiny and I prefer the SPAC or there's an LA Fitness across the street)
5) Great location -- It's right in the middle of all the night life you'll want in Evanston, and it's still a 5ish minute bike ride or 15ish minute walk to the Jake. Metra and CTA are also right around the corner
6) Onsite parking (though only one spot per condo)
7) Rent is super reasonable given the space you have (my share is ~$900/month, but we pay based on room size)

Cons:
1) Finicky building association -- This is a condo building, so there are many older families living here. I would guess the average age is 55+, with many retirees. They like to complain about small things and assess fines seemingly without warning, so read the rules carefully
2) Less social than other apartments due to fewer Kellogg dwellers
3) Your maintenance will depend on who owns your condo (can be good or bad...it's been fine for me)
4) Room sizes are very different, which again can be good or bad. We have two small rooms (think 12'x11' give or take) sharing a bathroom and then one MASSIVE master bedroom with its own bathroom. This thing's closet is almost as big as the other rooms, so you'll have to figure out a way to split the rent accordingly. This is for a 3BR/2BA though, and I've seen 2BR/2BA units with nice splits.

Thing to consider:

Leases here, as opposed to other Optimas, are only for 1 year at a time. This can be good or bad! In my case, it's possibly bad, as our landlord informed us a month after we moved in that he's hoping to sell the unit. We'll have to somehow move out of our place during the middle of our internship summer if that pans out. Fingers crossed...

Two bedroom, two bathroom with washer/dryer in unit. Amazing location - a two minute walk to every bar/restaurant in downtown. There is a very nice balcony adjacent to the kitchen. The building includes a jacuzzi, pool, gym, free parking and more. The rent may slightly increase to $2400 or $2500. We would like the incoming tenant to purchase some furniture.

Overall a great building because of location. There are a lot of elderly tenants so there are a lot of condo rules. Once we figured those all out, we had no problems, but it definitely took some getting used to!