Check out co-ops. There was one near Uchicago, my friend lived there with 20 others, mostly not students. They had group dinners every night, cooked by housemates, and always had someone around to chat with. We used to hang there playing games and partying. The vibe was pretty hippie but if you dont mind that, I'd recommend it. The rent was equivalent to sharing a 3 or 4 bedroom but you got a lot more shared amenities and dinners to boot.