Now that college admissions seasons is done for me, ive been rejected from all my top schools (jhu, cornell etc) with the exception of umich but umich is insanely expensive out of state and I don’t know if its worth it on top of potential med school expenses. I feel like a failure to my family and friends who saw me as some sort of academic god and now i have to really face the music of not getting in. Nobody has ever congratulated me for getting into case/other schools. Only mich but that has the problem I mentioned before. No waitlist or appeals, just a flat out rejection. But thats a convo for another day.
So I’m left with case. And Lehigh/Lafayette/Providence etc but I definitely like case more than them. But I don’t like case. I can’t shake the feeling that I am only going there because I can’t get in anywhere better. Yes I am aware it is a good school and all, but whenever people say that it always feels so vague and contentless.
So, why should I chose case? Other than the merit scholarship I got/it being cheap. And no I did not get into PPSP.
I LOVE Case! Love, love, love! Especially for a pre-med!!! It’s literally walking distance to a number of world renown medical centers - Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, a state of the art VA center and Metro is around the corner. Case is one of the best schools for pre-meds! They have fantastic med school acceptance rates. They will prepare you very, very well.
And Cleveland as a city is totally underrated - the Oval, where Case is located is adjacent to all the museums and the symphony. A culturally rich area.
Little Italy, also within walking distance. Going to downtown Cleveland for sport, the lake, and tons of restaurants is an easy bus ride.
And Case makes it easy to take all kinds of classes and offers a ton of flexibility.
CONGRATULATIONS on wonderful acceptances but I’m super excited for you about Case!
PS. I’m a Cornell alumna. I think Case has a much more supportive atmosphere for premeds and Cornell has no major medical centers near campus.
I also like the fact that it is medium sized. It is not a tiny LAC, and is not a huge state school. It is likely to offer a wider range of courses and majors compared to a smaller college. It is less likely to have huge classes compared to a much larger university (such as Michigan for example). Someone I know attended a similar sized university, and found that she got to know her professors (and did well, and is now studying in a very good graduate program). Getting to know your professors will be a big help both in getting research or medical shadowing opportunities, and also in getting good letters of reference (that you will need to apply to any graduate program).
I think that I recall from another thread that you might be premed. With this in mind, Case is a great choice as @momofboiler1 has pointed out above. Also, saving money for your bachelor’s degree is huge, particularly if any graduate program is possible (whether medical school or something else).
In terms of the hard work that you have put in throughout high school, the main point of this is that it will help you be well prepared to handle university classes, including tough premed classes that you will get at any of a wide range of universities. The fact that this hard work also got you merit aid is also a big help.
And Case Western Reserve really is very good.
So I will say it: Congratulations!
You are all set to start at a great university in September. You will find demanding classes, very good professors, other very strong students, and a lot of opportunities at Case Western. Please show up planning to pay attention in every class and stay well ahead in your work at Case. Staying well ahead in your class work will help you a lot over time.
What do you want to know? I’m from the area and can give you dozens of reasons to love CWRU. It’s just a fabulous university.
Cleveland is very underrated as a city. It’s is a vibrant and exciting place. Excellent pro basketball, decent pro baseball…and a “maybe next year” football team with great loyal fans.
The arts district near CWRU is great. Wonderful art museum, and Severance Hall (home of the Cleveland Orchestra). The Cleveland Playhouse is just down the road.
Food? Well…amble up Murray Hill which takes you into Little Italy….Italian food you will never forget.
If you are premed, University Hospital main campus is right there. Cleveland Clinic is not far away.
I don’t recall where you live, but if you need to fly, Cleveland Hopkins is a great airport with lots of flights in and out.
Frankly, you should be very very proud to have been accepted and with a scholarship that makes it affordable.
I like case more. Better campus, slightly cheaper, seems to be more aligned with my field and what i know about the culture i like. Still a consideration
Why is your family living through you ? You live your life and you got into Michigan, CWRU, and Lafayette - you’re a stud !!
Assuming you got merit, I’d choose Case over Michigan - too pricey for a big school - and if the cost is right, I’d choose it over the schools you got turned down. JHU $90k or CWRU $50k - no contest.
You have a great downtown and you get to go to the Rock Hall - it’s awesome. And nature isn’t too far - yep you have a small national park just south.
Really, don’t be blinded by US News. You hit a home run. Your family should be proud and relieved to save some money.
They also are flexible academically - multiple majors - so if you don’t do pre med and decide to do a 180 - easier to do !!
You will fit into Case like a glove. Why? You will have a lot of students of your level. Why? I have heard stories that many Ivy rejects end up at Case. But why not to love it? It is great school.
My DD refused to apply to Ivies and Case was one of her top choices. She absolutely loved it. She end up at GT but we all liked Case.
A good friend of my kid, who is profoundly gifted and was a top student chose CWRU because she is a dancer, and at CWRU, the Dance department is part of the college of arts and sciences.
I mean, they have a College of Arts and Sciences. Not “Liberal Arts” which means science and humanities, but Fine and Performing Arts. That is so cool.
You are thinking of Medical School? They have a program that helps you build your medical school application. They also have a medical school. The biggest boost for admissions to a medical school is an undergraduate degree at that university. CWRU is also a feeder school for WashU’s medical school. AN additional advantage for attending a college that has a medical school is that you are first in line for internships, shadowing, research assistantships, etc.
To use an overused phrase:
“Remember - Eye On The Prize”
College is not a goal or an objective. It is a way for you to achieve your goals.
You have expressed that your goal is to be a physician. That’s your goal. CWRU is one of colleges on your list that will best help you reach that goal. That is exciting. That is a reason to love CWRU.
I feel like this is the problem. I want to love case because its a great school, and I can create opportunities and open doors for myself. I don’t wanna go so I can be surrounded by “Ivy Rejects” who are on my level and we have to spend 4 years in the shadows of people supposedly better than us. Thats honestly how some of this is coming out. I was feeling better at first but now I just feel worse.
Edit: family member died last night so that may be clouding my mind
Please STOP looking backwards and start looking forward. Your life is not going to be jeopardized because you didn’t get accepted to the highly rejective Ivy League universities.
I don’t know how to directly quote on this website so ill copy and paste.
“ You will fit into Case like a glove. Why? You will have a lot of students of your level. Why? I have heard stories that many Ivy rejects end up at Case.” Im just reading this as “Case is good for you (and others) because you’re not good enough for ivy schools”
I also want to address “ College is not a goal or an objective. It is a way for you to achieve your goals” I genuinely really love learning and I did see college as a way to indulge in what I love
“ Really, don’t be blinded by US News. You hit a home run. Your family should be proud and relieved to save some money.” its not US news, I don’t read that. Its people on forums like these who act like getting into a school like ivies or johns hopkins is the best thing to ever happen to you, and there is no reason to choose a different school. And the “chose cheaper” advice is really only given to people who didn’t get in in the first place.