DD is really struggling with her choice between these two schools. Price will be the same for us at both after scholarships etc so not a factor. Weather lousy at both but we’re from New England so she’ll survive.
Major at CWRU would be cognitive science which sounds cool and neuroscience at Syracuse. There are pros and cons at both- CWRU is a higher ranked school but we’ve heard the work load is really intense. DD is a hard working and not into parties but is very social and friendly and CWRU has a reputation as being a but nerdy, low on school spirit and in general not one people seem to get too excited about, but we liked the vibe and campus when we visited. Being right by the Cleveland clinic is a big drawer and I think it’s good for premed.
Syracuse is more of a party school but has great school spirit, a good mix of people and she would be in the honors department as well.
Basically should she risk a more prestigious program at a school where the work load may be overwhelming, thus affecting her GPA, or go to a school not known for premed or science but be in honors and have a perhaps less intense but possibly more fun experience. The goal after all is to get into medical school.
She isn’t feeling the love for either though is open to both, since they gave her by far the best financial packages…
Any thoughts?
Hi! I’m a current CWRU student right now on the pre-med track. CWRU may appear to be slightly nerdy, but the students themselves are very sociable and understand when to have fun and when to study. The lack of school spirit is only there because we have so few students compared to other universities like Syracuse. Otherwise, the people on the campus are great, and there are social groups for every kind of person.
Also, the workload at the campus is not as awful as it sounds as its usually only difficult because students don’t complete them until the night prior. So a majority of classes your daughter will take will be easy for her if she is hardworking, especially in terms of pre-med courses. (Of course higher level bio courses will be difficult at any university.) The biggest factor for me was that there is very little competition in the pre-med courses, as students are always willing to share notes and study guides too. Finally, the 4 hospitals near CWRU are really great resources for students looking at pre-med, and definitely helps a lot toward medical school.
Best of luck with decisions!
DD is considering nursing school at Case too. She liked the campus and so did we. She was also accepted at Villanova too. Loved that school too. She liked the idea of the hospitals so close at Case. Still trying to decide. Is is a very good student and hardworking also. She says she can handled the work so I am leaning toward Case.
As long as she can commit herself to studying a bit every day and not slacking off, she’ll be perfectly fine at the university. Honestly, the coursework is not that challenging.
Case also has one of the best nursing programs in the nation, but is definitely more challenging due to the early hours. However, I definitely think the biggest thing are the 4 hospitals nearby.
CWRU for sure!
I would read in the http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/case-western-reserve-university/ subforum
My daughter is a junior majoring in Business and Communications at Cuse. She loves it. SU just opened a new science building and three hospitals are within a block of the campus, Crouse, SUNY, and the VA.
Honors is nice since one chooses classes early, after seniors but before juniors. Picking the right courses and professors helps tremendously.
Perhaps cost could be a factor. It may be worthwhile to take time off from school and work to visit both schools before May 1. Both are great choices. Good luck to you and your daughter.
Thanks @studentnotlazy, @bopper and @funfatdaddy, DD is going for the overnight at Case next weekend. We want to get up to Syracuse but flights right now are over $500 each so may pick a few days over school break and just drive up (about 6 hours). I really feel she needs to get a real feel for the campus before making her decision.
Fortunately, cost will be the same for those two. There are two other schools she was accepted at that she’d love to consider but cost is a factor at those so for now off the table. @Hopetoachieve, I’ll be interested in see what you decide as well. Don’t know much about Villanova so can’t chime in but love to hear why your daughter is leaning towards Case…