@EDHDAD Actually, no. I am more than open to other options. The whole point of me going to visit Case was to get out of my comfort zone, but I don’t want to do that if I put my safety at risk. @labegg I’m pretty sure not every graduate anywhere becomes a Princeton professor. Also, what is their name? I am pretty sure that they went somewhere different for grad school. I am sorry, but OU does not have the reputation that I think you’re trying to get across. Here in Columbus, it’s seen as a party school and it is a school for kids who get denied from OSU. I am sorry if this comes off as offensive, but it’s just the truth. Maybe my perception is blurred by my peers, but that, once again, is the reputation it has. It’s not just me and a few other kids. Personally, I believe you can be successful and become a Princeton professor wherever you go. It all depends on your work ethic. The people you highlighted are about 2-3 out of 240,000 alum.
I visited case 4 yrs ago. I agree that everyone should know and care about safety. But, if you feel you are entitled because you are born with a silver spoon in mouth, you should live in your own bubble. There is no need to go to “ghettos”.
@GammaDelta Just because I live in a nice city does not mean that I don’t have to do any work. It’s not a “bubble”. There’s people who are not wealthy in my city too. It’s a matter of safety, not being scared of leaving my “bubble”.
Yes, I am sure of the entire OU alum network only the 5 people I know personally went on successful careers. Funny yoi latch on to my friend the Princeton Professor as the bright example of success. (Whom you can find the name of on your own if you are so inclined) Yes, he did go to a graduate school other than OU, but clearly obtaining his undergrad degree at lowly " party central" OU did not hold him back. My point is you can be successful from any school and you are maligning an entire student population because of your “perceived notions”, which is unfortunate. The fact that you so blithely pass on these false perceptions if disturbing and one of the reasons that they persist.
There are plenty of fantastic schools in Ohio. Oberlin, Kenyon, Miami of Ohio, Dennison, College of Wooster, U of Cincinnatti, Baldwin Wallace has one of the best musical theater programs in the country and a music conservatory that is equally renowned, Kent State’s Fashion Institute also considered one of the best in the country, University of Akron’s Polymer Science program is cutting edge and easily is considered world class, if you are interested in Nature Sciences and want to rise to the tippy top of those fields (Wild Life Management, Forestry etc ) Hocking Technical College is considered one of, if not THE, best.
Case is a great school in an urban setting. Your perceptions do you no favors. Best of luck.
@ab2002 After reading all your posts, I have no choice than to conclude the following:
1)You really want to go to Emory but you don’t know if you will be accepted so you are hedging your bets by looking at other schools. 2)You don’t have a lot of life experience because you think a visit to Case Western is going to get you robbed and killed. 3)You have a high opinion of yourself based upon your accomplishments in HS.
@labegg Well, I am sorry if my opinion offended you, because it was not meant to. My opinions are based off of my experiences. I, personally, do not have the time to meet every student at OU. The only way to get the opinion that you want me to have is by attending for an extended period of time. You cannot blame me for that. I can assure you that I am not the only one at my school who thinks this way, and I personally do not think it’s irrational or “disturbing”. @EDHDAD I never said I thought I was going to get killed. I am just asking about other people’s experiences visiting (if they had trouble). Of course, I am a proud of what I have done so far in high school. In no way am I saying that people who go to Miami dumber than me, because that’s not always the case. I am not the smartest kid in my school, but I believe that my work ethic will get me far. I also think that if I am going to work hard and do my best, then why would I not go to the best school possible. You cannot tell me that a C+ average is people “doing their best”, because everyone can do well in school. I can understand if you struggle in, for example, AP Physics C. That is not an excuse though to do poorly in all of your other classes, but this unfortunately occurs to often at my school.
@ab2002 You sound like a nice kid that is just a little insecure. You have a lot of opinions for someone that has so little life experience. I invite you to open your mind to what the other people are saying on here. You might learn something.
Sorry, I have to chime in about Case safety since my son has applied there. A little background: we live in a homogeneous somewhat rural suburb. We once lived in the more populated suburbs of a major city for years before kids and when they were pre-school age. For some reason, they have always loved the hustle/bustle of the city to this day and they love to visit cities. We have visited Case twice in the last 6 months and my nephew has lived there for years. I thought University Circle was very nice, full of students, and felt VERY safe. Our family of four walked all over campus including to and from Little Italy at night without any fear. There was a group of med students also walking around on "back streets"at night laughing and talking the entire way. Like any city, I would not walk alone at night but walking alone during the day or say before 9 on campus would likely be fine. We never felt unsafe in the immediate vicinity and my nephew (who is a lawyer) said there are very few violent crimes in the University Circle area - mostly stealing and no doubt car thefts (but NOT jackings). In my opinion, there is no reason to fear this area and if my son attends there I think he will be fine. Coming down Martin Luther King Dr. from I-90 is great - the park is very interesting. Frankly, if this area bothers you and stresses you about safety do NOT consider ANY urban campus. Stick to the suburbs or a rural area only. It’s not worth your anxiety (or your parent’s anxiety). I am not judging, it just means urban isn’t for you. Case makes a good litmus test.
I know several of my D13’s friends who attended Case. They never mentioned feeling unsafe nor have their parents mentioned it. They have all gone on to Phd. programs in UT, Scripps and U Wash in Seattle. The thing is I also know many of her friends who went to less selective schools who have gone on to be very successful. The U of Findlay student studying Veterinary Medicine at Tufts, the UC graduate working for Pratt Whitney, the U of Toledo student in Dental school and the OU student now in med school. The university will not make you, you will make your experience at the university.
I’ll preface my next remarks by saying I am not offended by your opinions. OU does have the reputation of being a party school and to a degree it is deserved. It is definitely not as selective as Case, tOSU etc. but the education provided is good for the serious student. My D16 chose OU over tOSU, Miami and Purdue. She looked at Case and chose not to apply. She had a 33 ACT and a 4.53 WGPA with 9 APs (she took 7 tests) and she scored 4 5s, 2 4s and 1 3. She was 30th in a class of 687. Her stats really don’t matter now because her school and path are chosen. Her chosen path is to become a Physical Therapist. She is a Dance Major taking her Pre-Physical Therapy courses. She will graduate in 3.5 years, is an undergraduate assistant for a PT professor, they have an Athletic Training center in the dance school called the SHAPe clinic which she spends 2-3 hours a week volunteering at. She enjoys her studies at OU and works hard. She is now a sophomore with a senior standing and will tell me that her classmates in her junior and senior level courses are better students and better prepared than those her freshmen year.
You can call this a humble brag but I really just wanted to do is paint a picture of what a good student can do at a non-selective university. Good luck.
I would add that heading east on Euclid away from the school would not be a wise choice but there is really no reason I can see to go down that way. There are places in any city you should avoid.
Also keep in mind at night you can get door to door “greenie bus” (they were green when I went there) service (aka Safe Ride) in addition to shuttle busses.
I was at the CWRU open house with S yesterday. I was highly impressed with the university, but it struck me as a “where fun comes to die” kind of place, as is said of U of Chicago. My son liked the serious atmosphere, and Case has moved up on his list.
In regards to OP’s specific concern about safety, my perception is that students who exercise the same precautions as are advisable at any other urban university will be fine. That is, stay on campus or in the student-frequented areas off campus, don’t go stumbling around drunk at night, don’t walk around alone at night, etc.
@BasicOhioParent “Where fun comes to die” could be their marketing slogan next year! Visiting Case and Miami U in April…any guesses which one my son will like better?
@EDHDAD I don’t know which school your son will prefer, but mine liked both Miami and Case for different reasons. My 50 year old self prefers Case, but I’m fairly certain that my 18 year old self would have preferred Miami.
When safe ride is backed up - Cleveland Police steps up. I didn’t believe it - but my daughter provided pictures and video. We are from the Bay Area - my daughter is getting a fantastic education, making friends, and having fun.
@BasicOhioParent we visited Case Western for the accepted student’s day on the 19th as well! Also very impressed with the scholarly, academic focused environment and Case has strongly moved up on my list. We drove there and I didn’t see any areas of Cleveland that looked too rough. Both my parents are from pretty “rough” areas of Philadelphia, however (Chester and North Philly), so my opinion might be jaded. I liked the integrated urban campus that wasn’t too overwhelming. All the students we talked to including my tour guide said they’ve never felt unsafe on campus (although they say that at every school!).
Im excited to visit Case soon
As a student, I still have fun! But I’ve only ever attended Case, so I can’t compare its “fun” atmosphere to other universities.
I will say that my roommate’s mom attended Case in the '80’s, and back then the Case motto was literally “Learning is Suffering”
That’s hilarious.
Considering that the first thing my kid noticed at Miami was two kids walking with a couple cases of beer . . . 