Case (With Scholarship) vs. more prestigious schools

Hello all,

I am in a tough position. I am trying to determine whether or not I should attend WUSTL (W/ no aid/scholarship, total cost = $66,000) or Case Western (W/ aid, total cost = $36,000). My planned area of study is pre-med (biochemistry) with a possible minor in political science.

My parents are against paying full price for WUSTL. The cost of attendance would put a big dent into my family (upper middle class with 2 other brothers in college soon). However, I find WUSTL MUCH MORE appealing than Case Western in many regards: Food, Dorms, Campus, People, Academics, etc.

At the end of the day, I don’t know if I will be put at a severe disadvantage attending Case in terms of getting into a good med school, quality of life (Case is known for a lesser quality of life apparently), and research/shadowing positions (I know Cleveland clinic is near Case Western, but WUSTL appears to have more research positions open and 2 hospitals on campus).

What are your thoughts? WUSTL or Case? Is it worth it to go $120,000 more in debt attending WUSTL??? AM I making Case Western seem worse than it actually is?

I applied WUSTL ED and have talked to the admissions reps about the financial burden - they understand if I need to pull my acceptance due to financial reasons but will not offer any more aid.

Congrats on getting in! I understand your dilemma but the extra money for WUSTL, especially for pre-med, just isn’t worth it.

Safe the money. Go to Case. It’s a great school, especially for pre-med.

PS. It’s not just the Cleveland Clinic near Case. University Hospital is right there, along with the VA medical center.

Not worth it. You seem not to care about burdening your family for a perceived difference in quality that doesn’t really exist.

See my response in your other thread. Definitely not worth the debt, especially since you have medical school to pay for.

Case is a great school!

How soon until your two brothers start college ? If they are twins & start next year, then take a gap year & you may qualify for substantial financial aid at WUSTL. If not, then Case Western is the wiser choice.

Take the merit money & attend Case Western.

Is the Case Western award financial aid or a merit scholarship ?

One more vote for CWRU and a prompt withdrawal from WUSTL (to open up the seat for someone else)

@Publisher It’s merit scholarship.

I understand everyone’s recommendation to attend Case, but the disparity in rankings and resources is so large that I’m unsure if the cost is justified or not.

@Publisher 2 years for one brother and 3 years for another. Unfortunately not twins.

I understand everyone’s recommendation to attend Case, but the disparity in rankings and resources is so large that I’m unsure if the cost is justified or not.

The difference is not that large. You are looking for reasons to attend WUSTL and support for that here which you will not likely get.

WUSTL is not HYPSM.

In an earlier post, you wrote that you had a 1560 SAT & other outstanding qualifications. Do you have any other options ?

$120,000 of loans for undergraduate school can easily double after graduation with deferments & minimum payments. Can affect your ability to qualify for a mortgage & can cause a great deal of personal stress.

@"D.Mat1234: If you are referring to the US News rankings, then just turn the magazine upside down & Case Western will be higher on the rankings list. Problem solved.

@Publisher

I was accepted into UNC, Uchicago, Umich and Upitt, all offering no aid or scholarship money. My choice came down to Uchicago and WUSTL, and I decided to attend WUSTL with the hopes that I would qualify for one of WUSTL’s scholarships. However I was not selected for any WUSTL scholarships and I now believe the real choice comes down to WUSTL at full price and Case Western at half price.

I was under the impression that high-paying medical specialties allow you to pay off loans relatively easily, but a large part of me believes that the $120,000 more debt isn’t practical in the broader scheme of things like you said.

Again, WUSTL does seem to prepare you better for med school and one can assume they can land you into a better med school based on their abundance of resources. Maybe my assumption is an exaggeration as many are saying.

@TomSrOfBoston

WUSTL seems close enough to many schools just barely below HYPSM level such as Duke, UChicago, Northwestern, Rice, etc. in terms of resources and pre-med prestige to med schools. However, I believe at the end of the day the quality of life probably doesn’t justify the extra $120,000?

Case Western Reserve is a major National University. Truthfully speaking, I do not think that you have a real choice as WashUStL is cost prohibitive.

Excessive debt can be crippling in life with respect to home ownership, relationships & financial responsibility for starting a family.