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Ooh, nasty burn on Cleveland mom2. It’s not much different than many northeastern cities.
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lol…it’s just that it’s so dreary and gray.
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My kids think going to school in the south would have been terrible.
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Ha! lol…that’s because they haven’t visited. 
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s your kid truly serious about med school? Then she needs to choose the cheapest place (to save money for med school later) that she thinks she can get the best grades at (to increase the chance of med school admission). TAMU in-state probably is her cheapest, so she should go there.
It is time to remind her to keep her eyes on that long-term goal.
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^^^ This
The DD seemed to have applied to a lot of reach schools, which is often a misstep for serious premeds. The med school app process can be counter-intuitive, hence the common missteps. Going to a reach school, and sometimes even a match school, can lead to being weeded out promptly. But…sadly…many premeds think, “I’m smart, I want to go to med school, therefore I need to go to an elite school.” And, then sometime between frosh and soph years their GPAs are no longer med school worthy. Poop!
I know that you want her to have more choices. What are her stats? There are still good schools awarding large merit.
How much do you want your net costs to be?
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Let me be frank…someone who is premed (and seriously wants to go to med school), should rethink BioMedE as a major. The likelyhood that she’ll end up with a med school worthy GPA is lowish. Med schools will NOT give an eng’g major a pass for having a lower GPA in a “harder major”.
I know that some premeds choose BioMedE as a major because they think it sounds appealing to med schools. It won’t. Med schools don’t give a rats patootie what someone majors in. Frankly, we’re not sure they even notice the major…lol. It’s almost strictly a numbers game.
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Before someone says, “but M2CK, your son was a Chemical Engineering student, and he had a high GPA, and he’s now in med school…”. Yes, that’s true. But my son lives and breathes the hard sciences…and he still had to work hard for his A’s. And, he went to a mid-tier flagship rather that a top school where his high stats may have gotten him in. So, he didn’t go to a reach school, he went to his safety on nearly a free ride.
I’m a admin of a premed group and so many eng’g premeds end up with GPAs that aren’t med school worthy. So many hope that med schools will “cut them a break” because the major is so hard…but med schools do not.
I know this thread is not about Cleveland or Case per se but if you haven’t been to Case in a while I think you’d be surprised at how far the campus and surrounding area have come. It is a vibrant campus with lots to do, lots of new restaurants, lots of museums and attractions and loads of research opportunities. To dismiss it with “Case is in a dreary city” is not doing it justice. I hope she has visited- then her excitement will be understandable. Kids that age are so resilient and adaptable- weather doesn’t affect them like us old fogies!! Case in point (no pun intended)- my D is a junior there and loves it! She endured two very tough winters and this year, a very mild one. She says it really doesn’t affect them, just put on warm clothes and go about your business. And this is coming from a kid who has lived in San Diego from the age of 3…
I’m going to take exception with this. I was born and raised in Cleveland and visit there at least three times a year. The city isn’t Boston or NYC, but it has much good to offer.
As for the dreary/grey…it’s a city that has WINTER…real winter. Not like Alabama. Spring, summer and fall are gorgeous in Cleveland. And the snow is fun…if you like snow.
And Case is an excellent school. But isn’t this kid on the WL for Case?
I agree with the people taking exception to the dreary city title. It would be something to attend school on the same campus as one of the top symphonies in the country.
To the OP, how does TAMU look for costs? If you can’t swing that I think taking a gap year is a good option.
A city that’s truly “dreary and gray” for several months a year can be an issue for people with Seasonal Associative Disorder. Places that I wouldn’t consider either are still places one of my nephews can’t live in because, to him, they’re both.
I live in a place that’s dreary and gray and I do warn people who are coming from sunnier places what the winter is like. It can be a shock (and a huge problem for people with SAD).
(With that said, I wouldn’t consider the schools pushed heavily on here because of their location… and it has nothing to do with the weather, and yes I’ve visited. But that’s another issue entirely.)
I’ve visited Cleveland. Have you seen its suburbs? Shaker Heights? Gates Mills? Unbelievable. And Cleveland has arguably the finest medical center in the country–the Cleveland Clinic–one of the finest orchestras in the world, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Compared to it, most other major cities are cultural deserts. It’s inner city has problems but Case sits on the East side.
As for the weather, I’ll show my bias and say I cannot stand the heat and humidity of the south and love the change of seasons that is only found in the north. Then again, I love ice skating, skiing and hockey…
In addition to the fabulous orchestra, first class art museum, top notch medical facilities (both Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals)…there are also professional sports teams, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the terrific Cleveland Playhouse.
Many students attending Case live in Cleveland Heights…off of Coventry which is a trendy and hopping area for young people.
People from Cleveland and living in Cleveland are very proud of their city. To a Clevelander, there is no better place.
Don’t mess with Cleveland. ;). Now if the Cavs could win the title.
Just FYI…I haven’t lived in Cleveland for over 45 years! But I visit three times a year.
All that aside…Case is a terrific school. Terrific.
Count me as another who would pick Cleveland over most places in the hot, humid, buggy south. I’ve lived in the cold north and the hot, humid, buggy south. I don’t like signs that say “Do not drive through standing water on the roadway. SNAKES.” You don’t have to tell me twice.
lol…cleveland folks! sorry! Some Cleveland fans don’t mind that 3 out of 4 winter days have heavy cloud cover. I get that. It can be what you’re used to. I’m a Southern Calif girl so the idea of that many heavy cloud cover days would not sit well. Nothing against the school at all. Very good school.
now…back to topic!!!
OP: What’s your budget ? What’s net price at all schools your daughter’s been admitted to ?
So you can afford to put $48K per year into 401k accounts?
We’re in a similar situation. Mid 50’s with a 12 year old and a college freshman. While we weren’t putting away $48,000 ($50,000?) a year, I think we were both putting away the old catch-up amount ($44K?) in retirement. I was well aware this money added back in and some assets (not much), would nix any chance for financial aid. It just is what it is. The first time I ran the NPC for a college, I found that the EFC ranged from 25-30% of our income. Luckily that was back when D was still a sophomore so I guided D in her search looking for net COA I felt was affordable for our family. I ran the NPC for 40+ schools and eliminated about half immediately.
Last fall when D went off to college, I reduced my retirement contribution. That gave us breathing room and then some. I found that we didn’t spend as much as I expected. So now, I increasing my contribution - not to the catch-up amount but something in between.
Good luck on your daughter’s choices.
No dog in this fight and sorry I have never been to Cleveland. If Op’s is serious about Med school then she should decide on the place with the least amount of debt for her and where will be the least amount of financial stress for your family
Remember that for professional schools even though your D will be independent for federal aid any need based aid will be based on your income and assets with an expectation that you will be paying your EFC (if you have younger children at many schools their EFC will not be cut because you are helping to fund med school).
@deb922 I like the Indians, just like I always loved the Cubs. Not having to worry about winning the pennant made going to games much more pleasant!
@mom2collegekids We’ll speak if a few years when California starts paying more for water than oil! Don’t envy what you guys are going to have to pay for water…