My D went to school in IN, but literally on the OH border. That is a wonderful part of the country! And there’s some kind of Midwest magic, lots of really fine colleges which fly under the radar with the general public, but employers and grad schools know them and love them.
@OHMomof2 The one time I went on a roller coaster was actually really fun! (this was 8 years ago). But, I’ll add Cedar Point on my list of places to visit while in Ohio. I’ve also heard that there’s a lot of great restaurants in downtown Cleveland, which is so exciting. I’m a bit of a foodie, so I can’t wait to try some great new food 
People only question your choice when they think they would have made a different one. It helps to recognize this. And if they act strange when you tell them where you’re going, you can say, “You’ve never heard of X College? They have a great economics department/volleyball team/career services/whatever.”
You can tell people you are going to college there because it is near Cedar Point, the roller coaster capital of the world. 
@LasMa Yeah, when I started doing further college research I noticed that Ohio/Indiana/Illinois/Iowa had some really nice colleges that I wasn’t aware existed.
@intparent Roller coaster capitol of the world? Well now I must visit this Cedar Point!
I’ve had some amazing meals in Cleveland from pretty fancy places in Little Italy to takeout Jamaican in East Euclid. The west side market is pretty cool too.
I’d never seen a great lake before moving here and though Erie is the smallest, it’s still impressive to face a body of water with no visible shore. There are some nice beaches on it, too.
There is another thread going on about how the student was ‘introduced’ to the college. Lots of answers and your story just shows another way, through the match tool. One of mine was at a college fair, the other through a series of coincidences that kept circling back to one school.
Buy the T-shirt and wear it proudly.
@OHMomof2 Michael Symon (the famous chef) has a restaurant in Cleveland that I really want to go to. I remember him talking about it on an episode of The Chew Also, I’ve read that there are many different food trunks around the city.
@twoinanddone I’ve been looking around online for a CSU shirt. I want something that is a bit more lively than the basic shirts offered on the school’s website that just say “Cleveland State University”. The larger universities always have better college shirt designs than lesser known universities (I’m just being picky, I know)
I was in your situation just a year ago. I lived in New Jersey my whole life, but decided to attend a public university in North Carolina. 9 hours away from my home. Almost 500 miles of distance in between.
I had a sizable amount of people tell me that it was a good school right off the bat. But EVERYONE always asked why I was going there, why I chose the school I chose, why I elected to go so far from home (this was at a school where >80% of students chose an OOS college). Luckily, I’ve always beamed with pride about it. Once people saw that, they were very happy for me.
The next challenge is constantly answering all of your college friends whenever they ask “what made you come here from XYZ” or “how did you hear about this school?”
My son went to college in OH and we are from a warm weather state. He really liked his college experience. Enjoy it.
Edited to add: Cleveland is a really great food city. If you are a foodie you will really love Cleveland. There are lots of good restaurants at every price point.
We r from far west Texas. My son didn’t apply to any Texas schools. Everyone around here is shocked to hear that. I was excited to read your post- “yeah! Another kid going far away to college!”
People are genuinely curious about where the graduating senior is going to college. You’ll be putting up with those questions till late August and then you’ll be gone. It sounds like part of the issue is you talked about UT to so many and feel awkward that you aren’t going there.
So I’ve no words of wisdom, just encouragement.
Hang in there until you depart for your new life chapter. The fact that you are willing to step outside your Texas comfort zone speaks volumes. Maybe if you shared on CC the name of the school that is lucky to have you, you would get some cheers from those who have heard of it.
Best of luck.,
Cleveland Native here - not sure what you are planning to study, but the school for urban development at CSU is tops in the nation. And CSU has been pouring $$ into the campus - as has downtown Cleveland as a whole. https://www.csuohio.edu/architect/csu-master-plan
As for Michael Symon- Lola (his main downtown restaurant) is a bit pricey these days - I recommend his new BBQ place next door - Mabels. Crazy delicious.http://www.michaelsymon.com/mabels-bbq/
@GreenTeaFanatic , the snarky responses that have been suggested are funny, but I urge you not to take that route. Saying “Oh you haven’t heard of X?” is just calculated to make the other person feel stupid. And if they started off with good intentions towards you, which they probably did, they won’t have them after that!
Keep it positive!
GreenTeaFanatic - foodie tips for you: 1) West Side Market; 2) Lily handmade chocolates; 3) Little Italy; 4) Slyman’s Deli; 5) Momocho restaurant; 6) The Greenhouse Tavern. Welcome to Cleveland!
My son graduated last year from a rigorous magnet school in an East Coast city. It sends a lot of kids to Ivy schools every year, another big chunk to the good state schools and research universities, and a handful to LACs. When my son got into Grinnell ED, he got comments (mainly from parents) ranging from “How did you manage to find a school in Iowa?” to “Congratulations for getting into a school in the middle of nowhere that no one has ever heard of.” Depending on the tone of the “WHY???” he occasionally responded “Because the restaurant we had lunch in after my tour and interview had a fantastic mango chicken sandwich.” People who asked with genuine interest and curiosity got a less snarky answer.
@carlson2 - Malleys Chocolates are pretty awesome too
Even though I’m the author of one of the snarky suggestions, I do agree with @Consolation about not using them. It’s hard to remember when you hear the question every time you turn around, but for each of the questioners, it’s new. They really are interested, and this is your chance to educate them about a great unknown gem! As someone above said, develop a set of stock answers which will come easily to mind. Tell them what excites you about Cleveland State.
@BUalum93 thanks for the encouragement!
@toowonderful The money that they put into the campus was well spent, because the campus looks good (from the videos/pictures I’ve seen). Also, the dorms are soooo nice.
@carlson2 Thanks for the suggestions! I also read that Cleveland has an interesting food truck scene
Remember when the person asking is in a grade below yours, or is the parent of such a kid, that they may be asking because they’re making a mental list of schools to check out. Teachers and Guidance Counselors probably fall into that category too. For these people, your response might focus on the process of how you went about making your choice.
The way you approached your search was mature and logical, but you also paid attention to the emotional fit. You should be extremely proud of that. Very few kids (or parents) approach the college search that way.