Is Case Really Worth It?

<p>Hello! New poster, so bear with me.</p>

<p>I am a senior living in Akron, Ohio, at a nearby public HS. I am in the top 10 of my class (of 150), have a 30 ACT, extracurriculars, etc. Other than Case and University of Akron, I have applied to Ohio U and OSU. Case is my only reach school. My plan is to major in Chemical Engineering, with chemistry as my second option. I am also very interested in joining Women in Engineering once I am in college. I have had little engineering-specific preparation, except for AP Chem, Physics, and Calc. </p>

<p>I have been accepted to U of Akron's Honors College and will be receiving my scholarship award soon. However, I do not want to go there, but my father wants me to go. On top of that, I can commute (I live <10miles from campus) and go for nearly free. Although I do not like it there, it is financially responsible. </p>

<p>Simply, Case's price tag scares me. If Case's net price calculator is pretty accurate, I'd be receiving $25k in grant aid, as well as my grandparents offering to pay for room and board. It still leaves $15k a year. </p>

<p>Is it really worth it to incur $60k of debt? Is the experience worth it? Will I be more likely to have a higher return on investment because I graduated from Case? </p>

<p>I hope this post doesn't come off as a diss on UA. I have just lived around the campus for the last 5 years and have been generally unimpressed. The environment is not for me, and I would like to go my own way and experience a bigger city and meet new people. But I cannot deny that it would be nice to go and not worry about loans.</p>

<p>Thank you :)</p>

<p>I think you have to have all of your school acceptances, scholarship and financial aid offers and sit down and look at your out of pocket costs as well as how much debt you will be taking on before you can seriously answer this question.</p>

<p>The only acceptance I am waiting for is Case. I did not receive enough from my other schools to bring them within reason. I have to wait until my interview with UA to know what I will receive. Based on classmates with similar stats, I will probably receive around $5-7k a year from UA, leaving approximately $4-6k a year to be paid when living at home. My dad is guessing he will be able to contribute about $3k, and my mother (who lives in FL) about $1k. All my living expenses and out of pocket costs can be covered by work and savings. </p>

<p>BluePoodle- looking at your other posts on Case, does your son’s experience at Case well outweigh the costs?</p>

<p>Even if you do decide to go to UA, consider living on campus instead of at home. It will help your academics because you will be able to more easily be part of study groups and you will find it easier to participate in other on-campus activities.</p>

<p>As for whether Case is worth the debt, you need to ask yourself if it will provide you with a higher potential earning that will permit you to pay off the debt without a lot of pain.</p>

<p>[Engineering</a> Schools by Salary Potential ? PayScale College Salary Report 2012-13](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2013/engineering-schools]Engineering”>http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2013/engineering-schools)</p>

<p>Akron, should be able to tell you their typical numbers for an engineer.</p>

<p>xraymancs- thanks for the link. I seems Akron’s ROI ranking is in middle (~650 out of 1250) while Case has a rank of 37 out of about 1250 colleges. </p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

<p>Much of that is because Case is more focused on STEM majors where salaries tend to be higher. I am sure that the salaries for Akron engineering students are higher than the university average.</p>

<p>You definitely need to wait till all the numbers come in. Private schools have a lot to offer and you should never discount them till you see it in writing. If they are close enough to consider then you need to look at other factors. If a school is such a great deal but you are miserable and resent being there then that would be a waste of money and time. Then you need to look at the fit of a school and the academics. You will be challenged at Case, no doubt. </p>

<p>My son is a freshman at CASE and debated it with OSU for two weeks before decision time. The numbers were competitive enough and they both offered him what he wanted in a school (majors and study abroad options). My husband (OSU grad) suggested CASE was a better fit because of his personality and interests (zero sports) and he was undecided with a major and we felt CASE advising would be more accommodating. My son is extremely happy with CASE. He wanted a highly competitive school and even though he is one of a very few students that have not declared, he has found a lot of options to consider. He really likes his adviser, loves the city and campus atmosphere. He not loving physics so much but said the other day in a text that “the power of his friendships and all the help he gets on his floor is what is getting him through”. </p>

<p>I have been reading this forum for two years and just signed up today for you. Best of luck and do what makes you happy.</p>

<p>notaprincess, I have a daughter attending Case. We never looked at schools where living at home and commuting to school would be an option. So it made the cost of living for each of our schools fair. We had to consider travel to/from home into our costs as well as scholarship and financial aid packages. </p>

<p>My daughter was accepted to one LAC with a 3/2 program for engineering. That college would have been pretty much a full ride with maybe $1 - $2000 out of my pocket for her to attend but not really what my DD wanted since she wanted to go to a research university.</p>

<p>Case offered the best FA and scholarship $ and was the highest ranked of all of her accepted colleges. She was accepted to University of Miami, but with less $ and no guarantees for 4 years of on campus housing like CASE can offer. Plus she felt UM would be more of a party school than she wanted. </p>

<p>With all of that being said, CASE was really her best choice. Yes, we chose it for the research opportunities, being a part of university circle (she is now declaring BM Engineering), the great options to also study foreign language (she is learning Mandarin), all the co-ops, study abroad, tutors, etc. that are available at CASE. She is even getting used to cold weather and snow again.</p>

<p>She loves her roommate, joined a Sorority and seems to really love her experience there. I wish you the best of luck in your decision making process.</p>

<p>If you’re interested in Corrosion or Polymers, Akron is a great school. Make sure you apply for departmental scholarships at UA and OSU. Deadlines are coming up fast. Note that you can only borrow $5500 freshman year, $6500 soph, $7500 jr/sr, unless you qualify for Perkins. That means your parents would have to borrow the remaining $8-10k per year for Case. I’m not sure if it’s still possible, but you might be able to get full tuition from OU if you retake the ACT and get a 32.</p>

<p>Definitely don’t count out Case, it is absolutely incredible for STEM majors and the support from faculty and alumni is great. If you don’t get enough in financial aid and scholarships, talk to their financial aid office and show them your other rewards. They’ll work with you if this is really where you want to be.</p>

<p>well if i went ot case i would not have to pay anything. my parents said they would pay up the 30,000 for school because they understand that it is expensive but luckily i got 23,000 from case plus my 5500 loan. from what i know case is generous with scholarships. i got in and got a scholarship when i do not qualify for either. Also to be honest when you apply for a job they mostly only care about your highest level of education degree (fyi, is you want to go to grad school) and honestly where you go you will still get a job.</p>

<p>Is it possible that you could do something like be an RA to help defray living costs, at least after the first year? I do not encourage taking huge loans, but some amount is Ok. As others have said, wait until all offers are in. You might also want to consult with the financial aid office at Case. Let them k ow it is really your number 1 choice, but that you can’t afford it, you are willing to work on campus… Things like that. Good luck.</p>

<p>Are your parents willing to pay anything at all or is it just you and your grandparents?</p>

<p>If you look at this site you will see that CWRU ranks 9th among midwestern universities in mid career salary average at $94K per year. </p>

<p>[Midwest</a> Schools by Salary Potential ? PayScale College Salary Report 2012-13](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2013/midwest-schools]Midwest”>http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2013/midwest-schools)</p>

<p>Akron ranks 135th at $68,800. There is also a large discrepancy in first year salaries. Part of the reason that CWRU has such a high average is that it is a school that cranks out high numbers of STEM/healthcare graduates each year. Ohio and OSU are also ranked higher than Akron.</p>

<p>We cannot make this decision for you but we can point you toward data that can help you make a decision. Show it to your parents.</p>

<p>Go for Case.</p>

<p>Look, your degree with stick with you for the rest of your life. And having Case on your resume is much more impressive than the University of Akron (honors or not). Wherever you work post graduation and beyond, having a Case degree will automatically serve as a testament to your intellect, capabilities, and work ethic. With UA on the other hand, most people outside of Ohio will think its just another mediocre state school. Given the way Case is growing in stature, your CWRU degree will have 10x the brand value than one from UA. It’ll make it much easier for you to find good jobs and rise in the ranks of companies. There are a lot more top tier recruiters who come to Case for undergrad engineering students. You’re likely to get a better quality job and much higher pay than what you will probably get from UA.</p>

<p>As far as the debt goes, $60k can be paid off within the first five years of graduation. ChemE is one of the highest paying degrees for undergrads, so don’t really worry about the debt. It’ll go away, but the name on your resume won’t. </p>

<p>Also - Case will push you much more than UA. You will struggle (just as everyone does here), but you will be better off in the long run. If you can graduate with a Case Eng degree, there’s really very little you cannot do. </p>

<p>I was in a similar predicament during my senior year of hs, and I chose Case and don’t regret my decision one bit. It’s totally worth the extra money.</p>

<p>THANK you all for the responses!! They have been very helpful.</p>

<p>One question- is Case going to rise to national recognition? It seems that most non-Midwest residents have never heard of Case before, but yet it is an amazing school. From what I have seen on here, as well as the increasing number of Case applicants, will a Case degree hold a serious weight such as a degree from somewhere similarly ranked like Vanderbilt or Carnegie Mellon?</p>

<p>To whomever suggested being an RA to defray living costs–</p>

<p>This year over 150 students applied for 60 RA positions, and as you can see it is one of the most competitive on campus positions around. Also, the student has the ability to loose some financial aid if they accept the position since it is paid, and they talk to Financial Aid and take that into account. I just wanted you all to know this!</p>

<p>Yes Case’s reputation and stature are rising. Even Stuyvesant students are applying and attending Case. My prediction is that Case will be ranked around 32 in 2016.</p>

<p>upstream, that prediction would be awesome if it came true! Previously, Case was ranked close to RPI, and having my son admitted to both and visited both, I can say Case is several notches above as far as rep., dorms, facilities and up and coming momentum. My advice is to apply and see what $ is offered to you, before you write them off. A female in a STEM major is highly desired. You might be surprised that with scholarships and FA, your tuition may rival state tuition. Also, you’ll be exposed to students from all over the country, as well as international students. Who are you exposed to in State school? mostly in state students, I bet. Nothing wrong with that, but I want my kid to expand his horizons, open himself to other cultures, and have a more global exposure.</p>

<p>Thanks for the responses.
So far I have in scholarships:
$3000 to Ohio State
$2000 to Ohio U
at least $6000 to U of Akron (still waiting on Honors college scholarship). My dad is encouraging me to live on campus at Akron which is fine, the Honors Complex dorms are very nice.</p>

<p>Case releases decisions today so I will be getting financial aid within the next two weeks, and hopefully from all my other schools as well. My federal EFC is $12500 - my dad and stepmother estimate it to be more like $3000-5000. I only qualify for federal loans, but I’m not sure on state grants. I’ve applied to University of Akron’s Choose Ohio First STEM Scholarship, but Case’s only applies to Bioscience and Healthcare. Now to wait. It is hard for me as I really do not want to go in serious debt to afford Case as I have seen my parents go through bankruptcy and my mother is still in a large sum of debt from years ago. However, I would much rather go to Case and just be average rather than be at the top of my Honor college class. I wish my heart wasn’t telling me a different thing than my head.</p>

<p>Update:
I received a $20500 scholarship to Case. Not quite enough, but I’m going to try to make it work.</p>