I’m planning on majoring in nursing and I was accepted to university of michigan and case western reserve university. As much as education and financials are important I also want to have “fun college experience.” The problem is I’m responsible for the cost. I visited both schools and honestly can see myself going to either schools. Also, I’m from california.
umich:
ranked #3 for nursing
barely any finanical aid (paying 50k)
im attracted to their social aspects - sports culture, school spirit!!
safer area
prestige
cwru:
ranked #5 for nursing
i got really good finanical aid (paying 15k)
their nurse building is new and so nice & the facility here seems more new
seems like everyone is focused solely on academics and not much social life going around
i read joining sororities will enhance social life, but i’m not particularly interested in greek life
The more I write the clearer I see which school I should pick (case?), but I feel like I would always have the “what if” thought following me for the rest of my life. I know I want to be a nurse (travel nurse one day hopefully), so I know finding a job (income) is not a concern for me.
Unless a big rah-rah, Big Ten school environment with awesome D1 sporting events is a must-have for you, I would pocket the $140k and head for Case. I would consider programs ranked 3rd and 5th to be peers…
There might be less to do on campus at Case, but the school is in Cleveland… so there will be plenty to do and see.
These are both excellent options! Congratulations!
The $140k difference is where this decision should start and end. Your future self will thank you. On a positive side, you aren’t sacrificing quality of education with these choices… many kids have no choice but to attend a much lower ranked school due to finances. You are choosing between peer nursing programs.
The campus vibe will be different, of course, but everything I know about Case indicates you will have a tremendous amount of support and funded experiential opportunities. I love UM but do not think it can provide the personal touch a smaller school can. Having financial responsibility for your education can be stressful so I think the support Case provides will be a welcome part of your college experience.
Congratulations again.
Edit: I think @JackH2021 has a student at Case and may be able to chime in?
Being admitted to these two top programs show you have a lot of potential but I see some warning signs here. Just about everyone wants to have fun at college but when someone posts about it then it seems like it is extra-important to them. College is not going to be like HS. A lot of smart kids have excelled in HS using their native smarts and just-in-time studying. In college, though, all the kids accepted with you are also pretty smart and so the pace is going to reflect that.
A rule of thumb for math/science classes, which will apply to many of the classes in your curriculum, is 3 hours outside of class for every class hour. College classes meet 3x/week so that means you should be spending 9 hours per week on each class doing the assigned reading, finishing the homework, going to office hours, doing practice problems on your own, etc. With 3-4 such classes it means that college is a full-time job easily taking 40+ hours a week.
There’s time after that for fun and play but too many students think they’ll be able to use their HS approach and do ok. Further complicating the issue is the cumulative nature of classes in a major like nursing. You don’t really get a fresh start every semester, they’ll assume you’ve mastered the material from previous classes.
I’m not trying to say don’t have fun in college, I’m saying put in the time and effort to make sure you’re doing well in class and then use your spare time for play.
I agree with you that Case Western is the sensible choice and you certainly won’t be sacrificing anything academically going there.
Once you commit to Case, feel free to absorb all the “ick” you can about Michigan, lol. For instance, my daughter there lives with three nursing students. They each have to have a car after sophomore year and they can be assigned to clinicals 45+ minutes away. That can be inconvenient and expensive, adding a big chunk to what would have been your already pricey bill. Also, even though you are in Cleveland and Ohio State is in Columbus, you will meet plenty of Ohioans who see Michigan as the enemy. Soak it in and believe what they say.
This may all sound silly, but there is no reason to look back once you commit. You can have a great experience at Case even if it is different than what you would have had at Michigan. Be open to the opportunities and don’t look back or compare.
I’ll bite. Yes, my son is a freshman MechE at Case. He applied to more highly ranked programs, including UofM, but he selected CWRU because of the school’s size and vibe, support for students, the surrounding neighborhood, and facilitation of double majors or minors. He also was taken with the Sears Think Box. As a parent, I was pretty happy about the merit award equal to 50% of tuition, but that did not affect the decision.
So far, he is very pleased and has been successful there. He already has a research job on campus spring semester, freshman year and with one exception his instructors have been great. He did not like UofM, largely because of the campus vibe and the requirement to catch a shuttle to the separate engineering campus (not to mention his mother is a Spartan - message me for UofM jokes). The OP’s student may love UofM’s campus and catching a shuttle to make classes would not be an issue (I think… I am not sure how far the hospital where students would do their clinicals is from the main campus).
Nursing is very strong at Case, as indicated by its rankings. The school abuts The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospital, and has relationships with both hospitals. Not surprisingly, Case is also strong in other healthcare related majors like BioMedical Engineering (#12).
Things to do and see in Cleveland… where to start? Bordering CWRU’s campus is Cleveland’s art museum, modern art museum, botanical gardens, orchestra and multiple parks. There is retail and restaurants just off campus. If you are into sports, Cleveland has baseball, football and basketball teams. I am not sure about music and theater since my son is not interested.
A few thoughts on “fun college experience”… you are going to work your tail off as a nursing student. In addition to your coursework in difficult subjects like biology, chemistry and pharmacology you are going to spend countless hours working in hospitals or clinics. My niece was a nursing student at Boston College, and her first day the dean told the incoming students “if you are in college to party, this isn’t the place for you.” My guess is that this sentiment applies to any highly ranked nursing program. She needed 900 hours of clinicals in hospitals to graduate. I know requirements vary at different programs, but be prepared to pull shifts at University Hospital. This is not to say that you will not have time to have fun, you just won’t have as much time as the humanities majors.
I do not intend to scare you off from nursing. My niece worked her tail off and pulled midnight shifts on weekends, but she also found an amazing sense of purpose. She has been working as a nurse for years, and she found her calling.
If you have not done so already, do some research on University Hospital and The Cleveland Clinic. The Cleveland Clinic is a nationally recognized hospital that draws patients from all over the country, much like Mayo Clinic in MN. In fact, we have a family friend in Michigan who went to Cleveland Clinic for cancer treatment. It is the A team, and it is right next door.
Money notwithstanding, a key consideration should be where you will be doing your clinicals. How are the facilities? How well respected is the hospital? What are the logistics of making your shift (is it two buses and a mile walk, or is it a three block walk)? Would you want to work in that facility when you graduate? What do nurses there say about the work environment?
From what you write you will be expected to pay for college yourself - will your parents pitch in anything? As it is you can only borrow around $5k per year - your parents would need to co-sign any loans over that amount. At the prices you list, only Case is a possibility - $15k a year is an outstanding price to attend and you may be able to cover some of the expense by working during the year and in the summer so that you don’t owe the full amount ($60k). I see no path to Michigan - you don’t want to be borrowing hundreds of thousands of dollars. No nursing job will make paying that off easy.
As a high school student in California in the 1990’s, I opted to attend a pricey, exclusive East Coast university over California public schools (at more than double the cost at the time). I too was looking for something different and exciting. While my college experience was very fun, I can tell you that it mostly does not matter where you go to school for nursing. In fact, some of my college roommates and I have joked about how we wasted our parents money attending an expensive university when we work side by side with awesome nurses who attended state schools, foreign universities or community college (and make the same $). What matters most to your future employers is experience and then your work ethic/grit/attitude.
I get that you want to go out of state and to somewhere prestigious and fun. Fortunately you have that option in CWRU! I would not take on significant debt to go to any other school in your situation.
Be careful about falling into the trap of assuming you’ll be able to travel and earn a high salary. Nursing can be cyclical. In my 20+ year career I’ve seen lay offs, buy outs of more senior nursing staff, and tough job markets for new grads.
I’d recommend going to an affordable university, achieving a stellar GPA, taking initiative in your clinicals to see and learn as much as you possibly can, and trying to build relationships with nursing professors and clinical instructors. Working as a CNA is super hard work but so helpful in landing your first job. All of these things will set you up for a prize fellowship in a nursing specialty at a great facility for your first job out of school. I’m a Labor and Delivery nurse and it’s so fun!
I went to Michigan for undergrad and CWRU for medical school. I think you should go with Case. The additional $$$ to attend Michigan isn’t worth it. Case is highly regarded for health careers and you will get excellent clinical experiences at University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic. There is a lot to do in Cleveland and the Metroparks are well worth visiting. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your experience wherever you choose!
The Cleveland Orchestra is world class, and Severance Hall (their home) is very close to CWRU.
For theater, you have the Cleveland Playhouse which is amazing.
In addition to these, there is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…everytime we’ve been there, some excellent local group has been playing.
There are concert venues for all kinds of music…and Blossom Music Center (you would need a car) in the summers.
Plenty of other theater too.
CWRU actually has relationships with four different hospital groups. University Hospital main campus is located right there. Cleveland Clinic, Metro, and the VA hospital also have ties with CWRU.
This student is applying to undergrad school. Not medical school (now). He might find a shadowing opportunity at Cleveland Clinic. Or at University Hospitals.
Your future self will thank you. On a positive side, you aren’t sacrificing quality of education with these choices… many kids have no choice but to attend a much lower ranked school due to finances. You are choosing between peer nursing programs.