About to graduate from high school, and out of the colleges I’ve been accepted into I’m having a hard time deciding between Mt Holyoke (fall 2021) and Case Western Reserve (spring 2022). I intend to major in neuro+pre med.
I’ve been leaning toward CWRU as it’s known to be an especially good school for STEM and pre med, with more undergrad research opportunities & association with the Cleveland Clinic/University Hospitals. On the other hand, I’ve heard good things about MHC (in terms of academics, clubs & activities, level of teacher-student engagement, campus life, food quality, etc.) along with having a preference towards its location. Cost isn’t really a problem for either school bc of decent scholarships/aid. Wanted some outside opinions before making a decision on whether it would be worth attending CWRU (even though I’d miss a semester) for the more highly ranked neuro/pre med program, or if I’d have a better experience if I instead attended MHC in the fall. I’d like some overall opinions on the schools (the pros and cons, comparisons of academics/extracurriculars etc.). Thanks in advance
Didn’t you have to already choose one of these schools, or did you deposit at both? Or maybe you received an extension?
What would you do Fall semester if you chose CWRU?
These schools are pretty different, and you can be a successful premed from either. Case might have relatively more options to get varied healthcare work/volunteer experience, something to look in to. IMO one really has to want an all women experience to choose MoHo…where are you on that?
I was waitlisted until recently so there’s an extended deadline (May 21st).
I would probably spend most of the fall semester trying out a lot of classes and activities and deciding what to sign up for and working out a good routine/schedule based on that.
And yeah, they are pretty different schools, they were among the relatively small institutions I was recommended that I thought seemed pretty good. I generally slightly prefer co-ed, but I also wouldn’t mind the all-women experience. Not to mention Mt Holyoke is part of the five college consortium so I figure there would be some opportunities for co-ed either way.
We’re comparing apples & oranges with these 2 schools, both of which are highly regarded, both of which will prepare you academically for med school, both of which will offer opportunities for research, and both of which have state of the art facilities in the sciences.
The two environments are so completely different that this seems like the basic question to answer first. Which environment would you prefer to study and learn in? Which environment is the one in which you are more likely to seek and connect with mentors and advisors?
Unless you have a plan to make the next 7 months after graduation productive, CWRU would have to offer some overwhelming positives to make it worth putting your life on hold and essentially wasting that time. Some of the questions to be answered involve planning an academic sequence for any full year courses when you have a mid year start. Without such a plan, Mount Holyoke would seem to me to be the far better choice. Why is CWRU even playing this game?
How will you be trying out classes? Do you live in or near Cleveland so that you can take CWRU courses as a non-matriculated student? Or are you planning to move to an off-campus apartment there so you can do this?
I don’t currently live in the US but am planning to move there for college. I think Mwfan was asking what I would do if I had hypothetically been admitted into CWRU for fall 2021 so I was answering based on that
I guess it does come down to the environment, as you say, in which case I mostly prefer what I’ve seen of Mt Holyoke. I wanted an outside opinion because people have been saying that there are volunteer/research opportunities at CWRU that I probably shouldn’t miss, but I guess it doesn’t matter that much since they both have overall good academics/pre med programs.
Have you read about the SAGES program at CWRU? All students go through this program. It begins with a “First Seminar”, which is offered in the fall semester. SAGES continues as the learning core for all 4 years. They’ve given a lot of thought to this program, so I don’t see how it makes any sense for them to start some students in the second semester.
Frankly I’d approach this this acceptance as a negotiation. They’d like you as a student but to start in 2nd semester. I’d counter their offer with an acceptance of them as your college but an insistence that you must start in the first semester in order to get the full benefit of the first year experience as they’ve designed it. If they refuse, ask why. Is it a lack of dorm space in the first semester but which will become available in 2nd semester? Tell them you’d be happy to go on a wait list for a first semester dorm assignment and will accept off campus housing if a spot in the dorms doesn’t open up. If this isn’t workable, I’d stick with off campus housing without a spot on wait list for first semester but would continue to tell them that a 2nd semester start is unacceptable.
There must be a reason for them offering delayed admission. If it’s not housing, I’d push to find out what it is and to see if there’s a way around whatever the obstacle is. This is your life and they shouldn’t be playing games with it.
No, I think that Mwfan is asking what you are planning to do during the fall semester if you accept the offer from CWRU. Since you won’t be attending college you’ll be doing something else. Have you given any thought to what that will be?
With regard to research opportunities at CWRU that you shouldn’t miss, MHC also talks about research as an important component of their program for neuroscience majors.
In addition, I’d also suggest that you consider planning for a research position as a post college experience - perhaps at a research hospital. Medical schools seem to prefer that students do something else after college before going to med school. The average age of beginning med school students is 24 years old, so they’ve mostly done something else after college. This makes the delay in getting started at CWRU all the more frustrating.
That makes more sense, my bad. I haven’t given it that much thought, actually. Either I go to the US a few months early and work / get some credit at a local community college or I just do some online courses from here / wait it out. Not completely sure.
I’ll definitely look into getting some post college experience. I have looked into the SAGES program and it did seem strange that they would start some of the students in the second semester even with that program in place. I’ll see if it’s possible to push for a first-semester acceptance instead. Thanks for the advice.
Push them hard, tiger, if that’s where you want to go. You deserve to be treated better than this.
With respect to academics, Holyoke offers top level programs in biology and psychology and in the interdisciplinary field of neuroscience. More broadly, MHC has been perennially recognized for its classroom experience in general.
Have you tried mapping out what courses you’d be required to take at each? I was surprised when I did that for my S21’s intended major at CWRU. They had a really heavy courseload, it seemed to me, with not much room left in the schedule for other classes of interest. It wasn’t a good fit for S21, who ended up choosing a school with an open curriculum.
I visited MHC years ago with my D19. The impression we got was that it was a nurturing, supportive environment.
Agree with Bill_Marsh that these are apples and oranges. Hard to imagine the same student being comfortable at both. If the environment of MHC appeals to you the most then I think you have your answer.
Yes, I was asking what you would do from now until you attend CWRU in the spring. Spring starts aren’t an uncommon thing in the US, many schools offer that option.
You should let CWRU know your preference to start in the Fall, if they have room. If spring start, I doubt you will be able to get here early to work or go to CC…international students are limited in what types of jobs they can work while on a student Visa. Will Case even accept CC credit? Note that CC will not be free either.
Which school did you deposit at and which is the waitlist school? If Moho is where you deposited, how confident are you that you will have your student visa in time for fall semester?
I deposited at Mt Holyoke, and CWRU was the waitlist school.
Also, to clarify, I’m not an international student but a US citizen living abroad.
Im not sure if CWRU accepts CC credits & I’m not really counting on it. It seems more likely that I’d stay and possibly do some online courses until the ~7 months have passed
Your post reads to me as if you feel more drawn to Mount Holyoke and the 5 college consortium, but feel as if you should choose CWRU because of its medical/research reputation.
I do not think MHC would limit you in any way, however. The spring start at Case, on the other hand, would put you at a tangible disadvantage, socially and also in terms of the later start on networking and getting involved in meaningful EC’s. If I were you, I would stick with the original plan and start with the MHC entering class in the fall. If you really felt more drawn to Case in terms of “fit” then I might weigh the pros and cons more carefully, but it doesn’t sound as if you do. I don’t think you should switch to CWRU based on any sense that you “should” - MHC is a great school that produces many successful med school applicants.