<p>I see you mentioned Case on your list as a potential option for "other reasons". I realize that there are some students presently enrolled there and active on CC who might disagree with me, but I would strongly urge you stop considering it. In my experience, and I say this having recently completed my freshman year there, it is a miserable institution. And this is not only my opinion, but that of the overwhelming majority of my friends, and many less close associates of mine. </p>
<p>Certainly, it fits most of the criteria you've listed. It's in a city, is in the top 50 (thus has a good reputation) in USNWR, ample merit aid, and a minimally snobby student body (until the subject of Star Trek is raised). But it is also lacking in certain areas that you mention. I would contend that the dorms available freshman and sophomore year are quite bad. While rooms in The Village are quite a bit better, they are also very costly, and only available starting with junior year. As for the food, there is a degree of variety, but it is pretty mediocre. And for most of the weekend, the reduced hours and selection is a major annoyance. As for campus aesthetics, I would imagine this is a small consideration at most. But there is no real cohesive style, and the campus is fairly disjointed architecturally. The only well regarded building in terms of visual appeal is the business building (Peter B Lewis), for which the internal layout is quite bad. </p>
<p>I think though in terms of academics, this is where you are most likely to fall short. The Classics department is fairly small, and is more of a footnote than anything else. I only took one course in it, and it was chiefly because it cross-listed with the History department, and thus seemed more relevant to me, as a Political Science major. Even though it was a 300 level class, it was exceptionally easy, the lectures were painfully dry, and most of the students would have killed to be elsewhere. And this isn't some obscure class taught by a visiting professor, but rather a regularly offered, fairly large (by department standards) Classics class taught by one of their "star" professors. I have a couple of friends in the department, all of whom dislike the structure of the required language classes. </p>
<p>History is a larger, better department. But I've found that all of the best professors in the department tend to be visiting faculty. And many of the most interesting classes get pulled at the last minute. The real problem though is that anything below the 300 level is too simple to be intellectually enriching, and the 300 offerings often conflict with one another. So there are really very few good offerings, even among their broader range. </p>
<p>The truth is, in terms of academics, Case is excellent for Biology, Biochemistry, and Biomedical Engineering. Other than that, the offerings range from moderate (Physics) to laughable (Anthropology). Humanities and Social Science majors are more accidents than integral parts of the campus community, with their departments severely underfunded. And, stepping outside of this and the other aforementioned issues, the social scene is not something to boast about. Case is ranked among the 20 unhappiest schools in the nation for a reason.</p>