The Loan Reality

<p>@Mom2aphysicsgeek, </p>

<p>I’ve made up my mind and my D is very happy. But to reply to your question:</p>

<p>Typically, tuition increases at Case is 3%-4% a year. That comes out to be an additional $1,800-$2000 a year.</p>

<p>Case’s GPA requirement to renew Merit Scholarship is more forgiving than the other schools. And Case gives the best financial awards. An increase in tuition, GPA requirement, course curriculum, research opportunities, school’s name recognition, collaborative learning environment, the teaching experience of the faculties and most have their PhDs, easy access to the Professors, hospital right across the street, student body males: females is almost at 50:50.
All those reasons make the tuition increases a little more tolerable. </p>

<p>At MO S&T, tuition rate is locked in for 4 years BUT, if you take anything over 14 credit hours per semester, you’re paying extra. Where is the savings in that?
In addition, D’s scholarships GPA renewable requirement is a 3.25; not impossible but still pretty uneasy for an Engineering major. Get a 3.20 and you’ll have a few sleepless night. Instead of concentrating on your school work, you’re busy filing paperwork to explain why your GPA falls below 3.25. And you write a sweet essay promising that you’ll do better next semester. Then next semester comes, you’re still an Engineering major, your GPA is still a 3.20 (typical for Engineering majors), guess what? No more scholarships! That’s an additional stress I don’t need. Student body: for every female, there’s 3-4 males. That’s okay. lol</p>

<p>Correction: I didn’t mean to say Case’s annual tuition rate increase is the reason I am for Case. It was 5am when I wrote my comment so…lol</p>

<p>But the more I compare Case and MO S&T, the more obvious that Case is the not just the smart choice but it’s the right choice. You get a lot more at Case & it’s worth every dollar.</p>

<p>Thanks everybody for your opinion. You guys are great!!! ^:)^ </p>

<p>(by the way, I have the other thread going, so I’ll be over there if you want me to reply to anything else)</p>