Case Western vs. University of Tennessee for Pre-Med?

[shrimp16]

Where should I go?
I heard school names don't really matter unless it's like the Ivies or top public schools...

I would have to pay about 28k for CWRU and 7k for UT Knoxville, and my parents said they would save up around 1.5k per month for me if I go to UT.

I am planning to work really hard wherever I go but looking realistically, wouldn't it be easier to get good grades at UT then CWRU? (But I like the opportunities Case gives + advising...)

Is it worth it to go to Case spending that much money?

I really want to be a doctor right now, but I'm worried my interests will change and UT won't give me good pathways for that....

Please help!

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[efle]

Advising is not nearly as useful as colleges make it out to be. You will be able to find out everything you need to online (on SDN, in the MSAR, etc).

For a savings of $80,000+ you should go to U Tennessee. Being given a bonus ~$6,000 per semester to spend on yourself (if I'm understanding that part about saving monthly for you) will also be awesome and really improve your quality of life. Making strong grades will likely be easier, true, and there should be plenty of opportunities to get involved in research, volunteering, etc at UT. Case Western is not HYP, you wouldn't be gaining huge advantage / "good pathways" from attending it over a typical state flagship.

 

[Kurk]

As a high school junior student living near Case (and hoping to attend) I can warn you of the following:

- You're surrounded by the ghetto on all sides (muggings are common)
- You virtually have no party life
- Everyone is burnt out from the rigorous curriculum

Otherwise the school academically is comparable to something like Boston University or even lower-tiered ivies if you wanna stretch.
Don't let this deter you however.
I don't know anything about U Tennessee.

 

[deirdre]

I recently visited Case Western and found the campus to be very small and not all that attractive, although it does have some gorgeous museums nearby! If you want to take a look at the campus yourself, sign up for one of the admitted student days. If you call their travel agency, they'll pay for your visit and you can stay overnight with a student.
I can't really comment on the prestige of both schools, but if you can't make up your mind, definitely take Case up on their free visit offer.

 

[shrimp16]

The saving part is for later on when I go to med school so I won't have too much debt I guess. I was thinking of doing work-study for my personal expenses but I'll see about this part when I actually go to college...

I have also visited Case and yes the neighborhood was pretty scary... I don't really like the school but I like the fact there are many research opportunities/hospitals/etc. there.

Since the name value isn't "that" great compared to UT seems like I'll be going to UT!!

 

[deleted688154]

Maybe I'm kind of desensitized but I found that when I visited Case for the admitted students program the neighborhood seemed fairly safe?

What honestly got to me about the campus is that it looked awful and industrial especially the freshman dorms.

If UT is cheaper and you're not particularly fond of Case go to UT!

 

[shrimp16]

I went there by myself so I had to take the RTA (bus and train) and it only went through the sketchiest places... it's probably only one side of the town but still I was scared!!