I go to Case undergrad. It really is a great school with a world class educational philosophy. But Cleveland... let me put it this way: If Case was located ANYWHERE else, it would be THAT much better.
Alright look there's no easy way of saying this. The city sucks. It sucks, it sucks, it sucks, it sucks. You hardly ever get to see the sun, partly because it's always overcast, partly because there's so much pollution. The water is filthy. Poverty is out of control. The air smells like crap. If you ever think you're lost, just smell the air. If it smells like cigarettes and hotdogs, then you're still in Cleveland. It used to smell like cigarettes, hotdogs, and factories, but the factory smell left when the industries left. And if by the off chance you can see the sun, you'll quickly hate it. God likes to tease Cleveland by depriving us of sunshine for 10 months of the year, killing us with hypothermia and frost bite, and then making us die of heat stroke the other 2 months. There is no such thing as spring and fall. Winter and summer is all you get, and they won't necessarily come when you think they will.
My dorm room had a nice view of East Cleveland. If I've managed to overcome the crappy weather and the depressing walk through the city, looking out the window quickly destroys my happiness. Speaking of walking, don't ever walk anywhere with money. Most cities are dangerous during the night. Cleveland is dangerous during the day. Students in Cleveland are sexually assaulted during the day, as early as 9:30am in the morning. If you're a female, I wouldn't even consider living in Cleveland, unless you feel that rape and assault are your idea of adventure. In all seriousness this isn't a laughing matter. Because it happens. The worst part is, security brags, "We've got 5 police forces covering the area; Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Case Security, University Circle, some other one that nobody cares about," yet they NEVER, EVER catch the bad guy. If you get a security report, you will learn to memorize it. It's pretty much always the same description, and it always concludes with "Suspect is still at large."
What next, oh our sports teams. Don't come to Cleveland if you plan on following sports. Within 3 weeks of whatever season you will spiral into depression. Every year is a rebuilding year. The same can pretty much be said about the city itself.
I kid you not, the best thing, the absolute best thing in the entire city is Case Western Reserve University. And it honestly is that good of school that I would gladly attend it for another 4 years. The second best thing about Cleveland is that we know how to make fun of ourselves, and that's honestly what keeps us going. I've been here for 22 years now, all of my life.
So in short, if you chose to come here, just remember these few things:
1. No matter what month of the year it is, do not send home your summer or winter clothes. I kid you not, one day it is 80 degrees, the next there is snow on the ground.
2. If you're a girl, do not walk anywhere by yourself, anytime, regardless of the circumstances. Case does offer shuttle rides around campus because they know how violent and crazy Cleveland thugs are. If you're a guy, lift weights to get intimidating, and act insane in public, as criminals generally don't like to mess with anyone crazier than themselves. Since Cleveland is generally a starving populace (but somehow one of the most overweight), and Case is pretty nerdy, you don't have to lift weights for too long to get stronger than 95% of the surrounding population.
3. Don't breathe the air, anytime, ever. Don't drink the water either. Buy a water purifier. And practice holding your breath.
4. Don't bother getting attached to the sports teams. They will start off looking promising, flop in the end, and by the next year the entire roster will be different.
