Hunter vs. Case Western

[DJMSW90]

Hey Folks!

I feel very lucky to say that I’m having a tough time deciding between two excellent schools, Hunter and Case Western. Neither school was my top choice, and although I got into every school I applied to, I narrowed it down to my most affordable options. I received no scholarship aid from Hunter but qualify for in-state tuition. Case offered me a 50% tuition scholarship plus a field award of $2000 per year. Although Case’s tuition will still be a little higher, with NYC’s absurdly high cost of living and Cleveland’s affordable cost of living, I keep coming up with almost identical numbers every time I calculate it. So money is not a factor.

I visited Case on their admitted student open house. Before I visited, I loved how responsive Case’s admissions team has been, and they kept sending me little gifts in the mail. It seems like the school has a lot of money and resources to take advantage of, which can be especially nice when I’m not one of the students paying too much. I also like that the campus feels like a campus, and the student body seems cohesive. I think the class sizes will be smaller than Hunter as well, and all the professors were extremely responsive and friendly. The main draw for me is the School Social Work specialization, as I hope to work in a high school. I also like that I am able to decide my placement both years, since I do know what population I would like to work with as well as populations/environments that I am really trying to avoid. And I think Case might have a better-known reputation nationally since it is higher ranked? I hope to move out West after I finish school, since I can’t afford it right now. Overall, I think this will be a better school for me academically, so the cons are lifestyle related. 

I hope I don’t offend anyone by saying this, but I really didn’t like the city of Cleveland at all- although I’m sure it can grow on me! I hated how spread out and suburban feeling it was, and I don’t want to be car-dependent. I’m not much of a sports person, which doesn’t seem typical in Cleveland. I also am an avid biker and did not notice much of a bike culture. I saw a lot of empty bike racks and pretty much no bike lanes in University City. I’m also a big mountains person, and Ohio doesn’t have any. The city also seemed quite segregated. Although New York is too, this was at another level. For example, an Uber driver was telling me and my mother about “the crack-houses in the ghetto neighborhood we’re driving through.” I couldn’t believe the Uber driver said something like that- I really don’t think that would happen in New York. The student body also seemed young to me- I’ll be 29 by the time I start my Masters, and I would hope that wouldn’t put me towards the high-end of my cohort age-wise. And although Case claims to be diverse, I didn’t really see it. I’m also an advanced Spanish speaker and hope to be able to use my Spanish skills professionally through my placement, but I did not notice a Latinx population in the city. I just don’t know if I can feel at home here.

I’m actually taking a class non-matriculating at Hunter this semester, so I have already gotten a feel for the school. It’s a very well-regarded school in NYC, but I am wondering if its reputation would follow me nationally. But I’m happy with the class I am taking and feel I am receiving an excellent education. However, my admissions process has been a nightmare. The professor running my group interview was quite stand-offish, although I guess that’s the New York rather than Midwest attitude. It also took so long for them to get back to me about my acceptance because they needed clarification about something on my application. I had 3 emails and 2 phone calls ignored for 3 weeks until someone finally got back to me. I hope this is just the way the admissions department runs and is not reflexive of the school. I also don’t like that the main campus is 50 blocks away, as there are services at the main campus that would be nice to use if it were more accessible. I’m also quite worried about Hunter’s placement process. From what I understand, you can’t really personalize your placement at Hunter. A placement advisor has full say the first year, and the student has a little more of a say the second year. I really want my education to be tailored to my needs, but Hunter seems to push for a generalist education. 

The pros of Hunter for me are basically all location/lifestyle related. I was born and raised in New York, so I have family support here. I haven’t lived in New York for about 10 years, so my social life is something I am looking to expand. I’m not getting the vibe that Hunter will offer the same social opportunities as Case since it isn’t much of a campus, but I do at least have some friends already. My cousin and I share a car, so I can head out to the mountains or beach whenever I would like to get my outdoorsy fix. I also think the professional opportunities in NYC will be better, although as I said I don’t know if I’ll be happy with my placement. The student body is very diverse here, and my age is typical.

 

There’s really pros and cons to both, and of course no one can make this decision but myself. Mainly, I am wondering if anyone has any follow-up to the concerns I brought up from both schools. I didn’t state any facts. I stated judgements and feelings without having full information. I appreciate if you got this far in my post and hope you have some wise words of advice! 

[perfectamity]

So, which school did you decide on? Reading your long message it seemed like you were really leaning on Hunter. Or at least trying to convince yourself of Hunter.