Case Western Reserve Class of 2009!!!

[superdevil]

ok...

so am i the only one who hasn't received a financial aid package from case?

also, congrats to all who have received scholarships! just curious, but are any of you turning them down and going elsewhere? you know, so they can redistribute those funds to the lesser students such as myself? this is probably just wishful thinking on my part...[sigh]

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[sandg]

Superdevil,
I received my financial aid letter last week (it arrived on Wednesday at my parents' house) and boy, oh boy was it ugly. Partly because of this, I am almost assuredly going elsewhere, although I really, really liked Case. PM me if you want details.

 

[leiface]

Superdevil,
I received my financial aid letter last week (it arrived on Wednesday at my parents' house) and boy, oh boy was it ugly. Partly because of this, I am almost assuredly going elsewhere, although I really, really liked Case. PM me if you want details.

Hey, that sucks I haven't gotten my letter either and I'm nearly pouncing on the mailman everyday. BTW, can you tell me what your EFC was? Did they give you any money at all?

 

[Whitney]

also, congrats to all who have received scholarships! just curious, but are any of you turning them down and going elsewhere? you know, so they can redistribute those funds to the lesser students such as myself? this is probably just wishful thinking on my part...[sigh]

Though a tough decision, I will most likely be turning down the Dean's scholarship and going elsewhere....hope it helps (though I can't abide the "lesser student" idea)

Good Luck!

 

[rayofdiana]

If it helps, my SAR said that my EFC was something like $1700 (without parents' income taken into account). After Case looked at my parents' income, they said my EFC was $2700. My parents make enough money such that neither my sister nor I qualified for financial aid in college, even though we both went to private schools. I hope that helps people who are wondering/waiting.

 

[sandg]

Hey, that sucks I haven't gotten my letter either and I'm nearly pouncing on the mailman everyday. BTW, can you tell me what your EFC was? Did they give you any money at all?

PM'ed you.

 

[leiface]

Got finaid today...13000 a year, pretty good right? I know I should be thrilled but I think the realness of med school has hit me and I don't deal well with change so I'm not as happy as I should be. wtf?

 

[Mr. Seeds]

Man, I just got my finaid, and from the looks of things I guess I won't be attending Case in the fall. The EFC they listed is simply ridiculous. they want upwards of 20K EFC! I make precisely dicksquat per annum and there is no way in hell my parents can contribute that much. So I'm not sure if this is negotiable or not, but from the looks of things I'll be staying in the Northwest this fall.

 

[superdevil]

Man, I just got my finaid, and from the looks of things I guess I won't be attending Case in the fall. The EFC they listed is simply ridiculous. they want upwards of 20K EFC! I make precisely dicksquat per annum and there is no way in hell my parents can contribute that much. So I'm not sure if this is negotiable or not, but from the looks of things I'll be staying in the Northwest this fall.

man, i feel your pain, seeds.

my FAFSA EFC was $0. case recalculated my EFC to be $19800 per year. my parents are trying to retire. that figure is absolutely unrealistic--what the f*ck are they thinking? their loans package doesn't even cover tuition! what am i supposed to do, give handjobs behind dumpsters for spare change?

also, i applied for the MD/PhD program in Health Services Research. after having a positive conversation with the program director ~2 weeks ago, i've now been informed that the interview invitations won't even go out until late next week, with interviews being given the following week and decisions being made after that.

may 15th? who cares about may 15th? i hope dartmouth gives me an extention...

i'm so pissed right now...

 

[sandg]

Hey guys/girls,
I definitely feel your pain regarding the Case fin aid situation. I would prefer giving details via PM, but let's just say that my EFC was very large, they want me to pay more than I feel comfortable coming up with each year, and was told no in terms of matching other fin aid offers. I hope everything works out well for you guys.
Partly, but not entirely because of the money situation, I am going to drop my acceptance at Case on Monday.

 

[exmike]

man, i feel your pain, seeds.

my FAFSA EFC was $0. case recalculated my EFC to be $19800 per year. my parents are trying to retire. that figure is absolutely unrealistic--what the f*ck are they thinking? their loans package doesn't even cover tuition! what am i supposed to do, give handjobs behind dumpsters for spare change?

also, i applied for the MD/PhD program in Health Services Research. after having a positive conversation with the program director ~2 weeks ago, i've now been informed that the interview invitations won't even go out until late next week, with interviews being given the following week and decisions being made after that.

may 15th? who cares about may 15th? i hope dartmouth gives me an extention...

i'm so pissed right now...

you can max out stafford loans at 38,500/yr so loans should be able to cover tuition.. unless i'm mistaken.

 

[sandg]

I don't know if it applies to superdevil, but I wasn't even given the option of maxing out on federal loans. This definitely contributed to the ugliness of my Case "aid" package.

 

[Art Vandelay]

I'm pretty sure that anyone can take 38,500 in stafford. they may not tell you because it's a given and not really an "award". if you can get the case loans, i think they are better. i didn't get anything when i applied back in the day, so i ended up taking out the 38,500 for four years.

 

[superdevil]

you can max out stafford loans at 38,500/yr so loans should be able to cover tuition.. unless i'm mistaken.

then why are their financial aid award letters so spirit-crushing? for me, they listed 19.5k in unsubsidized staffords and the max 8.5k in subsidized staffords (for a total of 29k). combining this with the token grant and small case loan they offered, the total package comes to about 35.5k--about 3 grand less than tuition. why would they do this if there is 10k left over that can be used? wouldn't it be in their best interest to add that into the package so you can at least pretend that you'll have enough money to eat?

also, just to clarify, not everyone can take out 38,500/yr in staffords--i believe the max figure is contigent on how much federal money you borrowed as an undergrad. i didn't borrow anything, however, so i guess this doesn't apply to me anyway.

 

[exmike]

then why are their financial aid award letters so spirit-crushing? for me, they listed 19.5k in unsubsidized staffords and the max 8.5k in subsidized staffords (for a total of 29k). combining this with the token grant and small case loan they offered, the total package comes to about 35.5k--about 3 grand less than tuition. why would they do this if there is 10k left over that can be used? wouldn't it be in their best interest to add that into the package so you can at least pretend that you'll have enough money to eat?

also, just to clarify, not everyone can take out 38,500/yr in staffords--i believe the max figure is contigent on how much federal money you borrowed as an undergrad. i didn't borrow anything, however, so i guess this doesn't apply to me anyway.

I would call the finaid office and ask them about maxing the stafford loans.

 

[everett_wu]

I'm a second year dental student who is looking to sublease my 2bed/1.5 bath available from June 1 2005-June 1 2006. It's a 5-10min walk to the med building and Little Italy among other things. All details can be found in my hotmail link below.

You can go to hotmail.com and login as rent_waldorf and the password is waldorf to download a virtual powerpoint tour I left there.

feel free to email me with any questions at [email protected]

I've lowered my price down to $895 + electricity/month.

Everett.

 

[Electrophys]

you can max out stafford loans at 38,500/yr so loans should be able to cover tuition.. unless i'm mistaken.

hey exmike,

is this including 8500 subsidized stafford? also, what loan agency do most case students use? needaccess?

 

[Mr. Seeds]

OK, I called Case and they said that you can choose to max out stafford unsub as well as take out alternative loans to bring you up to the budget amount if you can't come up with the EFC. FYI.

 

[PMinty44]

OK, I called Case and they said that you can choose to max out stafford unsub as well as take out alternative loans to bring you up to the budget amount if you can't come up with the EFC. FYI.

I'm so peeved at Case...I tried to get them to decrease my EFC (and give me more grants to match Pitt's award letter) and they just told me to take more unsub stafford loand....argh!

 

[exmike]

OK, I called Case and they said that you can choose to max out stafford unsub as well as take out alternative loans to bring you up to the budget amount if you can't come up with the EFC. FYI.

superdevil will be happy to hear that.. if he hasnt defected to dms already.

 

[PMinty44]

...does Cingulair get good coverage in Cleveland? (I got good reception, etc, when I interviewed and during second visit...I just want to make sure.)

Thanks.

 

[gbiz]

...does Cingulair get good coverage in Cleveland? (I got good reception, etc, when I interviewed and during second visit...I just want to make sure.)

Thanks.

I think Cingular equally sucks in Cleveland as it does elsewhere! (I had ATTWS, which Cingular bought... its been downhill service since. Calls get dropped all the time, it takes 3 tries for some calls to go through... horrible coverage inside buildings... none of this happened when I had ATTWS. Once my contract is up, Im switching!!!)

 

[rayofdiana]

Hey, I'm starting to look at apartments in Cleveland, and I'm wondering about the Cedar/Lee area. Is it safe? Also, is the bus that runs down Cedar reputable?

Thanks, guys.

 

[leiface]

I'm also starting to look for apartments and I'm wondering if any current students can help ::ahem:: ExMike! Most important to me is finding an apartment area that is safe so I don't have to worry about coming home late at night. I'm looking at Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights right now, but I hear that the Coventry area isn't really safe. I really have no idea, if anyone has a webpage or advice, that would be great, thanks!

 

[exmike]

I would say the conventry area north of mayfield is safer than cedar/lee, but in general cleveland heights is safe compared to downtown cleveland. There are a lot of students that live just east of coventry.

I have no experience with the busses but I wouldnt recommend riding the bus to school. Parking is 65/mo which is really reasonable. There are numerous apts closer than coventry you may want to consider that are walking distance

If you are willing to drive there are some places south of campus that are relatively nice, have all the amenities of the famed "wadorf towers" but is hundreds less.

 

[superdevil]

well.....it looks like i'm going to case!

i've been looking at apartments lately, too. there are some on Overlook Rd right behind the med school/university hospital, but i honestly don't know if i want to live that close to school. walking distance is great, but it'll probably feel like i never get to escape med school. i've come to appreciate the buffer zone between my house and my undergrad school.

on that note, i've mainly been looking in shaker heights and mayfield heights, but have also seen some nice places in cleveland heights. living in shaker is a bit pricey, but it sure beats the hell out of the places i checked out by dartmouth ($$$$$) .


sd

 

[fakin' the funk]

any other indie music fans out there? I'm psyched about living in coventry area and hanging out at the Grog Shop!

 

[gz4444]

I have a totally random comment--Grey's Anatomy mentioned the Cleveland Clinic tonight! It was pretty cool!

In terms of apartments, I'm looking up on Overlook in Cleve Heights... but it's kinda expensive... and that hill is not fun to walk up. I am also considering Little Italy because I know someone who has a decent 2-BR and he only pays $650/mth versus $915/mth (which is how much one of the Overlook apts. I am looking at is). And there is no hill to climb from Little Italy. I want to live close to campus though... but my dad has me thinking maybe it would be more cost effective to live farther away (cheaper rent) and pay to park on campus.

 

[exmike]

for people that use Sprint PCS, the coverage sucks around coventry. Excellent near school.

 

[traveladdict]

any other indie music fans out there? I'm psyched about living in coventry area and hanging out at the Grog Shop!

I'll totally be there with you (in between studying of course--ahem, ahem) if I end up at Case!

 

[mr_bertman]

I have a totally random comment--Grey's Anatomy mentioned the Cleveland Clinic tonight! It was pretty cool!

In terms of apartments, I'm looking up on Overlook in Cleve Heights... but it's kinda expensive... and that hill is not fun to walk up. I am also considering Little Italy because I know someone who has a decent 2-BR and he only pays $650/mth versus $915/mth (which is how much one of the Overlook apts. I am looking at is). And there is no hill to climb from Little Italy. I want to live close to campus though... but my dad has me thinking maybe it would be more cost effective to live farther away (cheaper rent) and pay to park on campus.

yeah, i caught the cleveland clinic reference too! he was just another actor though--i'm pretty sure none of the staff heart surgeons at the cc are black, unfortunately.

it seems like utilities are more expensive away from overlook too. i lived in waldorf this past year but will be moving farther out into cleveland heights by severance. my rent will be a lot less, but with a parking permit plus car gas plus utilities gas, the total montly payment will still be cheaper but not by hundreds of dollars or anything like that. if you're living on overlook, just make sure you get a good look at your prospective unit before you decide, and ask around for more info if you can. looks can be deceiving in these 150 year-old buildings...

 

[exmike]

The hill isnt that bad if you take the "elephant trail" to the waldorf. Cuts your trip by minimum five minutes down, 7 minutes up.

 

[traveladdict]

Hey exmike,
Are you planning to go back to CA for residency, specifically "NorCal" (although I don't approve of that phrase---makes me feel like Northern CA's a SoCal wannabe)? Just wondering how hard it will be to get back through the tight CA border for residency, assuming I want to get back.

 

[exmike]

Hey exmike,
Are you planning to go back to CA for residency, specifically "NorCal" (although I don't approve of that phrase---makes me feel like Northern CA's a SoCal wannabe)? Just wondering how hard it will be to get back through the tight CA border for residency, assuming I want to get back.

I'm definitely going back, and if all goes well i'll be in san francisco. I dont think there is any "border" per se. Case's excellent reputation should keep all doors open for you. If I felt I woul have been hindered, I wouldve stayed in CA.

 

[traveladdict]

Case's excellent reputation should keep all doors open for you. If I felt I woul have been hindered, I wouldve stayed in CA.

Thanks exmike. I'm just trying to quell any concerns before making a final decision. I didn't mean to sound literal when referencing a 'border'; although, lately we seem to be having some issues in CA with this topic.

 

[leiface]

I just got an e-mail saying someone posted about e-mails for orientation, white coat dates etc. I never got any e-mails about those dates, in fact, I haven't heard anythingabout the start of school yet, has anyone else? Should I be concerned?

 

[Anastasia]

hi guys, i'm a first-year (MS1) at case but i'm considering doing a research year somewhere in between, so maybe i'll be joining some of you 2009 people in a couple years questions? comments? last year's case thread was huge so let's get this one rolling...

Hi!
I'm going to be attending Case next year and read your posting about
needing a roommate. If you're still searching, let me know. My craigslist
posting reads "Outdoorsy fellow first year med students?", which should be
searchable under their website. If you are interested, email or PM me!

-Anastasia

 

[Anastasia]

Thanks exmike. I'm just trying to quell any concerns before making a final decision. I didn't mean to sound literal when referencing a 'border'; although, lately we seem to be having some issues in CA with this topic.

I only recently became a CA gal myself, so I guess this doesn't worry me as much....
So who else here is still on the CA carravan? It seemed that there was some attrition there after the second look weekend....I'm heading out
around June 26th, making a mad dash for Cleveland, then stashing my stuff in an
apartment (which I have yet to find), giving my soon-to-be-kitty to my folks for
a few weeks, and heading out for a fun tour of whatever climbing sites I can
reach before school starts (and perhaps a jaunt up to the Northwest coast). Anyone else out there lead climb? Trad? My rack is as limited as my budget.

-Anastasia

 

[superdevil]

I just got an e-mail saying someone posted about e-mails for orientation, white coat dates etc. I never got any e-mails about those dates, in fact, I haven't heard anythingabout the start of school yet, has anyone else? Should I be concerned?

i haven't received any of that stuff, either. i guess we shouldn't worry about it yet.

 

[fakin' the funk]

So who else here is still on the CA carravan?

Heading out from San Diego in 2 days. Staying in Baltimore w/ the fam when not traveling during the summer, then mad-dashing it to Cleveland end of July/start of August. See ya there!

 

[gz4444]

I was dropping off a form at the financial aid office today, so I stopped by admissions to ask when they would be sending out info to everyone who was definitely coming in the fall... the secretary told me that on June 1 they will be mailing out a big packet of information to everyone, so expect it at the end of next week!

 

[superdevil]

ah, thanks for the info, gz

methinks that packet is going to hit me like a ton of bricks. it all seems so real...and just when i had finally gotten the hang of being a pre-med. i dare say, i'm almost good at it now!

 

[DannGee]

any other indie music fans out there? I'm psyched about living in coventry area and hanging out at the Grog Shop!

the grog shop was perfectly designed for indie rock, and i must have averaged over 1 show per week this year (the best: iron & wine)- and this in no way prevented my ascension (in august) to the 4th floor. my advice: get there as much as you can.

re: housing, i have an apartment right on coventry, and am convinced that it's the best place to live. it's not really dangerous at all- i never once felt threatned by anyone, and the area is very well patrolled- after dark, you will find no less than 2 police officers patrolling on foot between mayfield and euclild heights blvd. besides being right by all the things going on there, it's location is also good in relation to the med school- close enough to walk to, but far away enough that you're not tempted to walk there too often.

oh, and congrats to everyone for choosing case. my name is dan and i will attempt to answer any question asked of me, though i am admittedly nowhere near as "in the loop" as mike is.

 

[hunniejl]

hey guys! i just found out yesterday afternoon that i was admitted to case! i fell in love with the school when i interviewed, and it's been a loong but worthwhile wait -- i'm so excited!!
SO, as long as the financial aid comes through i'll be at case in august with you all

 

[AmateurChef]

hey guys! i just found out yesterday afternoon that i was admitted to case! i fell in love with the school when i interviewed, and it's been a loong but worthwhile wait -- i'm so excited!!
SO, as long as the financial aid comes through i'll be at case in august with you all

Congratulations!

 

[hunniejl]

Congratulations!

Thanks!

 

[gz4444]

This is a question for someone who is already a student at Case... I have been weighing the whole "live close to campus and walk to school but pay higher rent" versus "live farther away with lower rent and buy a parking permit" debate. I was just curious about what the exact cost of a permit is, and how available they are to first year students... I know as an undergrad it was hard to get passes sometimes and I have no clue what the deal is with getting one as a med student... so any info would be great! Thanks

 

[rayofdiana]

Another question for anyone in Cleveland:
What's a reasonably priced hotel near the med school? We're going apartment hunting in a couple of weeks and would like to stay close to the apartments we're visiting.

Thanks!

 

[exmike]

This is a question for someone who is already a student at Case... I have been weighing the whole "live close to campus and walk to school but pay higher rent" versus "live farther away with lower rent and buy a parking permit" debate. I was just curious about what the exact cost of a permit is, and how available they are to first year students... I know as an undergrad it was hard to get passes sometimes and I have no clue what the deal is with getting one as a med student... so any info would be great! Thanks

The parking pass cost $65/mo last year (i think you had to pay it in a lump sum for a semester or year). I'm not sure if the cost went up. For that price, you get to park at the Veale parking lot diagonal from the medical campus which isnt too bad. After 4:30 you can park underneath the med school which is awesome since the elevator takes you straight into the school. I lived walking distance (waldorf) and I bought night/weekends for 15/mo as did many of my classmates. If you really want all day parking, you need to sign up NOW!

 

[hunniejl]

The parking pass cost $65/mo last year (i think you had to pay it in a lump sum for a semester or year). I'm not sure if the cost went up. For that price, you get to park at the Veale parking lot diagonal from the medical campus which isnt too bad. After 4:30 you can park underneath the med school which is awesome since the elevator takes you straight into the school. I lived walking distance (waldorf) and I bought night/weekends for 15/mo as did many of my classmates. If you really want all day parking, you need to sign up NOW!

How much is it to live alone and to live with a roommate in Waldorf? Are utilities and a parking spot included? And is a car necessary for first year?

Thanks!