Saturday, July 29, 2006

FAQ #2: What Made Me Decide to Come to CCLCM?

A few days ago, I gave the short answer that it was mainly the curriculum and the financial aid that made me decide to come to CCLCM. I've been describing the curriculum quite a bit, so you already have a sense of what is so unique about the way that medicine is taught here. It's not always easy to be a part of such an unusual curriculum, but overall I would say that the program is pretty much what I expected it to be so far.

Financial aid is self-explanatory as a reason. The cost of attendance for CCLCM students is the same as for any other Case student: about $39,000 for tuition each year, and about $61,000 total when you include living expenses. That extra $22,000 includes things like health insurance (we get student health insurance through Case unless we have other insurance), transportation, books, personal expenses, and of course room and board. The cost of living in Cleveland is pretty reasonable, especially when you compare it to major cities on either coast. CCLCM has its own financial aid that is separate from the main UP financial aid administered through Case.

One thing I was not particularly excited about initially was the city of Cleveland itself. But I have actually been pretty pleasantly surprised. There are more things to do here than I expected. I went and saw the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which was pretty neat. There are some cute trendy areas with stores, bars and restaurants within a few miles of campus. We've had several parties and events of our own at CCLCM, and we are also invited regularly to social events over at Case. There are tons of student groups on both campuses like AMSA, interest groups for specific specialties (ex. surgery), and an ultimate frisbee group. We have free access to three different gyms at CCF and Case. If you like outdoor activities, there are some beautiful parks in the area called the Emerald Necklace. Actually, if anything you have to be careful not to overextend yourself by doing too many outside activities!

1 comment:

Sara said...

That is great that you like Cleveland. I have passed through there but not done anything there.