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Getting Better

The on-campus dining options have been improving in the years before I was there and while I was there. Fribley on the south side of campus is rather good (try the turkey burgers) and Leutner on the north side was recently renovated. Food options at the Tomlinson Cafe on the main quad have also improved. The Silver Spartan has become a Denny's. There's a cafe in the library now too.

On the downside, Grab-it remains mediocre (go to Fribley for lunch if you have time, or Tomlinson if you can afford it) and there are few options (no meal swipe options) on the Mather quad. Hours at the dining halls have also been reduced and they can be crowded at peak time.

Meal plans are also very expensive. Once you get off the meal plan and can cook your own food, you can easily save a couple thousand dollars a year.

Too Expensive

The dorms here are far too expensive for what you get. Freshman dorms are all doubles, with 1 or 2 shared bathrooms per floor and one kitchen per building.

The single rooms on southside are smaller than a prison cell and still cost around $1000/month. Rooms in the Village are nicer, but of course, obscenely expensive. Move off campus if you can. The only reasonably priced housing is the single apartments on northside (except the Village ones), but there are very few of them. At least they stopped charging for laundry.

The northside dorms are also about a 15 minute walk from the main quad.

The housing process is antiquated and confusing. Except for freshmen oddly enough, you register online, but if you want to choose a particular room, you need to physically go to a selection process and use paper forms.

Good for Certain Things

The only reason this is a B is because the RTA has such good service for a city of Cleveland's size. Getting downtown, to the airport, or to shopping areas from campus on the bus or train is really easy. Several bus lines and a rail line run through campus. Students get a transit pass for $25 per semester.

The campus bus system is awful. It runs on inconsistent, infrequent schedules. It's usually faster to walk. The loops seem to be all left turns, so the buses get stuck waiting at lights a lot, then the drivers deviate from their routes to make up time. The online tracking system is uselessly inaccurate.

Greyhound in Cleveland is awful. They're always late and the station is run-down with inadequate seating. Megabus is better, but they have limited options and their prices have gone up a lot.