It’s no secret that Ashland University is an expensive school, but for some students, the question is whether or not the experience is worth the price.

Many students love AU; others can’t wait to leave. Regardless of stance, this price impacts every student.

Cleveland resident Jeff McNerney was a former AU student who transferred after the first half of his sophomore year—he was enrolled from August 2009 through Decemeber 2010.

He left because of financial reasons.

After graduating from Saint Ignatius High School, he looked at a few schools including AU, Marietta College, Mount Union University and Walsh University.

“I think the reason I went to Ashland was because my cousin said it was basically the greatest place on earth,” McNerney said. “So I was kind of looking through rose tinted glasses before I even went there.”

McNerney thought he would fit perfectly into the small campus community but he realized AU was not how he imagined it to be.

“I had this initial image of AU that it was this perfect place, that everyone would walk by and be like ‘How ya doin?” almost like a classic ‘50s suburban area with a white picket fence, and I think that was mostly my mistake for expecting something like that,” he said.

Even though McNerney was a bit disappointed, he felt confident that AU was still the right choice. Over the course of his year-and-a-half experience, he was actively involved in choir, WRDL and the film group. It was during his sophomore year that he found a group of friends in which he belonged.

By Thanksgiving 2010, he became very frustrated with his experience at AU.

“I think a problem for me and a problem for a lot of students is that since you’re there every day for the next four of five years, you grow tired of it and maybe even take it for granted,” he said.

He debated on whether or not to return to AU after Thanksgiving Break, eventually deciding to return with a new major and a new attitude.

After the break, McNerney received an email saying he owed a large amount of money, money that he could not afford to pay.

He had no decision but to leave.

“I was ready to give it all I had, but then I hit a brick wall,” he said. “I had already lost a scholarship and it was totally my fault, but at the same time I was living well beyond my means already.”

He wanted to stay at Ashland, but not for academic reasons. By the time that he had settled into his social group, the tuition bills had caught up with him.

He took the following semester off hoping to work, but he had trouble finding a job in the Cleveland area. It was a stressful time for McNerney.

“I spent a lot of time sitting around feeling sorry for myself,” he said. “I had a lot of arguments with my mom about being done with school for good.”

Last fall, McNerney picked up the pieces and shifted gears. He started commuting to Cleveland State University to study film.

“I started considering CSU as soon as I left Ashland. I wouldn’t have to live on campus and that would take room and board and meal costs all away. With what I’m paying right now to commute to CSU, I could get a 4-year degree with roughly the same price as one year at AU,” he said.

Starting up again at CSU was like a rebirth of sorts.

“I saw how fast everything could be taken away from me,” he said. “I’m getting a really good second chance, and it’s time to make the most of it.”

McNerney says that CSU as a very different place than AU. He may have finally found the perfect college for him.

“I’m a city guy at heart. I lived just outside of Cleveland my entire life and CSU is more ‘me.’ It fits who I am and what I’m about,” he said. “I love waking up in the morning to take the bus and watching the sun rise over Cleveland’s beautiful three-building skyline.”

Given perspective, McNerney spends a lot of time reflecting on AU and his experience there.

“I think AU is a little misleading,” he said. “If I were to start an institution, I’d have different groups of students meet every semester and give honest opinions on the school, and then give them a $10 gift card or something.”

Mcnerney doesn’t regret his experience at AU at all; he misses it here. And while he doesn’t advocate transferring from AU, there are certainly advantages to doing so.

McNerney is pleased with the education he is receiving at CSU, and he’s receiving it at a fraction of the cost.

McNerney realizes how deeply the problems he had with AU are integrated.

“It’s tough because when it comes down to it, it’s all business and economics,” he said.