When exams are over and it's time to blow off some steam, communications major Andrea Lyndes likes to round up her friends, jump in the car and head to downtown Cleveland for an evening on the town. "Maybe a concert at Tower City Amphitheater or the House of Blues. Maybe an Indians baseball game at Jacobs Field or a comedy show at the Cleveland Improv. Or we might head down to visit friends at the University of Akron," Lyndes says. "It's so easy to get around- all the roads run on the grid system," she adds.

Lauren Nelan, who came to Cleveland from a small town in upstate New York to attend Baldwin-Wallace loves it here. "It's been a lot of fun--all four years. Cleveland is accessible. I don’t get lost jumping on and off the highways. I love having major sports teams like the Cavs and the Indians right here.

And because of the Rock Hall, a lot of great concert tours stop, like Police this summer." Lauren is graduating this year with a major in marketing and a minor in entrepreneurship and is going to call the Cleveland area, home!

However you choose to have fun or take a break from studying-kayaking on the Rocky River, clubbing in the trendy Warehouse District, golfing in the Metroparks, dodging obstacles at the country's only indoor mountain biking range, attending a major rock concert or gallery hopping in Tremont-you're sure to carve out a comfortable niche in the Rock-n-Roll capital of the world without the hassles of big city traffic and prices.

When you choose Northeast Ohio for college, you're really choosing to immerse yourself in an educational experience that transcends campus life and enhances your development as a citizen of the world. It's a fact that more and more employers look for graduates with diverse world experience-the kind of experience Cleveland offers with its wide variety of cultural influences.

"I've loved Ursuline's campus environment where the people are so nice, the resources are close by, and the college's tag line of 'values, voice, vision' are real," says Amanda Santiago, a Cleveland native. "I went in quiet and shy and now I stand up and have come out. I started a Latino Group to spread cultural awareness with events like a Latin lunch for the whole campus and salsa dance lessons. I've had three pieces in the senior art show and I really like that the President walks around and we know her on a first name basis."

When you choose Northeast Ohio for college, you're really choosing to immerse yourself in an educational experience that transcends campus life and enhances your development as a citizen of the world. It's a fact that more and more employers look for graduates with diverse world experience--the kind of experience Cleveland offers with its wide variety of cultural influences.

With so many opportunities to get involved, it's no surprise we're calling it the COLLEGE 360° experience.

How do natives describe life in Northeast Ohio? Think Midwestern hospitality meets east coast culture and forget about the weather.

It's true-Cleveland has all the fun of a major urban area, but on a livable and manageable scale. The city boasts the 9th highest arts score of the top 100 U.S. cities, a thriving nightlife, the Browns, Cavaliers, and Indians, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the fastest growing downtown in the Midwest. Yet the pace is adjustable for easily distracted college students. Plus, most attractions are less than 30 minutes away and accessible via public transportation. From the shores of Lake Erie and North Coast Harbor to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the 20,000 acres of the Cleveland Metroparks, recreational opportunities abound.

"Word must be spreading on the campuses, because every year we get more and more students signing up for the Institute," says Jane Christyson, marketing director for the Cleveland Metroparks. She's talking about the Park District's Institute of the Great Outdoors, which offers instruction in backpacking, canoeing, canoe camping, nature photography, rock climbing, and more for nominal fees.

So why do they call us the Rock-n-Roll capital? Judging by the number of concert venues, blues clubs and juke joints, it's easy to understand how we got the name. Ever since disc jockey Alan Freed coined the term "rock-n-roll" and started promoting concerts here in 1951, rock acts of all genres have fallen in love with the town's spirited fans.

Every major rock music group has performed here and many acts credit C-town for jump starting their careers. Major concert venues include the House of Blues, Blossom Music Center, the Cleveland Music Hall, Quicken Loans Arena (The "Q"), and the Wolstein Center at CSU along with dozens of more intimate music clubs.

Wherever you find yourself after class is over, you're sure to learn something new in Northeast Ohio and maybe even discover something new about yourself.