Case Western Reserve University Top Questions

There is a lot more social life than you would think. There are also a lot of people that are down to earth.

To some extent this is true, but it is greatly exaggerated. Engineering is one of the school's strengths, but many forget that Case Western Reserve University was born out of the union of the technical school Case Institute of Technology and the Western Reserve College, and as such we have strong departments in the arts and sciences that grew up independently and are not merely a place for engineering students to complete graduation requirements. Many students that come into the school as engineering majors decide that engineering is not for them and they are able to switch without feeling like they need to transfer to a different school or something. There is a strong geek culture at the school, and many students who might have felt that they were out of place or weird in high school find that they are in good company at Case. That said, case students are not as bereft of a social scene as the stereotypes would suggest. For those who want to party there is a party scene and there is a vibrant Greek life, but there are also many other ways that students occupy themselves socially, so I don't think it's like some schools where there's just nothing better to do than get trashed every weekend (although the pre-meds might convince you otherwise). For myself I go out dancing almost every weekend, as part of the Cleveland Swing Scene, and I'm constantly spending way too much money going to concerts and shows in the area, not to mention the plethora of events at Case. I constantly find myself unable to see some show that a friend is in, because there are just too many other things that I'm doing.

yes

There are more nerds then your typical college campus. There is also a lot of work to do and most students are very dedicated to their studies. However, if you get in the right group of friends, there are people that like to party, play sports, and actually be social. Like most things, the experience is what you make out of it.

Case is by far not the nerdiest school I have seen. I went to a specialized math and science school for high school and Case doesn't hold a candle to it. Biomedical Engineers are masochists (haven't met one that didn't think of transferring) and the class size shrinks from 250-ish(freshman year) to 75-ish (senior year).

For the most part, although they are just generalizations!

Not entirely. There are a number of "nerdy" students, but most, I would say are "self-proclaimed nerds" and are happy with themselves. Video games are popular on campus, which is great for the people that like that. If you are into partying and going out, there are a number of bars within a resonable distance that a number of students (both of age and under) go to on weekends, and even during the week. Also, there are some VERY intelligent people that attend Case, but there are also some COMPLETE idiots... it scares me to think that a number of students here have plans to go to Medical school someday... While our library is open 24/7 during the school year, and you will often find quite a few students there in the wee hours of the morning, not everyone spends all their free time hitting the books. I didn't and I made it out with a degree in biomedical engineering.

maybe a quarter of the time.

Nowhere near accurate.

no, not at all...i mean there are some of those people, but they are the minority. People do have fun and so to parties