Case Western Reserve University Top Questions

Case is a hard school, there is no getting around that, but it is a school that challenges you and keeps you thinking. Because Case is so hard, we have less competition and more of a "lets all get out alive together" feeling with students, it is not cut throat, other students want to help, it really brings the students together. Some of the freshmen classes are very large, but as you go to more specialty classes for what your studying you get into much smaller classes, where you get to know professors extremely well.

This really depends on what area in which you choose to study. The academic experiences can be completely different depending on whether you choose Engineering for example, or Political Science. Case has been known as a science and engineering school (although the humanities are making a comeback!) so those areas are good, but tough. Professor quality varies (so I've heard) but overall you'll be taught by faculty well-accomplished and recognized in their field. One downside: big classes in lecture halls for much of your time at CWRU. If you choose the humanities you are more likely to have a more personalized feel to your classes (I did and still do) with faculty who know your name. Professors are generally excellent and with small classes, seminar style discussions are common. One downside: Case really isn't recognized for excelling in the humanities and liberal arts despite the fact that I find the program to be excellent so be wary of that fact, especially for after graduation.

Academics at Case are overall very difficult, and high standards must be met by all students. That said, you will sit in large auditoriums for introductory science and engineering classes and may find yourself floundering to keep up or be noticed during your first and second semesters. However, once you begin to hone your major and minor choices as you progress through the undergraduate years, most find themselves content in a department in which most professors know you by name and are willing to talk to you whenever, so long as you have an appointment. Maybe I'm just spoiled because the geology department is so exceedingly small, but I love all my professors.

Case is a great school for those who are driven and self-motivated, and a nightmare for the lazy. I am a student of Electrical Engineering which is extremely challenging, and at times can be very trying on one's patience and mental capacity. For some it can be difficult to transition from a high school experience where one can slide by near the top of their class with minimal work - that's simply not the case here. With very few exceptions, the students that excel are the ones that are not in it for the degree, but for the learning experience. I've been in the undergraduate design lab for electrical engineering on quite a few nights were students are working on assignments early or tinkering with their own projects. With that said, not every discipline is as grueling as the next. Many of my friends study Management and Psychology and can do rather well without an enormous amount of effort. However, very few students party on weekdays, and many work on either Friday or Saturday night as well.

Case is known to be a difficult school, but it really depends on your professor and the teaching assistant who does all the grading. I've had classes that were a joke and I've had classes that were impossible, it really depends. Some of the professors are too smart for their own good and cannot simplify concepts for teaching. Some professors make their class impossible on purpose, so they can find the biggest nerd in the class. Most of the classes are only easy if you already know about the topic being taught. Teachers treat new concepts more as review, so it's hard to keep up if you're learning something totally knew. My hardest semester was first semester of freshman year, I got grades that I've never gotten before in my life and thought I was going to fail out of school, but I resolved to relax and just do my best and the next semester I got all A's, so don't freak if you don't do as well as you think you should.

Most of your professors will know your name, even in a lecture class. They are invested in you as a person and student. We are ranked ( I believe) third in the amount of work expected in and out of class. Expect to do work, but it is not life consuming. If you manage your time, you can do it. Many of the best students are involved with sports or other activities.

Since I study Economics and International Studies, with a minor in Spanish I often feel that I attend a small liberal arts school within a bigger university--I've never had any of the huge lecture classes that other students talk about, and I like that. Many professors know me by name because I've taken more than one of their classes, or because I work for them, or because my classes were just small enough that the professor knows all the students. I know that this isn't the reality for all students but I think it can be if you put a little effort into it--even people in big lecture classes can get to know their professors if they go to see them in their office hours enough. Many students are very competitive, although I can't say that I am.

As with every college, you get smaller classes as the years go on. In the small classes you will definitley establish a pesonal relationship with the teachers

The academics at Case are top notch. While there are a lot of larger classes, they are usually taught by very amiable professors that are very willing to help students. Most students come to Case for the academics, and it does not disappoint. While there is a certain amount of competition amongst the students, everyone is always very willing to help each other. Also, 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of Case students participate in research, so that is a good thing if you are interested in research.

Class participation for general education classes consists of going to class and staying awake, which becomes very difficult for most students due to the dry nature in which the classes are taught. Most of the classes claim to teach you how to learn but are just thinly veiled lessons in memorization and regurgitation. In Biomedical Engineering, Case prides itself on its Top-10 ranking; however, many of the faculty that was at Case that got them their high ranking have either left the institution or have become research-only professors that may teach one graduate level class. Almost all of the undergraduate level classes are taught by professors who have to teach in order to fulfill their teaching requirement in order to be faculty and be able to research at Case Western Reserve University. The main chance for learning at Case comes from the ability supplement lectures with research opportunities. The research opportunities are very helpful and indispensable when it comes to learning in this day and age, especially when one considers the competition in the job market for Biomedical Engineers (aka. If you haven’t done research you don’t get a job). The bottom line however is that while the research is amazing at Case, it does not make up for the dry, slipshod and uncaring attitude taken by the professors who teach the undergraduate classes nor does it make up for the philosophy that lectures are there for memorization.