Case Western Reserve University Top Questions

I'm an Econ and German student who's very involved on campus and have been fortunate with making great friends. Yet, the morale definitely needs improvement. The workload, the poor advisors/unreasonable expectations in some departments, and miserable winter weather really puts tremendous strain on students. The school, faculty, and staff need to get more feedback and communicate better with students on a whole school level.

I'm not going to sugar-coat it: Case Western is a hard school. But the weight that its name carries on a diploma is well worth the work it requires. The best thing about Case is that you can decide what you get out of it! There's such a large array of classes and student groups, that if there's something you want to learn about or participate in, you can! A lot of my time during the week is spent in the library. It's a really good place to get work done for anyone. There's rooms with total silence, and places where there's just a little bit of background noise to avoid that "too quiet" feeling. On the weekends though, I spend most of my time hanging out with friends in my dorm's common room, or at the Eldred Blackbox theater. There hasn't been the occasional weekend where I haven't spent the entirety of it in the library, but there is usually some time to put studying aside and have some fun. Every Saturday night, Case's improv troupe IMPROVment has a show every weekend, and I never miss it! Between performances like this, and other cool events on campus, there's always a lot to do on campus on the weekends. As far as night-life is concerned, I wouldn't say that this is a "party school", but if you want to go to a party, you can always find one! Usually, the reaction I get when I tell people I go to Case Western is one of two things. Either "What/Where is that?" or "WOW. That's a good school." And they're right, it is a good school. From both social, and academic aspects, I would say that Case Western is a great place to be.

Case is a wonderful place. It is an institution of prestige and honor. If you tell someone you go to Case Western Reserve, they usually react very positively, saying some nicety like "wow, you must be smart to get in there." It's a very nice ego boost. The campus is in the heart of an up-and-coming district of Cleveland, Ohio, known as University Circle. A blooming cultural district, the campus enjoys much growth and success thanks to all these new business coming into town. Overall, I think my time at CWRU has been well worth it - from the classes I have had the opportunity to take, to the extra-curriculars that I've dedicated myself to, I would not trade my experience for anything.

The best thing about CWRU is that you can become all that you want to be. For most students, there are plenty of leadership, volunteer, and research opportunities on campus so it is the perfect school for pre-medical students and engineers. Being the first member of my family to attend college, a science major, and a sports club president, I know, from my end of it, a CWRU education was well worth it. If I had an opportunity to do it all over again, I would still choose CWRU.

I really like going to Case Western. It has a beautiful campus, and the professors here are very helpful. It's a fairly small school, with around 4,000 to 5,000 undergraduate students, but the small size of the school does not bother me. It's actually fairly nice having such a small group of people, because then you are better able to meet everyone in your class. Case Western also has a reputation for being one of the top schools in the country. Whenever I mention my school, people always say "Oh, that's a really good school!" It makes me proud to be going to Case.

When I tell people that I go to Case they will react in one of two ways. They'll either nod their head and say "oh okay, where is that?" or their eyes will widen and they'll be really impressed. For sure Case Western is not really known outside of people who, well, ought to know about it. Yeah, it'd be nice if everyone reacted as if you went to MIT, but whatever. The fact is that the people who DO matter (e.g. future employers) do know what Case is, and are very familiar with the rigor and excellence that it is known for. Case has an undergraduate population of around 5,000. Personally, I like this size a lot. It's big enough to not see the same people every day on the quad (although you certainly recognize SOME people!) but it's small enough that class sizes are perfect (at least after the intro lectures), professors will gladly help you with material during office hours (and frequently, if they're available, even when it isn't their official office hour), and class registration is a breeze. There is a lot to do on Campus if you want to, but I actually prefer to just chill in the dorms with my friends and then maybe go out to eat on Friday, party Fridays and Saturday nights (yes...Case students can party) and then maybe go to the movies on Saturday afternoon. But for sure, if you want to do things during the week, Case offers activities very frequently. It's just not my personal cup of tea. Finally, work load: it's rough, but manageable.

Case is like a coral reef--there is an incredible diversity of everything packed into a small area. The hardest part, and subsequently where most fail, is going out and finding it: Go to the museums in University Circle, the shops in Coventry, go downtown, jump in Lake Erie at least once, hike through Lakeview cemetery or Doan brook, take in a concert, listen to WRUW, participate in the greek philanthropy events, build an igloo (and then go do finite element analysis of the loading of the structure), visit the library at 4am just because you didn't feel like sleeping on a Saturday night and wanted to learn what stochastic control theory was all about, go to Case plays and recitals, make friends, date! There is a plethora of activities, lifestyles, and cultures on campus. You can make your Case experience into whatever you want it to be. In fact, I've met other Case students who, when I spoke to them about school, seemed to have gone to an entirely different university all together!

The school itself appears to run extremely smoothly. There are as with any college going to be a few aspects which could always use improvements (think Case's website) but if you are someone who is involed even slightly in the school you would be well aware that there are initiatives in place for improving just about every aspect of the college. A refreshing reminder that the administration in deed is by no means blind. People who apply and come to Case are not concerned with the schools college sports. A breif walk around campus and one will no doubt see sweatshirts and t-shirts with Penn State and Ohio State logos. The lack of this sports culture definitely weighs on the schools morale, but its something Case students have to accept.

Case overall is a school that you could find every kind of person in, from the wanna be jocks to the science nerds. Although it is far from a party school, there are at times events held on campus that can keep your interest going. In order to really enjoy your time at Case a group of friends that share similar interest will be highly needed. The strenous academic load that the school gives requires time to relax and simply enjoy oneself, which is something people have forgotten to do. When concerns of controversy on campus, looking in everything seems peaceful. At times there might be concerns about the how students might feel because of the massive gap in the different races. And because of that might be treated differently by professors and/ or students. But overall can be a friendly environment.

Case is an excellent school for an excellent education. Though sometimes the work load can seem overwhelming, the professors are as high quality as they come, and it is difficult to find a better education. For a somewhat "nerdy" school, Cases' social scene is very active and there is always something to do.