Case Western Reserve University Top Questions

One thing I'd change is the Sages program - it's a good bit of work and the program has no standards, it's just whatever the professor feels like doing. People have two reactions when I say I go to Case: "Where is that? Is that military?" or "That's an excellent school." Most of my time on campus is spent walking/in my dorm. Middle of Cleveland (= ghetto). Case's administration is disconnected from the student body, has no idea what's going on.

I like the size of the school. Not big enough to get lost in, yet big enough that you can always be in a class with new people each semester. People don't react when I tell them I go to case-at least outside of cleveland. Everyone in cleveland will think you're a genius when you tell them you go to Case but once ur outside of Ohio, people will say "what??", "Where's that?" You need to make your own entertainment here at case. I'm not a big drinker, i therefore don't enjoy most of case parties where there is nothing but beer and everyone there begun pre-gaming 7 hrs before. So i've come to note that I need to find things around cleveland to be a part of. Coventry is a nice place to be and they usually have events that cater to college students. My many extracurriculars keep me busy. I usually am performing at certain events or attending to support fellow schoolmates

If you are in Ohio, you mention Case and people automatically go "OOOOOOOOOO, you must be smart" which is a nice reaction. Cleveland is awesome. The campus is long and skinny so its a long walk to classes, but I love the size of the school. You don't know everyone in the college but it doesn't feel like you are simply in a sea of people where you will never have a unique identity.

Case Western Reserve University. A long name for a fairly small school. Located in University Circle in Cleveland, Ohio, there is always something to do, both on and off campus. I love that on Saturday night I can go to a fraternity party, attend a concert right on campus, get a cheap meal in Little Italy, or head downtown to see a Broadway play.

Case is in the University Circle part of Cleveland, it is spread though out University Circle so you really get a sense that you are a part of the community. It is not a very large school or a tiny school, there are enough people that it feels like a college, but still small enough that you don't feel lost in the crowds. Case has a lot of opportunities to get involved with all kinds of neat things, you just have to actually get involved to enjoy some experiences.

There are things to do and ways to have a great experience if you are willing to seek them out. The search isn't even that hard if you don't mind venturing outside your residence hall. There are something like 160 student groups so there is something for everyone. Don't spread yourself thin though because the academics are nothing to scoff at and it's easy to get behind (trust me on this one). One of the most underrated aspects of Case is the size, this is consequently also my favorite part about the school. It's hard to walk across campus without seeing at least one familiar face, and it is easy to get involved in big ways with campus organizations.

Everyone at Case is an overachiever in their own right, and they aren't afraid to brag about it. A lot of people have more than one major and several minors as well as being on a pre-graduate school track. I would consider myself the epitome of a Case student: Biology and Geological Science majors, Chemistry and Evolutionary Biology Minors, and I am pre-med. I think that because everyone is so driven and academically oriented that it creates an environment in which many students thrive in and fosters many to succeed and realize their ultimate professional dreams. That said, the school is most certainly not for everyone. Case is located in the eastern part of Cleveland, Ohio; a not-so-nice-part of Cleveland, Ohio. It seems as though the school is continually at war with its surroundings considering that world renown research is being conducted in the labs on campus on a daily basis into which millions of dollars of grant money is being poured while a quick (very quick, mind you) walk down the block in almost any direction will land you into some of the poorest and most crime ridden areas in the nation. An interesting dichotomy exists between the school and its neighborhood and the solution seems to be for the University to buy up as much land as it can and "push back" the ghetto. Don't get me wrong, there is a large effort to reach out to the community but this effort is fleeting and often selfishly motivated not only on the part of the administration, but also the students, who use the impoverished hoods as a prime feeding ground for volunteer work that they can put on their resume for a few months and then go on with the rest of their lives without looking back.

The worst part about campus is definitely the geography and the quality of the neighborhoods that surround 3/4 of campus. The campus layout, as far as undergrads are concerned, is very narrow and long - as a freshman it took me almost 25 minutes to walk from my dorm to my fraternity house. Additionally, if you walk outside of campus to the North, East, or West - you are instantly in the hood. Many people who come from different areas, particularly rural and suburban, are shocked that such a great school is set next to East Cleveland, arguably one of the most dangerous and impoverished cities in the nation. I do not feel safe walking off campus at night, and even during the day in some directions. However, there are some great neighborhoods to the south including Little Italy (very quaint, nice restaurants) and the Heights - Shaker, Cleveland, and University. There are still mansions from Cleveland's heyday when it was a leader in Oil, Steel, and Shipping in Cleveland and Shaker Heights - very nice to jog through if you live on the south side of campus. I have lived in my fraternity house on the south side for the past two years and absolutely love it!

Case is a name brand school and with a degree form there its pretty easy to get a job after graduation. It's situated in the middle of East Cleveland, near the projects. There's always a ton of construction and the roads are really bad, so if you commute, flat tires are something to worry about. It's not a good idea to venture out on your own past dark because people are always getting mugged. It's a pretty small school, you see the same people all the time....There are still cliques like in high school except now its by race; all the asians know eachother, all the indians know eachother....This school is filled with egotystical nerds who think they're the smartest people in the world and look down on others for not being a mathematician or biochemist....if you're not premed, be prepared to be laughed at. As far as school pride, there is none, nobody goes to the football games, except maybe a couple of parents. The only thing I like about this school is that when I tell people I go to Case, they assume I'm smart and tell me how awsome I am.

I like the size of Case. The teachers know you and care about your success. It is a prestigious school. Many companies hire directly from Case because they know the quality of the education. It is a hard school. You will be jealous of your friends who have little homework at state schools. Expect to do a lot of work, but expect that you will be above the competition when you look for a job. It is not much of a college town. There are places to eat and some things to do, but make friends with someone with a car.