Case Western Reserve University Top Questions

The best thing about Case is its academics - classes ARE strenuous and they WILL prepare you for the real world. The best thing about Case is its academics - the classes are great and the faculty are accommodating and helpful. Besides that there's not much to praise. I believe we were recently given the title of 18th or 19th most unhappy student body by the Princeton Review. Do you like parties? Don't come. Do you enjoy having enough free time to pursue activities which you love, regardless of whether they'll build your resume? Don't come. Are you looking for friends who are willing to hang out and not hide in their rooms playing Final Fantasy or doing non-stop schoolwork? Don't come. Do you like a school with pride and which will go out to support the football or basketball teams? DEFINITELY don't come - we have terrible teams, and even if they did well, most students don't care and sometimes even go out of their ways to mock our teams. Though there are nice places around Case campus to visit, such as Little Italy and Coventry Street, Cleveland is largely a dead city with a high crime rate. Case's administration has issues - I'm sure most of you are familiar with the massive amount of debt our school is in after the Hundert administration left, the controversial school name-change crisis, and the problems with the special SAGES educational program. The school is too expensive, and the financial aid they give just isn't worth it. Though Case looks great on a resume, for the sake of your own sanity/happiness I'd advise you not to come if you're accepted somewhere else.

The campus is probably my favorite thing about Case. It's nice to look at and a pleasant walk to class if the weather is decent. However, the weather in Cleveland is rarely mild in the winter and the walk is around 20 minutes.

It's a great school. Loads of research opportunities and stuff like that, but also a lot of opportunities to get out and do things. We have several groups dedicated specifically to organizing activities for the undergrad students, and the greek life here is awesome. They do a lot of philanthropy but also host excellent parties. The fun is made by the students, so if you can't get out and take the initiative to do things you'll hate it... but if you can, you'll have a rockin time.

Case is the perfect size for a university. Throughout my four years here I can honestly say I have met most of the people in my class. The classes are also a good size. My biggest classes were freshman year in math and chemistry, but as I got older and more knowledgeable in my major the classes got smaller and more intimate. As one of my professors once said, Case is a kind of utopia in Cleveland. We are surrounded by these beautiful museums and green space, and we are also surrounded by East Cleveland and the poverty that has made it so famous. We are in the perfect position to educate others while we are educating ourselves. The most recent controversy on campus has been over the logo. Although the administration, faculty, and alumni were greatly affected by this change, most of the students I know could care less if we were called Case, CWRU, or Case Western Reserve University. We don't have the same kind of ties to Case and Western Reserve that some of the alumni do. Case is an unusual school because the students are so intelligent, but they are not only focused on the academics like most Ivy leagues schools are. Students here are very spirited and very involved in on-campus and off-campus activities. We are the perfect mix between and Ivy league school and a state school. Four years later I still remember my orientation and PlayFair. I remember how nervous I felt moving in with complete strangers and how comfortable Case made me feel the first few days I was here. I am still good friends with all of my suitemates from freshman year, and I imagine I will stay good friends with them forever.

The best thing about Case is the opportunity to get close to all professors. Despite this institution being research oriented, professors are still accessible and friendly whenever a student needs their assistance. Our new president, Barbara Snyder, has a vision that is going to make Case and affiliated schools (Medicine, Law, Dental, etc) more competitive and more powerful institutions of higher education.

If you want to learn a lot with professors who love to teach and do research, Case is the school for you. If you want to party or have a social life, Case is not the school for you. The individual departments are great in giving individual attention to students; unfortunately, the financial aid, housing and medical services are lacking. They are sufficient for you to survive school but not without a lot of pain and grief first.

I love Case. In my freshman year alone, I've had the opportunities to do research in a lab, get to know my professors, and become involved in student organizations that I love. Case is just big enough so that you can meet someone new every day but small enough to run into friends on the way to class and in the dining halls. When I tell people I go to Case, I get a lot of "wow's" or "impressive". Case is regarded as a prestigious school - and it is! It's a great place to be.

i enjoy the size of the school overall when i tell people that i go to case, they think that i am automatically smart more people need to go to the sporting events (especially the female sports) i spend most of my time either at class or in my dorm...i also spend time at the dining halls, exercising, and in other people's rooms

Over the past 3 years, Case Western Reserve University has become my home. I love the atmosphere, campus, school spirit, classes, and most importantly, the people. Case people are genuine, intelligent, positive and inspiring. I have met so many people, professors and students, that I try to emulate in my everyday life. I am continually inspired by the things that people accomplish here at Case Western Reserve University. CWRU is located just outside of Cleveland...a perfect location, as it is part of the cultural center of the city. There is ALWAYS something to do or to be part of...plays, sports, greek life events, philanthropy, museum days, park festivals and cultural celebrations, to name a few. When I tell people I go to Case, they say, "Wow, that's a great school!" I completely agree. One of the unique things about CWRU, is the administration. The president of the university, Barbra Snyder, makes a point to come to student-run events, sporting events and other activities. She wants us to know that she is committed to the needs of the students, and that students are the main focus of the university. The administration listens to the concerns of students and are very aware of our needs and feedback. I will always be grateful for the personal education that I received at Case Western Reserve University. Here I am appreciated as a student and for that I am thankful.

The best thing about Case is that its Big enough to meet new people, yet small enough to manage. Case has a decent size population. Although the course load at Case is very heavy, finding a balance between work in the class and out of the class is key. Case always has something going on, however, it is your job to seek these opportunities when they are presented to you. My one piece of advice is get involved, whether its just being a member of student group or being a leader in student group, or being apart of Greek Life!

Something unusual about Case is its layout; Euclid Avenue tends to divide the campus between the sciences/engineering and the humanities. Naturally, it does not create a lot of unity on a campus that prides itself as being the combination of a big engineering school with a liberal arts college feel.

Case is a medium-sized school in the city of Cleveland. It's a very urban campus, but with alot of green space as well. Case students tend to find plenty to do on-campus. Unfortuantely, there's tons to do throughout Cleveland as well, but Case students kind of live in a bubble in this part of Cleveland and a lot of them just don't seem to be interested in exploring the surrounding neighborhood. Case students tend to be hard working and very serious about their futures. Double and triple majors are very common, since Case has an open-door policy where once you're admitted, you can declare whatever major and as many majors as you want (as long as it's reasonable).

Case is a bizarre little place. By and large the campus is dominated by three large groups: the administration and staff, the faculty, and the students. Each of these groups believes itself to be the single most important on campus and traces all of its problems back to the other two. The administration seems to live on another planet, despite repeated claims that they have the interests of the university closest to their hearts. They try to ensure that we live in harmony with the community around us, that we stay financially afloat, and that we stay visible and relevant to the world. Their dedication to these points is nothing less than extraordinary, especially when one considers that the campus of this private, privileged university borders a ghetto on two sides; that undergraduate education costing forty grand a year is ignored entirely and hidden behind the desperate drive for research grants and alumni donations; and that our ranking in both graduate and undergraduate education has been sinking for years. The faculty is a patchwork. There are shining stars and black holes in every department of the university, like all schools. The engineering schools have been flourishing for years and look to continue to do so. The management school is respected, but for reasons that completely escape me. The arts and sciences suffer from budget cuts, especially the arts, but strive on as they always do. Academically, it's hard to find a faculty more dedicated to their work. Now if only some of them could teach... The students are divided into two further groups which only sometimes interact, graduates and undergraduates. The undergraduates are almost all desperate to become graduate students, and the graduate students are all desperate to get back the freedom of being an undergraduate. Neither are in a terribly enviable position.

People tend to complain that not enough goes on at case, but, though things happen on a smaller scale than at big schools like OU, there is never a lack of opportunity for a party or an outing, provided you are willing to make friends. Unfortunately, many Case students seem so hindered by the stereotypes that they don't see themselves as capable of this. How ridiculous!

When I tell people I go to Case, people say "Oh Really!" or if they are not from the mid-west area... they say "where?" Case is a great school if you are willing to work your tush off and run around like a chicken with your head cut off. Take a look at this year's "Highest Work-Load List" Case Western ranks #2! Yes that's right #2, second only to MIT! HAHA ... maybe not the way you want to go if you don't want to do a considerable amount of work!

Case is a great size school. There is plenty of interaction between students and professors. There is a strong learning environment at Case and academics are highly valued. In general, Cleveland isn't the best college town, but there are plenty of places to go once you learn about them. Students don't seem to have the stereotypical amount of school pride that many other campuses have, but students are proud to attend Case.

The best thing about Case is the people...seriously. Good people cover this campus like snow in March (by that, I mean that there is snow in March...stupid Cleveland). Case is selective academically, but I think that underneath it all they are also pretty good detectors of righteousness in their future students. OH, and GREEK LIFE! Greek life here is amazing. Joining my fraternity, Phi Kappa Tau, could easily be one of my top five best decisions ever made. I would also point to the beauty of University Circle, such as the Botanical Gardens, the art museum, Severance Hall, the Cultural Gardens along MLK Drive. I would change the workload. Not because I'm a complainer, but because I feel like the excess of work: diminishes the quality of work produced keeps students from experiencing the opportunities here at Case keeps everyone sad just isn't worth it.

I have had an absolutely amazing experience at Case. It has been very interesting to see the changes in the University over the past few years and I am amazed at how far it has come. The new President is absolutely devoted to the students on campus and she wants to see the campus thriving. I think the size of the school is perfect. It gives me the opportunity to meet many different people while still being able to feel a part of a community. People are impressed when I tell them where I go. This school has a strong reputation for being a hard school with bright students who are the leaders of tomorrow. During my job search, I found that all my potential employers were impressed with my courseload and extracurriculars and that it was easy to find a great job. On campus, I spend a lot of time working but I have found enjoyment in the people I work with and I spend time out of school with them as well. Coventry is a great place to find all sorts of different places-- from the hippie restaurant to an upscale Wine bar.

The administration of this school is entirely incompetent. It seems like everything they put in place turns into a disaster. The SAGES program is so worthless and so badly put together that it's already being considered for cancellation (they've already dropped it for engineers) after only a three years of its full implementation! Their public relations campaigns cost the school millions of dollars and only seem to make more people angry. Nobody knows what the rules are or what you need to do to get what you want done, so you have to figure everything out yourself. It's a lot more work to go to school here than it's worth, and that doesn't even have anything to do with the classes themselves.

Case is a smaller school, which I like. It gives you an "at home" feeling being on campus. Also, it is in Cleveland, which has so much to offer as a city. It seems like not a lot of people know about Case, because it is a smaller school, but those who have recognize that it is an academically intense school. Most of the time I am here, I am busy running to classes, meetings and practices, so most of my down time is spent either studying, relaxing alone, or having a chill night with some friends. We go out, but it usually isn't that often. The administration here seems to be a small and messy thing. It doesn't seem to be adequate to meet the needs of the student body, but also seems to be trying to grow and change to fix that. On campus, there isn't an exceptional amount of school pride. People are happy to be here, but without the intense focus on sports (which I don't mind), there don't seem to be many students with a lot of pride.