Case Western Reserve University Top Questions

I think that the best thing about Case is that it lets you be who you want to be and to figure out who that is. If I was to change something, I'd say that I personally wish that we had more faculty in poetry (as writers, rather than lit professors) and DMLL (Department of Modern Languages and Literatures). I think the school is just big enough that you don't have to see people you don't like all the time, but small enough that you'll still see a lot of people you're fond of. When people hear I'm going to Case they're either 1) impressed, if they're from Ohio, because it's the best school in the state or 2) "Oh. I couldn't go there--too close to home" if they're from my high school, which is about three miles from campus. It's certainly not what you could call a "college town", but we often refer to it as the "Case bubble" and we mean that pejoratively, meaning that there's enough for people to do on campus that they often forget that they live in a city and that there's a lot of other stuff to do outside of campus (especially if you have a car). As far as the most frequent student complaints...Case students complain about everything. Maybe it's the awful Cleveland weather that gets people going, maybe it's because people stress themselves out too much, but whatever it is people complain a lot, and sometimes make it seem worse than it is. I think the most frequent complaint is about SAGES the mandatory seminar class requirement, but even that isn't as bad as the volume of complaints would suggest.

if your really serious about work then you'll find professors very helpful and plenty of research oppurtunities. If you want to do a lot of partying and study on the side then this probably won't be the best place.

Case is a good size school. The campus is rather large and absolutely beautiful. It is close to downtown Cleveland, and right amongst some of the best hospitals, museums, and orchestras in the world. I am a biomedical engineer and the program is top notch. Most people are unfamiliar with Case, but those that are always very impressed that I go there. Most students are highly dedicated to their studies, but a lot know how to have fun as well. Our division 3 athletic programs are on the rise, and therefore school pride seems to be increasing. Our new president (our old president was run out after some poor decisions) is very engaging and interested in what students have to say. The biggest complaints about Case is that it is too nerdy and that students never have any fun. It is a fair complaint. Students are focused on their work, but you can have fun and have a typical college experience if you seek it out. Cleveland is a great town and a fun and exciting place to be.

Well to break it all down... The school is a fair size, student wise. Case has recently been expanding by accepting more students; however it does not appear they are capable of bringing their housing standards up along with the increase in students. The south residential village was condemned about 5 years ago but Case accepted more students than they could house so they reopened the dorms after making minimal repairs. As far as the surrounding area...Cleveland is a small city that it attempting to emerge from a economic low. However, they seem to have difficulty improving their image because of an inability to complete renovation plans. Construction began on Euclid Avenue a year before I came to Case. The plan included a new "Silver Line" that would be a rail line that ran along side the road and would allow fast transit across the city. However the "Silver Line" was scrapped due to slow progress and costs. Even with the simplification of the construction, Euclid Avenue has been under construction for 3 years and is planned to be finished in 2011. Euclid Avenue is the main lifeline of the East side of Cleveland and runs through the center of campus. The construction has made life and movement (for cars and pedestrians) very difficult for a long time now and it is a common belief that it will never be fixed. As far as activities are concerned, there is only a small collection of things that can be done on any given day. On the brighter side, Case students do have free access to most of the museums in Cleveland for free at the door. The Rock and Roll hall of fame and the Botanical Gardens are also accessible if you go to the student activities office and get tickets beforehand. Administration is the major negative with Case Western. Financial aid office looses papers and forms and it is very common to have to make multiple in-person visits to the office to correct errors. (They are very nice people, just not the best in terms of organization). The administration is also trying to overcome a bad stigma the previous president gave them because of financial mismanagement that resulted in him being removed by a vote of no confidence. Case Western Reserve University has changed its name twice in 4 years (from Case Western Reserve University to just Case and now this last year back to Case Western Reserve University) The first change was due to a belief that the name of the university should be "brand named" and needed a hip/short/new name that would attract students, but the change alienated the alumni from the Western Reserve, which was the liberal arts and science college (while Case Institute of Tech was the Engineering). Topping that off with the annual 5{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} increases in tuition leads many students to believe the administration does not have the students' best interests in mind.

My favorite thing about Case is the academics and the professors. There's a lot of smart and EXTREMELY helpful people around! The professors actually care about you, even though a lot of them are busy doing research or publishing papers. The classes are hard, but enjoyably. If I could change one thing about Case, I would make the population more balanced between liberal arts and the hard science majors. Case is the perfect size. There is always just the right amount of familiar faces to be seen while walking to class. It's not really a college town, although it is safe and there are lots of 'city' things to do. There isn't much school pride. Getting around campus is a drag - lots of walking. The Greenies (our busing system) are always a big controversy among the students. They aren't very reliable. Case has a very pretty campus.

One of the best things I found at Case, was the community feel on campus. Class sizes have been around 1000/year lately and it's eary to get to know a lot of your class mates and get involved in a number of different student organizations. I was able to be a Class Officer for three years, I served as the Vice President of Public Relations in the Student government, and I feel like it would have been much harder to have held these leadership roles in a larger institution. I also feel that you can get a better education (if you take advantage of it) since you aren't in HUGE classes with 600 or 700 other students, like I've heard of at large state schools. The biggest problem I had, and that took me the longest to get used to, was bring located in Cleveland. I grew up outside of Washington DC, and in comparison, Cleveland is not a very exciting city. Over the years it has grown on me, and I am more familiar with what there is to do for fun around the city, but as an incoming freshman who is unfamiliar with the area and doesn't have access to a car, it can be hard. Also, the winters SUCK. No way around it. Get used to cold, get used to snow, get used to a lot of both!

I like this size of Case (number of students). The campus is poorly planned. Most dorms are a 20 minute walk from the main quad. People from Ohio are impressed when I say I go to Case. People from other states usually are unfamiliar. East Cleveland is not a good college town, but just a couple miles away is "Coventry" which is a good hang out spot with concerts, bars, and restaurants. There's not a lot of school pride. Athletic events are poorly attended. It's mostly a school where the individual comes before the school (in students minds). However, people do help each other out with academics. It's pretty friendly. Everyone I know has friends (from the nerdiest to the "coolest"). People are pretty excepting (I suppose because we all know we are at least a little nerdy).

I love Case. There is plenty to do both on campus and off. If you do want to do something off of campus, there is plenty of free transportation to get you there. There are sporting events that you can go to both on and off of campus

I love the size of Case. Class sizes have increased over the past couple of years but class pride still continues as students are able to relate to more students in their class in their majors. In previous years, if you were a business or liberal arts major, you would start seeing most of the same people.

The school is a nice size. People definietly respect the name "Case" because when people find out I go there they are always excieted. I spend most of my time in my room.