Case Western Reserve University Top Questions

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.