Case Western Reserve University Top Questions

Case and the nearby community are an oasis in the Cleveland wasteland. There are innumerable opportunities and seemingly limitless resources at the disposal of students and the community is highly encouraging and supportive of students and their endeavors. Increased enrollment has started to put a strain on resources recently and may be a future concern. Students are very vocal about complaining and the administration seems responsive to most concerns. A lack of school pride and spirit has always been an issue since the 1970's but at the same time is a unifying catch all that encompasses student frustration. A lot of time is spent in the classroom, labs, studying, etc... but I guess that is why you go to college. The fraternity/sorority system is in my opinion a complete disappointment and the antithesis of what I had hoped. The school meddles excessively and uses the Greek system as a means of extolling student leadership and basically uses it as a marketing tool while pitting them all against one another. Student leadership as Case is also very disjointed and unorganized and at times confusing.

Best thing about Case are the people here. Everyone is really friendly and we have lots of opportunities to work together. The one thing I would change is move all of the housing to one side of campus to form a stronger sense of community. I think the size of the school is just right - I don't know everyone here but I don't feel like I'm lost in a crowd. If I telling people from the area that I go to Case they are usually impressed, actually I went to visit a friend at Northwestern and was introduced to some of his friends up there. One of his friends said " You go to Case thats a great school. Do you live in the new dorms? Those are really nice". Most of my time on campus is spent in AW Smith (the chemical engineering building) or in the lab I work in. We're not really a college town, there is the campus and then there's downtown. I like that the Case administration really makes an effort to get to know the students. A pretty big controversy from the beginning of the year was when the campus decided to be a smoke free campus. There is some school pride, it isn't overwhelming but we do get excited about the things that go on here. The Peter B Lewis building is pretty unusual. One experience I will always remember is the Valentine's Day snow day from 2007, because I walked across campus in the blizzard to make cookies with the Residence Hall Association for the upcoming Anti - Valentine's Day party. The most frequent complaint I hear is about climbing the elephant stairs to get to some of the residence halls and to the grocery store.

The best thing about Case is its size and location and the composition of the student body. You really feel a part of a community and when you walk to class you are sure to know at least 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the people you pass. The location in University Circle alongside the cultural institutions is really enriching. You have free access to the Natural History Museum, Historical Society, Art Museum, Severance Hall (Cleveland Orchestra), Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center, etc. It's also great to be around people who put a priority on academics. The one thing I would change about Case is to have more geographic diversity. The majority of the students are from Ohio and the states the border Ohio - Western New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania I think the schools size is just right When I tell people that I go to Case they either remark on how good of a school it is and that I must be smart - or they haven't heard of Case. I spend most of my time on campus in PBL or the USG office in Thwing - they are nice quiet places to take a nap or do work. I also spend a lot of my time in my sorority house where I live. Overall my opinion of Case's administration is pretty positive. I work with many members of the administration because I am in student government. However sometimes I feel that administrators make of excuses why they can't do something - instead of voicing the real reason or fixing the problem. I don't always feel that the adminstrators are willing to work with me to do whatever it takes to change past policies. There is not as much school pride as I would like to see. I think it is hard when you compare to Division I schools who seem to have a lot of school pride because of their athletics. Also there are a lot of negative nancys at Case who are just complainers and not proactive enough to change things. But with the recent building of new facilities and success of our sports teams I feel that people are gradually beginning to have more spirit.

One thing to change: Getting better faculty to teach classes School: just right Reactions: People have not really heard about it Most of my time: My dorm area Town: "What college town" Administration: Have undergone a lot of changes recently and currently looking to fix debt owed Controversy: Branding of the name Pride: Nonexistent Unusual: Advertised much better than it is Experience: Joining a fraternity Frequent Student Complaints: Bad transportation around campus, dining food is terrible, Grades in Classes, School work, Complaining about Cleveland Area

Most people have never heard of Case. Case isn't in the best location, and there are a lot of problems with people getting mugged. I wish the campus was a little safer at night, but if you're smart and don't go places alone, you'll be fine. I love going to Case because it's not too big and it's not too small. Being around smart people motivates me to do my best. Having friends in the same classes as me is really helpful because it's easier for us to study together.

Case is a little-known school but those in the field will know it. E.g., your neighbor may not know where Case Western Reserve is, or whether it's a legit school or not, but the engineering company hiring you will know what Case is. I would change the slow moving bureaucracy of the administration. They are slow to embrace change not initiated by them. Case is just the right size. We have a student center - Thwing (pronounced twing) - but Nord, an engineering hall with a bagel shop in its atrium is more popular during the day. There isn't really a college town atmosphere, but University Circle, Coventry, and Little Italy are very nice neighborhoods, all located nearby. There is a surprisingly large amount of stuff to do, considering it's Cleveland. I think the biggest controversies on campus have been issues with athletics coaches (firing a good coach, refusing to fire a bad coach), and the issue with the president resulting in our new president, and three deans all retiring at once. School pride has slowly been increasing with each new class - and especially with our football team's recent successes. It is far more common to see Case sweatshirts and other Case apparel being worn around campus than four years ago. Case has a lot of ugly statues - that is unusual. It is also banana shaped and split down the middle with Euclid Ave. Half of the students live on one side, and the other half live on the other side.

The best thing about Case is the Faculty and Staff; they teach the material well and most are willing to help outside of class. I'd change guy to girl ratio to be more even. School is just right. When I tell people that I go to Case, they ask where it is. I spend most of my time on campus in my dorm, in Veale, or in a classroom. Cleveland is not a college town. Case's administration is improving but still lacks a connection with the students. Biggest recent controversy is our budget crisis. Most student don't really have school pride. Nothing to unusual. I'll always remember Prof. Covault's physics lectures. The most frequent student complaints are cafeteria food sucks and too much homework.

The biggest thing about Case is that it has a completely different culture than I am used to at home. The stereotypes above outline Case, and I think my background at home is generally reflective of society in general. I guess this is both the best and worst thing about Case. When I tell people I go to Case, they either ask "Where?" or tell me it's a good school. I have mixed opinions about the administration, as I think most people do. i would like to see less money spend on stupid things, like a new statue near Veale with two people standing on each others' heads or changing the logo from the fat man with a surf board to the sunburst, or changing the name to CWRU, not Case. I know most of that was under the previous administration and President Snyder deserves a fair shot, but in my mind an administration, old or new, cannot make those types of mistakes.

Best thing about Case: My friends, the swim team. If I could change one thing, I would change the administration's irresponsibility with money. I think that Case could be a bit bigger, maybe 1,000 students more, but its not bad how it is. People either know what Case is, and for what its known, or say WTF in response. I say I spend most of my time on campus at the pool. The various restaurants and bars near Case are nice, but its far from the typical college town like Boston or Ann Arbor. Case's administration is too unstable, and is too financially irresponsible. Also, they worry too much about drinking at Case. It's a college campus, they should understand it comes with the territory. Work Hard, Play Hard. The biggest recent controversy on campus is the 5.25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} tuition increase for next year. I would say there is a lot of school pride among the various extracurriculars and sports teams. I'm not sure how the average student feels. Case sporting events aren't as well attended as they should be for a smaller school like this. The most unusual thing about Case is their increasing concern with student drinking. I think Case admins need to realize that this isn't the Case from the 1980s and admins need to adapt to the students, not the other way around. I will always remember the swim team. Most frequent student complaints: The weather, the workload, the Cost, the "nerds", that annoying kid who talks too much/asks too many questions/raises his hand in lecture.

the xc and track team is amazing. The school is a great size and sports teams and extracurriculars are a great way to get to know people. Make sure during your freshman year that you meet a lot of people.