Case Western Reserve University Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Alex

Social life? What social life? There's nothing to do on campus and it's pretty difficult to get places without a car. So, if you want to have fun here, you either drink in your room, or you drink in your room and then go to the frat houses (most of their parties are "dry", which means pre-gaming is a widely practiced activity). A huge number of students here go greek, so it's a big part of the campus. The pretty girls usually have boyfriends already, and the ugly girls mostly are only interested in studying, so dating is pretty non-existent here.

Brandon

I am in Alpha Chi Sigma, which is a great organization. Students are very involved in student activities, but not as much in social life.

Andi

the group that i am the most involved with is alpha phi omega, which is a national co-ed service fraternity. there are a lot of pre-med groups and other academic groups. i met all of my close friends randomly though, not in clubs. there are a lot more fraternities than sororities on campus. people party every weekend, but there are other people who never party. if i'm awake at 2 am on a school night, which is pretty much every school night, i'm usually doing homework.

Cassie

Greek life is 1/3 of the campus. I think that for some people it's there best way to make lifelong friends. People can always find a party on the weekend, and if you want to party during the week, you just have to know the right people or better yet, people with the easy major. However, is drinking isn't your thing, and you don't want to be in a frat/sorority, there are so many different interest groups, that I'm sure you could find something you liked, and there is always a show, whether it be theater or improv, or Asian Studies, or LGBT events, and they welcome everyone in the Case community. Case is extremely friendly and inviting.

Blake

Parties here suck. I'm largely unaware of most organizations around here. I don't think anyone really has a lot of time for extra activities. I'm familiar with the fraternity DKE because they are one of the few fraternities full of Case-types (not frat boy types). People study on the weekends so everything is a bit more low-key. As far as dating...near impossible. There aren't many people here who are interested or interesting. They make fantastic friends, but it's hard to meet someone you really have a connection with. Plus, everyone's so busy, they can't squeeze a real relationship into their schedules. People tend to be either too arrogant to date or too quite and shy.

Jessica

If you want it, tou can find it, though it may not be as pervasive as on other campuses.

Ryan

Case has a group of people that seem to be in everything and a group of people that seem to be in nothing. If you look for it, there is always something to be doing. Most people don't go far off campus because of the area, but on campus there are always movies, cultural dinners, and friends hanging out in the dorms. Living off campus can be rewarding too, as Little Italy and Coventry might as well be part of Case's campus.

Andy

The athletics are on the rise here. Fraternities/sororities are important if you want them to be. You don't need to be in to belong. If you don't feel like drinking on a night, go to movie on Campus, hang out with friends in the dorm, or always catch up on some work that you're more than likely going to have.

Robert

My closest friends are in Greek Life, and for females, if you do not join freshman year in formal recruitment, you often don't see your friends anymore. For men, it's not as important to join immediately or at all, but if you're going to join, do it early - you build better bonds with your brothers. I am often not as involved in groups as I want to be because of the overwhelming amount of school work that hits me in addition to my fraternity duties as President.

Richard

I went greek. I think that was a great choice. Social life outside of greek life is really a mixed bag though. It all depends on who you know and who you hang out with.

Ryan

Greek life is huge at Case, which may be counterintuitive to what I said above. Almost 33{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the campus is Greek. There are 18 fraternities and 8 sororities. They are generally more social clubs than anything else. Yes, of course there's drinking. But they also do a lot of philanthropy. The Greek organizations are also the motivators behind activities on campus - intramurals, theater, music, tournaments, awareness days/weeks...almost all of it is done by Greeks, if not sponsored by the organizations themselves. Nothing on this campus happens without the Greeks.

Miriam

Fraternaties and Sororities are the most popular groups on campus. 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of all student are involve with one or the other as they hold the most social, and community service events. Case Greek Life is very different from other schools as being Greek is less about parties and more about finding other people who are social. Sometimes it is hard to find people who are interactive, and Greek life is the easiest way to find them. Most students are involved with at least two clubs, as a way to find other things than homework. There is a club for just about everything under the sun. The Athletics deparment has a few varsity sport and a lot of club sports. Athletic events are not very popular and most use clubs as a way to relieve stress. Students in dorms are very open door. Since it is a private school, students come from all over the country. Many people don't know a single other person on campus. Freshman year is the time to meet friends and so everyone trys to be open as possible. I met my closest friends from my freshman dorm and the freshman dorms around me. Case has a mate for life syndrome. People will try to stay in relationships as long as possible, especially since dating is hard with the little free time that people have. Most people only party on the weekends, never on weekdays. There are a few traditional events that people enjoy and that give you lots of free stuff, such as Springfest, Thwing Studyover durnig finals, and Hudson Relays. Alot of clubs hold event on the weekends as well if you are not into the drinking scened that are fun to go to. It is hard to find the time to get off campus, but Cleveland has a variety of stuff to do such as Westside Market, Tower City downtown, the Science Center, the baseball and football stadiums, museum, and shopping centers, which are all accesible by bus or train. Mostly though people enjoy hanging out with friend on the weekend.

Cameron

School spirit is lacking, the new football stadium seats maybe a few hundred but is seldom full. Dances occur at various points throughout the year but are rather tame. As for dating, the axiom is that "the odds are good that the goods are odd." There are some fun bars and clubs off campus that are fun and frequent hot spots though. School sponsored events occur throughout the year but generally it is the same crowd of active students that always show up. The Greek system is messed up (see above). There are also a number of attractions off campus from the ballpark and restaurants to the museums and shops.

Julie

A groups popularity depends on what your looking for. Students usually have their doors open when they are in their room. I wouldn't know about the dating scene, I've had the same boyfriend since before I came here. I meet my closest friends because we lived in the same building and started eating dinner and doing other things together. If I have to be up at 2 am I'm either finishing a movie with friends or finishing a project thats due that day (usually I'm asleep then). Traditions include: homecoming, Springfest, Hudson Relays, Anti - Valentine's Day party, an outdoor movie at the end of the year, and lots more. There are usually a few parties every weekend and people will go if they feel like it. To me fraternities and sororities are just more groups, its a fun thing to do but not necessary for a social life. Last weekend was spring break and I was in Chicago. On Saturday nights you can go to movies, plays, the orchestra, parties, and all sorts of events that don't involve drinking. Off campus you can go to the movies, clubs, ice - skating, shopping, anything you can do in a large city.

Dawson

Greek Life is pretty popular. About 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the campus is involved in Greek Life and Members of Greek Life hold 75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of all of the Leadership positions on campus. It is an award winning Greek Life program - no hazing and Greeks have higher GPAs than non-Greek students on campus. Going Greek makes Case even a smaller community - if you are Greek you pretty much know everyone else who is.

Bevan

Popular organizations: Greek Life Ex: I am involved with a fraternity and it has 40 members. Not a typical stereotype fraternity. My fellow members do have a social life and can hold a conversation, but they are also academically geared and are involved in other activities, such as sports, other organizations, etc. - Students in dorms: Will leave door open on occasion Athletic Events: Very few people attend Guest Speakers/Theater: People sometimes go Dating Scene: First Year everyone tries to force something but it eventually pans out (ie most people end up single) Meet my closest friends: In/Through my fraternity and Resident Assistant position 2am: Studying Tradition/Events: Hudson Relay (Run), Greek Week Party: Small percentage of campus during weekends Importance of frat/sorority: Very important if you want a social outlet Saturday Night: hang out/throw a football/watch a movie Off Campus: Go home

Sarah

I'm involved in Alpha Phi Omega, the coed service fraternity on campus. The guy girl ratio is more heavy towards the guys, so there's an excellent chance for girls to meet a guy ;) I met my closest friends in both my classes, and my dorm freshman year. The freshman are given a whole week before school starts to get to know each other and the campus which really helped me adjust to the different environment. I think of Case as my second home now, because I love being here and spending time with my friends. My Saturday nights are almost always filled with hanging out with friends, going to movies or just playing a game or two with my suitemates.

Morgan

Case Men's Glee Club is the most favored and best a cappella group on the entire campus!

Catherine

Some athletic events are more popular than others, but it's mostly friends going to see their friends play. People going to guest speakers are often bribed by bonus points from their classes. Theater is moderately popular, but the plays are often boring. The dating scene is pretty mild - most people have long term boyfriends/girlfriends and don't play around too much. If you're awake at 2am on a Tuesday, you are definitely studying, doing homework, or finishing a paper. Traditions like the Hudson Relays and Springfest are a ton of fun, and we look forward to them every year. People do more drinking than partying mostly but we generally go to one or two parties a weekend. Fraternities and sororities are very important to the social life, but due to restrictions, the biggest parties often happen off campus. If the fraternity has a party in their house that everyone is invited to, then it is probably a dry party, or you'd have to know a brother in order to go upstairs to drink. If they have a drinking party, it is often small and in the basement to lie under the radar. There are movies on campus, things like bowling off campus, and we watch a lot of movies in our rooms. Off campus you can to go Coventry for food and to walk around the shops, or you can go downtown to the bars and clubs there.

Devin

Don't really know which groups are most populars. Fairly large Greek population. I'm involved with AiChE student chapter, which is working on putting on more events and getting more chemical engineering majors involved. Students do leave their room doors open. Mostly other athletes and friends attend athletic events. Guest lectures are mostly attended for extra credit opportunities. I don't know about theater. Dating scene is bleak; Case has few attractive women, although most women are friendly. I met my closest friends through cross country, track, and my dorm. People party about every two weeks. I went to the SPACES art gallery last weekend and caught a movie at the International Film Festival.

Tim

I am on the cross-country and track teams and my roommate is a swimmer, both of which are tight-knit groups of friends as well as teammates. Having doors open or closed varies by floor and person. I know some floors have an open-door policy. My personal opinion is that if I'm in the room and not doing homework or watching TV(and don't think the whole floor wants to hear it) I will leave the door open. I know most people have it open more often than I do. I think athletic events and theatre nore often than not go unnoticed. I went to a girls' baketball game once and about the only people there were parents. To be completely honest, I think the thing most people do on a Saturday night is go drinking. I'm not sure a lot of fun alternatives, as I have an odd sense of "fun" and am just not the right person to ask.

Kyle

Most Popular: Soccer, Football, and swimming are probably the most successful sports. Asian American Alliance holds very popular events. Ultimate Frisbee is also popular. IM sports and very popular. Greek Life is also very popular. I know many students who do leave their doors open in their dorms, probably because they feel safe, or are just too lazy to lock them. Athletic events are popular, but could be more so. Football and soccer have become more popular due to the successes of the teams. Theater usually pulls a good attendance as well, musicals more so than drama. The dating scene leaves something to be desired. There are some single people, but meeting new people can be difficult, probably because of the small student population. Also, it seems like many people are dating people who go to different schools. I met my closest friends from the swim team and my freshmen dorm floor/building. When I'm awake at 2am on Tuesday, I'm probably finishing homework or wasting time. Hudson relays are a must for a yearly tradition. The pumpkin drop off of clarke Tower (Pay $1, chuck a pumpkin 13 floors down), all for charity. Snow ball, Nurses Ball. AAA Night. Greek Week. Zeta Psi Qdoba Relays. (Run 1/4 mile lap, eat a burrito, run another lap, 4 people to a relay team, for a total time, winning team wins free burritos for a year) People party every weekend, usually thursday, friday and saturday. Greek life is very popular, upwards of 1/3 of students are involves in some form of greek life. They provide a good social scene and party scene, also hold events like Culb Delt (delta tau delta). Last weekend I went to the swim team's end of season party at the swimmer house. Saturday night without drinking: dinner out, maybe watching a movie, maybe a concert, just hanging out in some one's room/dorm/house most likely. Off campus: shopping, eating, clubbing, bars, movies, concerts, sports games, theater.

mike

I would recommend getting involved.

Taylor

The most popular groups are the Greek organizations. About 33{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of all the campus is Greek in one way or another. I am apart of ZBT fraternity and was once the President. Holding that position really showed me how a Greek organization is run on a chapter and university basis. It is time consuming and many times it seems that the Greeks over-program. We are always working, giving, and studying to meet the standards set up by the Greek Life Office. The Greek system here is not the stereotypical "Animal House", but we still know how to have fun. In the dorms, it depends on the person if there door is open. From what I have seen, most people have the door open and are willing to interact, but never step out to do so. They seem to be waiting for others to come to them. I meet my closest friends from the wrestling team. I have been with the same group of guys since freshmen year. I have added more each year with the incoming class and even those who have already left, can always be reached by phone. Those friendships are the ones that will last way beyond college and most likely for the rest of my life. If I am awake at 2 AM, there is one of two things. Either studying if I have a test or seeing how much more I can drink before I pass out. Yearly events include The Hudson Relay, SpringFest, Greek Week, and many philanthropic events set up by Greek organizations. The Hudson Relays is my favorite. Western Reserve University used to be located in Hudson, OH which is about 26 miles away from Cleveland. After they moved the school to Cleveland, each year they had a memorial run from Hudson to Cleveland to commemorate the move. It has now turned into a race between the Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and Alumni racing around a course around the campus. It is still 26 miles, but every half mile, you hand the batton off to someone else. It is near the end of classes and is always a good time. Legend has it that if one class wins every year since their Freshmen year, each member of the class gets a steak and champagne dinner from the university. The legend is true because two years ago, that senior class won four years straight and the entire class was treated. People party, if there are no tests, usually from Thursday until Saturday night. There is the rare occasion that it might go on during the week, but again, it is rare. Greek Life is very important!! Enough said.