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.

at case there isn't a lot of school pride. actually, there is almost school anti-pride. everyone complains about it all the time, but really i think people are mostly upset that they aren't at the top of the class anymore, because a lot of people here are type a perfectionists. there is also a huge number of pre-meds, so there is competition.

One thing I'd change is the homework load, when our homework load is second to MIT, but our ratings aren't second to MIT, what's the point. Case is definitely not a college town, we live in a big city, and even though everything is ghetto and closes by 2am, it's still a city, it makes you feel more grown up, because you really are on your own. When I tell people my age why I go to Case, they have no idea what I'm talking about, even adults sometimes don't know. It's only when I tell people in the academic community that I go to Case, that anyone even knows what that means. That can be hard, especially because I work so hard, I'd like a little recognition, but I have to realize that when I go to grad school, those people will know about Case, and know what I can do, having made it through Case successfully.

Nobody "likes" being at Case. The best thing was the education. The education seems to be suffering because the university is attempting to make it a more popular place to go. Perhaps its applicants weren't a superficially desirable bunch, but before, they were motivated and interested in what the university is supposedly about. As far as research and experience goes, it's in my opinion, one of the best. When I tell people I go to Case, they immediately think I'm smart or ask me about all the Asians that go here. I tell them that school is my life. It's not a regular college campus in the sense that the parties suck and people are a little more serious. But part of that is because the students aren't as interested in making college about partying. There's not a lot of school pride. No one likes being here. The faculty is for the most part, terrible. I've had a lot of fights with Disability Services about my frequent hospitalizations and finally just gave up. I decided that it's easier to deal with no accommodations than to keep fighting for them.

Medium sized research university with a heavy workload and rigorous academics. Accessible professors; somewhat small; college neighborhood, but no college town; not much school pride; students, particularly pre-meds are cutthroat about academics.

Case has an amazing academic reputation, but lacks school spirit. When you tell people that you go to Case some of them will ask you where that is and others will automatically assume you are into WoW. However, I have found that there are some really great people here and the professors truly care about their students. I wouldn't trade the small campus size and tough academics for parties or a Div1A sports team at all!

The school could have the better athletics, women and men, as well as fun of a 40,000 person state school, but what fun would that be? You know a bunch of people on campus from freshmen to seniors, and you can make your college experience whatever you want it to be here.

The school is increasing in size every year, which in my opinion is a bad thing. The administration is possibly the worst I've ever heard of - no communications exist between departments on campus. Housing is adequate, but the rooms are horribly overpriced for the size.

Case is basically a Carnegie Mellon for students who didn't get into Carnegie Mellon. Compared to CMU in Pittsburgh, Case is like a less than stellar parallel universe. Not to say its a bad school, but it tries too hard to be something that it is not. In fact, the admissions department is actually lowering its standards and lowering the expectations of incoming students.

Small school in a city that's more important than just Case. In other words, this is NOT a college town. People are proud of their academic credentials and know that they are quietly getting a top-notch degree in the country. Many people don't know about Case, but those who do are immediately impressed when you tell them you go to Case. Administration is the wishy-washy ivory tower type. You don't see much of them. Faculty are generally very good - in the Arts and Sciences programs, you get PROFESSORS teaching classes, and not grad students.

The best thing about Case is being around so many driven hard working students, which really helps you to focus on the academics. Sometimes it would be nice to have more social events that are for fun. Case is a small school which is most well know for its Science and Engineering. Most people outside of a two hour radius that are not in Science or Engineering have never heard of it. The most common reaction when telling them that you go to Case Western Reserve University is "You are in the military?" Case is planted right in Cleveland, so there is not much of a college town since there is a lot of stuff around anyway. It makes it nice since you get more of the activities you can only get in a city. This year Case inducted a new president. The last president had made some unwise financial choices which got him booted. So far the new President has been reconnecting with the students and alumni. She hopefully will be able to better handle the job. There is not much school spirit, the athletics is not really paid attention to. Most students bond in the effort to pass classes and handle the work load. My best memory of Case was when it hosted the Vice Presidential debates last election. The entire campus became teaming with people and activities from the school, media, and outside community. It was a really fun time. The nicest thing about the campus is that all of the museams of Cleveland are within a short walking distance of the school.

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.

Case is the perfect size as it is, even though the administration seems to want to keep bringing in a larger number of freshmen each year. The higher-ups want to be prestigious, but are not very selective of who they admit. When I first started telling people I went to Case, I always had to clarify with "Western Reserve University" and then with, "It is in Cleveland Ohio." I soon quickly changed "where" I went to school as just "in Cleveland." On the actual campus itself, there really is no "college town" because of such an urban atmosphere. However, about a 5 minute drive will take you to Coventry Road which is exactly what I thought a college main drag should look like. It had bars, restaruants, little shops, music venues, housing, and more. Coventry is shared as the spot to go to by Case and nearby John Carroll University. It is really underused by the younger crowd, but seems to be the place to go to for the more extroverted group mentioned before. The administration is too uptight about everything. They want control over everything and want to be like pseudo "helicopter parents" over the students so the actual parents at home have nothing to worry about. School pride is a mixed bag. There are students who love to go to our sporting events and will attend many just because they love the sport and love Case. Others could not even tell you if we had athletics at Case. The Case Association of Student Athletes (CASA) which I am a part of, is aimed at bringing that school pride to everyone. We have initiated a program called "Blue CWRU" (pronounced Blue Crew") to get the student body aware of who we are. We have a card system that each student has an opportunity to get and have punched at each game they attend. After attending so many events, they receive prizes and the prizes work on a ladder system. At the end of the year, we collect the cards and put them all in a basket and pull out a name to determine who wins our end of the year prize, usually a TV or something similar. We are working to make the group bigger and better each year, but we still have a long way to go.

The size of Case is just right. It's the perfect balance between knowing everyone on campus and feeling like a stranger. It has a great surrounding area with restaurants, bars, and shops, and the proximity to downtown Cleveland is great for attending baseball and basketball games. Two major downsides are the campus layout and the athletic attendance. The campus is not an inspiring or beautiful campus by any means. It has an occasional nice building, but those are often surrounded by eyesores. After a while, the campus doesn't really bother you, but when you visit other schools you recognize how bad Case's campus really is. Another downside is the lack of attendance to athletic events. Traditionally, Case athletics has been nothing special. However, recently, the athletic teams have gained national recognition, being ranked top 10 in the country and winning conference championships. Despite this, students still rarely attend Case sporting events. For most people, it isn't that they don't enjoy going, most would actually love to go and heckle and be rambunctious. The problem is that they don't want to be the only ones, and Case hasn't figured out how to get everyone to attend the games. People want to go, but they are afraid they will be the only ones.