Ask a current Case student

<p>It's summer and I don't have much to do, so if anyone considering Case has a question about anything: academics, athletics, student life, etc., please feel free to ask here!</p>

<p>Some perspective: I'm a third-year student, working towards a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in chemistry with a psychology minor. I'm a varsity athlete, and I'm currently working in a research lab. Although I never considered engineering, most of my friends are engineering majors. I'm also pre-pharmacy.</p>

<p>So ask away! :)</p>

<p>What dorm do you live in? </p>

<p>What type of courses do you take outside of your science courses?</p>

<p>What was your favorite non science course you’ve taken?</p>

<p>Is there entertainment, like concerts, movies, on campus?</p>

<p>Is there diversity on campus, ie, people from different parts of the country and different nationalities?</p>

<p>Are there enough dorms to live on campus all four years?</p>

<p>Sorry for all the questions, but you asked for it!</p>

<p>Hope you’re enjoying Cleveland in the summer!</p>

<p>Count me in too as a Case student.</p>

<p>To keep in line with what aphoticmelody has done…
I’m going to be a senior in Biomedical Engineering, I also have done a lot of work in a research lab and have studied abroad. I plan to go to graduate school. Disclaimer: I am unabashedly biased towards Case, but recognize that not everyone would be happy here.</p>

<p>I am currently off-campus, but lived in Cutler and the top of the hill dorms. Cutler is quad-style, it worked out great for me, as did the suite style on the top of the hill.</p>

<p>Outside of science/engineering courses I have taken SAGES and then a few other classes while I was abroad.</p>

<p>Favorite non-science course, I actually really did like one of my SAGES classes, the professor was awesome and really excited about teaching the class.</p>

<p>Entertainment on campus…the film society brings in movies not yet on video, as well as some really old ones. I enjoy going to watch my friends in plays/musicals that campus groups put on. Ahhh…why am I drawing a blank here???</p>

<p>There is some diversity, but most people come from Ohio/Illinois/Pennsylvania. For some reason a lot of people come from CA. There are a good number of international students.</p>

<p>Many students do live on campus all four years, you may not get a dorm you’d like (depending on your lottery pick), but the longer you live on campus, the higher priority you have in the lottery.</p>

<p>I lived in Smith freshman year and Alumni sophomore year; I’ll be in Tippit this year.</p>

<p>For non-science courses, I had to take SAGES, obviously. I’ve also taken a few psych courses which I’ve all really enjoyed. And there was one general ed requirement which I didn’t fulfill with my AP credit, so I took Japanese Popular Culture for global diversity.</p>

<p>My favorite non-science course was probably Human Intelligence… the professor was really into the material, and we learned by reading actual research articles instead of through lectures or textbooks. Very cool stuff.</p>

<p>On campus there’s usually performances to watch; the a cappella groups are always pretty cool. Footlighters puts on a musical every semester, and Playhouse Square is just a 15-20 minute bus ride away. You get an RTA pass every semester, and the HealthLine takes you straight there.</p>

<p>The student government type groups also do a good job of bringing bands in for concerts… there are Spot Nights every Wednesday, and bigger name bands like Jack’s Mannequin, They Might Be Giants, etc. come a few times a semester. These are either free or $5 with your Case ID.</p>

<p>And there are usually activities advertised around campus for Friday/Saturday nights, put on by different organizations or frats. They’re definitely worth checking out.</p>

<p>You’ll find a lot of Ohio kids, but I’ve met people from all over the country. International students tend to be from Asian countries (that I’ve noticed anyways) and they stick to themselves, which is a little disappointing. But if you’re into diversity, definitely check out Juniper… after Cedar, Juniper would have been my second choice and I know I would’ve loved it there.</p>

<p>Freshmen live on North Side, in the Cedar/Juniper/Mistletoe residential colleges. Sophomores are mostly on South Side, with a few unlucky ones (or transfers or humanities/arts/music type majors) on North Side. As an upperclassman, many people move into the Village, which is expensive but beautiful. There’s also Tippit and Staley on South Side. Little Italy also provides some great apartment/house/duplex options which many Case students take advantage of.</p>

<p>Chances are, after a couple years in the dorm you’ll either want the space of the Village, or at least an apartment of your own. :)</p>

<p>Hope this helped, and seriously if you have any more questions please ask! :)</p>

<p>Can anybody out there give me more information on merit aid for case western?</p>

<p>Im an OOS student (Georgia) with a really sucky gpa (3.3 as of now) and a 2000 on my sats. Im graduating in may (fine time to get serious about school right?) and im really interested in Case, but I absolutely cannot go there without some form of mulla.</p>

<p>I took some really hard classes and my gpa suffered, but if it helps, I do A LOT of community service and I participate in a bunch of clubs. I guess im wondering just how hard it would be for me to get merit aid…</p>

<p>Oh yeah, if anybdy has gotten merit aid from case, would you mind posting your stats and just how much aid you recieved? Thnks :)</p>

<p>Quoted from the Case Western General Bulletin: (These are all the MERIT-based scholarships you can receive…they are renewable for 4 years (meaning you multiply the amount by 4 for the total value)).</p>

<p>See also my note at the end for more info!</p>

<p>—BEGIN COPY----</p>

<p>The following academic awards, honoring distinguished faculty, alumni, and benefactors of the university, are offered to qualified applicants for admission as freshmen. Transfer students are ineligible. These awards are renewable for each of the four years of undergraduate study, provided high academic achievement is maintained.
Three full-tuition Albert W. Smith Scholarships for freshmen accepted in engineering, science, or mathematics.
Two full-tuition Treuhaft Scholarships for freshmen accepted in engineering, science, or mathematics.
Up to five $3,500 Materials Science and Engineering Scholarships for entering freshmen who are interested in majoring in materials science and engineering.
Four full-tuition Andrew Squire Scholarships for freshmen accepted in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, social and behavioral sciences, management and accountancy.
Two full-tuition Adelbert Alumni Scholarships for freshmen accepted in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, social and behavioral sciences, management and accountancy.
One $ 18,000 Curtis Lee Smith Scholarship every four years for a first-year student accepted in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, social and behavioral sciences, management or accountancy.
One $18,000 Elizabeth Walker Scholarship every four years for a first-year student accepted in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, social and behavioral sciences, management, or accountancy.
A Trustee’s Scholarship for freshmen entering the College of Arts and Sciences or the Case School of Engineering who rank in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class and have composite SAT scores of at least 1500, or a composite ACT score of at least 35. (Value for freshmen entering in 2006 is $25,700.) The university may establish annual limits on the number of Trustee’s Scholarships to be offered.</p>

<p>A President’s Scholarship for first-year student entering the College of Arts and Sciences or the Case School of Engineering who rank in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class and have composite SAT scores of at least 1400, or a composite ACT score of at least 33. (Value for freshmen entering in 2006 is $ 20,800.) The university may establish annual limits on the number of resident’s Scholarships to be offered.</p>

<p>A Provost’s Scholarship for first-year students entering the College of Arts and Sciences or the Case School of Engineering who rank in the top 15 percent of their high school graduating class and have composite SAT scores of at least 1300, or a composite ACT score of at least 31. (Value for freshmen entering in 2006 is $15,700.) The university may establish annual limits on the number of Provost’s Scholarships to be offered.</p>

<p>Up to sixteen Provost’s Special Scholarships for first-year students entering the College of Arts and Sciences or the Case School of Engineering who demonstrate superior academic performance (rank in the top 15 percent of high school graduating class and have composite SAT scores of at least 1,200 or composite ACT scores of at least 28), and who have encountered economic or educational obstacles that affected their college preparation. Applicants from inner-city and remote rural schools, including Indian Reservations, and members of underrepresented minority groups, are encouraged to apply. Students with special talents and significant extracurricular and community activities are encouraged to apply as well. (Value for freshmen entering in 2006 is $18,600.)
The dollar value of the Trustee’s, President’s, and Provost’s Scholarships each year will be the prevailing dollar value of the scholarship at year of entry at the university, minus the value of any gift assistance from a state entity designed to offset the tuition difference between private and publicly assisted colleges in that state. The Ohio Student Choice Grant is an example of such a grant.</p>

<p>Renewal of Trustee’s, President’s, and Provost’s Scholarships</p>

<p>Scholarships are renewable for each year of undergraduate study provided that the student meets the renewal criteria established for the student’s class. A student may receive scholarship assistance for no more than eight (8) semesters of continuous undergraduate course work or until the student completes the number of continuous semesters of full-time undergraduate course work to receive a degree, whichever is less.
Student records are reviewed at the end of each academic year for renewal of scholarship assistance regardless of the number of semesters for which the student was enrolled during the academic year. The student must meet both a qualitative and quantitative standard for scholarship renewal.
The minimum standards for continuation are:
a) Cumulative hours earned after matriculation at Case Western Reserve (not including AP/IB/transfer or Pre-College Scholar credit earned prior to matriculation at the University)
At end of first year: 21 semester hours
At end of the second year: 54 semester hours*
At end of the third year: 84 semester hours*
<em>For students participating in an approved off-campus program (Cooperative Education, Practicum, Junior Year Abroad, or Washington Semester) an adjustment is made in the number of hours expected.
b) A cumulative scholarship grade point average of 1.75 at the end of the first year, and a cumulative scholarship grade point average of 3.00 thereafter.</em>*
**Scholarship Grade Point Average: No courses are eliminated from a student’s record for the purpose of calculating the “Scholarship G.P.A.” The “Scholarship G.P.A.” is the student’s cumulative G.P.A.; unless the student has used the Repeat Option or has earned any F grades in the freshman year that do not appear on the official transcript. If a scholarship recipient has used the Repeat Option for any course or has earned any F grades that do not appear on the official transcript, the original grades will be included in the computation of the cumulative grade average for the purpose of determining eligibility for scholarship continuation.
If a scholarship recipient’s achievement falls below the standard, or the student does not enroll at Case Western Reserve University in a semester for which the scholarship recipient would receive the scholarship, the scholarship is terminated.
Students should consult the Handbook for Undergraduate Students for complete details regarding the renewal of the scholarships.</p>

<p>—END COPY—</p>

<p>NOTE: The value of the Trustee’s, president’s etc has increased. For students entering this year AND the previous year, the Trustee’s was worth 27,500 per year for example. (This past year was unusual in that they did not increase the value of the scholarships for entering students). </p>

<p>Also, the SAT scores listed in the guide are out of the old 1600. I got the Trustee’s and had a Math + Reading SAT score of 1540 (+writing = 2230) and was #1 in my class, for stats.</p>

<p>rooni2010: I got a 1590 Math/VR and 2240 on all 3 parts, was #1 and I received the Trustee’s scholarship. As far as stats go, for a more representative sample, try checking out threads on from earlier this year on acceptance and aid of the incoming freshman class. Also, if you’re worried about your SATs, try the ACTs, last I heard Case was accepting them and you might do better, if you did terribly you could always not send them.
Oh, and by the way, I got the sense when I applied that the writing section was much less important than math or verbal, so if that was your weakest section you’re in luck.</p>

<p>Apply early! They give out scholarships with your acceptance, so Early Action is definitely your best bet. I waited for Regular Decision and I missed out on the highest scholarship as a result. Several of my friends got more money with lower stats because they were on the ball and I wasn’t.</p>

<p>I had a 2260 SAT, 34 ACT and I think about a 4.0 GPA (weighted), with all 5’s and 4’s on my AP tests… I only ended up with a Provost’s Scholarship. Don’t make the same mistake I did.</p>

<p>Just wondering, why’s a school with Case’s quality of education accepting so many students?</p>

<p>I’m interested in the school for pre-medical studies – how rigorous is the curriculum and how are general matriculation rates from Case to top medical schools [from personal experience you might have with other pre-medical students].</p>

<p>Case Western seems to be a “self-selective” school. We have a high acceptance rate compared to name-brand schools like Harvard or Michigan, but our stats are still respectable, as far as I can recall (it’s been a few years since I’ve looked at admissions data).</p>

<p>Our university is well-known and respected in Ohio, and within fields such as medicine, engineering, science, and nursing. You’ll find intelligent and ambitious students here, with the added benefit of a complete lack of snobbery that you might find at someplace like Carnegie Mellon (I was completely turned off by my post-acceptance campus visit to CMU). Yes, we can be self-deprecating and modest, but really, isn’t that a good thing? I prefer it to the alternative.</p>

<p>As far as the pre-med curriculum, it’s definitely rigorous. You’re competing against a ton of other ambitious pre-meds, which can either be a plus or a minus depending on your personality. There’s a lot of structure in place to help you succeed, if you take advantage of all your opportunities. I personally prefer my upper-division bio & chem classes, just because you get to go in-depth into the really interesting stuff that you only touch on in an intro course. And if you want to challenge yourself, there are classes available to do so, even while completing your med pre-reqs.</p>

<p>In addition to classwork, I recommend you find a spot in a lab as soon as possible. Email different professors, tell them you’re interested in their research - and keep asking around; eventually a spot will open up. Research looks great on med school apps and you learn a lot.</p>

<p>Also, come prepared with letters of rec that you can use to find a volunteer spot in the UH Case Medical Center, Rainbow Babies, or maybe the Free Clinic up the street. The great thing about being in Cleveland is the opportunities to reach out and gain some experience in the health fields.</p>

<p>My understanding is that if you take advantage of all Case has to offer, you can find a spot in the most prestigious med schools out there. The key is to work for it.</p>

<p>If you have specific questions about classes, professors, studying, or anything else, you can ask here or PM me. :)</p>

<p>Also, this site might help you as far as pre-med statistics: [Case</a> Western Reserve University](<a href=“http://www.case.edu/provost/ugstudies/prehlth.htm]Case”>http://www.case.edu/provost/ugstudies/prehlth.htm)</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>I don’t know if you’re still reading this thread, but i was just wondering why anyone thinks Case doesn’t have the highest rankings but is still an awesome school. Also, do grads go to top grad schools after going to Case?</p>

<p>Let me start out by saying I think the US News rankings are a bunch of bull, and their methodology is subjective and flawed.</p>

<p>Now aside from that, my theory? Its location. Case is in University Circle, smack dab in the middle of Cleveland, Ohio. Now move Case to the East Coast, even if it’s in a similar urban location, and all of a sudden it will move up at <em>least</em> 10 rankings, if not more.</p>

<p>Instead, Case is one of those Midwestern gems that most East Coast kids (or wannabe East Coast, I know I focused my search out there at first :)) will discount. Research is such a huge part of what we do, and we’re well-renowned for it. Between our rigorous classes and the experience you can gain in a lab working with some of the best in the field, you’ll be well-placed for grad school.</p>

<p>What are you thinking of studying? I might be able to be a little more specific.</p>

<p>I think I want to study chemistry or chemical engineering. I just recently discovered Case and I was just trying to learn a little more about it so any info you have will be extremely appreciated!</p>

<p>Case’s location?</p>

<p>I noticed you said it’s smack dab in the middle of Cleavland. What, in particular, borders the campus? … sky scrapers, residential area, etc.</p>

<p>aphoticmelody: I don’t think getting letters of reference while in high school is all that necessary for volunteering, it might have been easier than just calling up people while I was at Case, but I have some solid mentors that were more than willing to help me out.
SKE4892: there is a whole thread on the rankings of Case Western a handful of threads previous to this one.
Chem Engineering: I don’t know much about it, but one thing I do want to say about the department is that I went on an impromptu visit to Case and wanted to meet with a prof from an engineering department. I randomly went to the Chemical Engineering Department and the head of the Department sat down and chatted with me for maybe half an hour, no appointment, just helping me out. I was impressed (although ended up BME).</p>

<p>Jimmy28: Hospitals, Little Italy (residential/shops/restaurants), residential and several museums all border the campus. Also, I don’t know if I would actually say Case is bordered by the ghetto, but it is pretty close to some pretty shady areas.</p>

<p>How is the Comp Sc/ Engnr at Case?</p>

<p>I was wondering if you knew anything about Case’s law school and the undergrad pre-law degree? And what kinds of internships are available and where have grads gone to work? Thanks in advance!
I just recently found out about Case too</p>