Thanks, Iāve seen the Reddit megathread. Itās all about admissions. Iām looking for feedback about experiences at Case 
They have an active parent group on Facebook, you might try there
Thanks Iāll try to do some digging and report back 
Current CWRU first-year majoring in Computer Science.
I was deferred EA last December, while a lot of my friends were accepted. I wrote an update letter to my admissions counselor in early March to provide an update on what I had been doing since my application. I also created an independent study course second semester that I talked about.
My stats were low for CWRU: 1380 SAT, 3.9 weighted/ 3.6 UW.
I think what got me in is 1) my letter mentioned above 2) I started a business in 7th grade which grew rapidly each year and became a highlight of my application and 3) while I did not have many EC, I was heavily involved in one from 6th-12th and made a lasting impact.
When it came down to decide, I was between two urban schools, both similarly ranked, and ultimately chose CWRU because of their transparent information, very good program, school size, and it seemed like they cared about my success.
All of these factors have lived up, if not exceeded my expectations. My favorite quote from an upper classman is āeveryone here is at least a little bit nerdyā. I thrive when I am surrounded by students who truly care about their academics, and students here certainly do. The course load this semester was very challenging, but I took advantage of the MANY ways to get extra help, and ended up having a very successful semester.
Biggest downsides: housing options, dining options, and being in Cleveland. As a male-identifying student, I do not feel unsafe walking alone at night, but I know many students who are afraid to, and I can see why. I have been hassled a couple times, but nothing major. CWRU police and security do a good job providing resources to stay safe, so as long as you are diligent, safety should not be a stressor.
Overall, I am very happy I chose CWRU, and I would not change my decision.
Do you mind if I ask with school you have been accepted for CS? It is frustrating that all my son EA schools are coming back late. He is applying CS also.
My son was admitted EA with similar stats. 1530 SAT, 3.98 uw, high 5 w, CS major, EC mostly in music (choir with county/state level awards) though some in math/CS as well. He submitted a music (vocal) portfolio and was also accepted into the music major. He listed music as his second choice major behind CS for the possibility of double majoring.
I just want to say my heart breaks for those who were waitlisted or rejected. I understand what that feels like.
Balonny, Thanks for the feedback. It is very helpful to hear from a student.
Good luck with the rest of your career at Case.
@bopper my understanding of ED is that you can only pull out if the cost to attend doesnāt match your estimated EFC - is that true? Unfortunately we have a messy situation with my ex that prevents us from even applying for needs-based aid, so although Case meets 100% of need, we wouldnāt have an EFC to compare against.
It was interesting that when I called the admissions office yesterday to ask some questions about EDII, the very helpful man who answered the phone stated that they donāt practice yield protection - even though I didnāt ask that question! He said that they simply had a spike in quality EA applications which resulted in so many deferrals. Iām sure they could have filled the Class of 2026 with just EA kids, given the huge surge in obviously qualified applications.
Here is another wrinkle to the EDII. My D22 is in the running for 2 huge scholarships at a state school. One is a full ride. The other is full tuition + a study abroad stipend. She will not hear back until mid-January about whether she has advanced to the next round of interviews. She cannot negate this with and EDII approach. And if a student had EDād outright and got called for this first interview, theyād have to abort the process which would be awful.
Now if she were to hear sooner than mid-Jan that she was no longer being considered, we could have this EDII conversation. But for now, it is not a fit. And Iām not sure if itāll ever be a fit. RD makes the most sense for us, but I believe chances are very slim with RD. Especially since CWRU is now urging for EDII to deferred candidates. The freshman class is not that big!!! Iām going to encourge my D22 to take stock in where she has already been accepted and to see what happens with her other schools that sheāll hear back from in Jan and March.
The yield for Case is a lot lower than their peer institutions. So they likely havenāt practiced yield protection in the past.
D was accepted w 26.5K merit scholarship and 10.5K grant. We felt very lucky that she got in. There is also a personal note on the acceptance about her work experience and involvement with band and also something about her essay.
Thanks for providing details about your admission and first year! So very helpful! Can I ask a few more questions?
Do you walk back to the dorm after dark alone? We visited this spring and walked from a cluster of freshman dorms across Euclid to the engineering quad. It seemed like a long walk. Or do most kids take the shuttle?
Were you able to find friends in the dorm or in clubs? What do you do for fun on the weekend? How many kids were in your intro CS classes? If you needed extra help, did it come in the form of tutoring, TA sections, or meeting with profs?
Room and board is a separate line for $17K. Total estimated COA is 82K.
Estimated TOA for 2019:
Tuition and fees: $51499
Housing and meals: $15614
Books and supplies: $1200
Personal expenses: $1416
Transportation: $300
Total: $70,029
82,000 now?
For sure!
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I have walked back alone after dark. Case has a lot of āfoot patrolsā out to keep the area safe, in addition to Safe Rides and Shuttles. Shuttles are pretty good, and run about every 15 minutes. Safe Rides are like free UBERS, and they run most of the night. There is an app that you can request them from. I have only used a Safe Ride once and had no issues, but sometimes there can be long waits. Most of the time you will not be on the south side of Euclid past dark, as that is mainly the engineering quad where classes are held. Most students choose to study in KSL (library), Tink (University Center), or Thwing (student activity space). All of these are rather close to the NRV (Northern Residential Village, where the freshman dorms are). I would say most students walk and do not take the shuttle.
Yes, there is a lot of walking as a first-year student. The walk from NRV to Engineering quad is about 3/4 of a mile, and most students will have to do that everyday. -
Friends. I found my close group of 8 during discover week at the beginning of the semester, and we have stuck together since. It is possible to make friends in the dorms if you are outgoing, but I am more kept to myself and only know 3-4 other students on my floor by name. I am in a couple clubs and have found a lot of friends that way as well, especially older students. There are over 200+ clubs so I highly recommend putting yourself out there and trying them out! Most of them have an email list that you can at minimum put yourself on and wait until they have an event you are interested in. I have also found friends at SI and TA sessions, more on that below.
On the weekends we have done all sorts of things. Most of the time we end up playing games or cards in one of the common rooms. (none of us were big on games before college, so we play very casually). Case Film Society shows movies every Friday and Saturday, so we have gone to those as well quite often. There are also SO MANY fun events on campus through the many organizations. There is an app called Campus Groups that every org uses, so you can see all the happenings on campus in one place. We have also gone downtown to see shows, and out to eat in Little Italy.
I will also add that while we do have fun on weekends, there are often projects/homework/tests to work on or study for, so it is not all fun and games on weekends. -
First Year Class Size:
Calc I: 500
Chem for Engineers: 450, required discussion section of 40
Java: 250, required lab of 25
SAGES: 18
Help came from: Prof office hours, TA sessions (required and TA office hours), and SI Sessions. The SI program at case (Supplemental Instruction), is for mostly large and first year courses. These are similar to TAs but most SI sessions will have a separate sheet of review problems/content to go over.
Here is an example of the amount of time I put into chemistry each week:
MWF: Lecture 50 minutes a day (Attendance taken and counted)
Tues: Required TA session where there was a quiz and worksheet, 50 min
Sun, Tues, Thurs: 90 Minute SI Sessions, I went to every single one. The SIs would make a worksheet reviewing what we did in lecture the day before, and we would work through it together. Average attendance was 30-50. I have also met a lot of freinds through these sessions, as we all struggle through them together
Homework: There was required online homework, that for me took about 10 hours to complete each week. Less time for some, more time for others.
Studying: I probably spent 2 hours studying for quizzes and around 10 for tests (3 tests in the semester).
Prof office hours: I did not go, just because of the various other means of help available.
Tutoring: I signed up for one tutor session before each exam. These are 1 on 1 with a student who has taken the class before. All Case students get 5 free tutor sessions each week.
I hope this helps, please feel free to ask more questions! It is a lot of work, but I do love it at Case
They say budget for 74K. Unlikely they raised COA 10% this year.
Estimated total cost of attendance is $82,440 in the acceptance letter. Tuition and fees are $62,234 and this is for a business major (not nursing).
Wow, thank you! What a wealth of knowledge here. Iām passing this along to my student to help inform his decision. It sounds like youāve been able to successfully manage the demands of freshman year and find positive social circles. Iām a little surprised at the class sizeā¦ thought 250 was max, but I guess if you sit towards the front of a lecture hall, it doesnāt matter how many are behind you Great info about safety and time management. This is all new to us, so really appreciate the specific info!