Case Western Reserve University- Fit

I completed my undergraduate degree at Case. I was in the 3+2 program; I spent 3 years at a small liberal arts college then 2 years at Case in engineering. While Case has a significant graduate program (this should come as no surprise considering Case is best known for its medical school and a prestigious dental school), I found it to be a benefit rather than a hindrance. I never felt as though I was overlooked on a second class citizen. On the contrary, I found it to be beneficial. Professors can speak from experience and can include cutting edge information in their lectures. Most professors are very willing to take on undergraduates, allowing them to perform research in their labs. Also, if the student decides to go to grad school, they can get recommendation letters, speaking to the studentsā€™ laboratory ability, from well known researchers in the field. I donā€™t think the graduate to undergraduate ratio matters but rather the overall size of the university. In fact, having fewer undergrads, will allow an undergrad to stand out more.

Also, this is a very good thread which provides an accurate description of Case.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/case-western-reserve-university/1729119-a-definitive-objective-description-of-case-western-by-a-current-student.html

ā€œSure, Case doesnā€™t have the instant name recognition of the other schoolā€¦ā€

It depends on who youā€™re talking to. Case Western Reserve is a VERY WELL KNOWN Engineering and Research school among Medical & Engineering professionals.

I always tell students ā€œYou may not have heard of Case, but people who hire people sure have.ā€

I still have some angst about my S not selecting CWRU. It was a top choice for the longest time and he insisted further visits were not necessary because he liked what he saw and felt he didnā€™t need more info. He ended up picking a big OOS flagship U - which he is enjoying but itā€™s a very different feel from a smaller university.

One hesitation we had, however, is the purported extremely heavy workload at CWRU. I had read several comments and was pmā€™d that while several students still had positive experiences, there was not much time for activities outside of studies. I think it depends on the student of course but my S is not a good multi-tasker so I think it would have been difficult for him to fit in ECs. Also, he is doing a double major and while CWRU seemed very appealing with respect to flexibility he wouldnā€™t have received as many AP credits (he started sophomore status as a freshman at his U) which gives him plenty of room to double major and to have study abroad opportunities. Just a few things to consider.

Singermom4, Thank you for your comments. Deciding on the right size for a college was pretty tough for my daughter. We visited quite a few schools in the early part of our search. She thinks the large state Uā€™s are just too big for her. She did not really know how to put what she was looking for, until a Case tour guide said this to her, ā€œsmall enough that you always see people you know on campus; but large enough that you keep making new friends all four years.ā€

I have read all sorts of mixed comments about the workload at Case. It does seem that the workload for engineers (whatever the college) is pretty heavy. So, maybe since Case has so many of that major, it increases the reputation of heavy workload at CWRU?

@wizard2 - thatā€™s a good observation. Engineering students do seem to have a heavier workload on average. For S I think a deciding factor was the D1 sports - he is not an athlete but he is an avid spectator and I think he would have missed the experience. Also our college counselor gave a slight steer away from Case with the comment that he would ā€˜outgrowā€™ the experiences there. Our counselor has input into the Fiske college guides so he is pretty knowledgeable about the details of the colleges. He was speaking specifically for my son of course. But since he was torn among his final five, it made enough of an impact to choose against Case.

I still feel in a smaller university and with one the reputation of Case, the academics will be stronger. Also, a higher percentage of students will be focused on their studies. I worry that in a bigger U, there is a broader range of goals so I have to remind him that if he wants to stay in the higher tiers of students there, he will likely have to work harder and socialize less than his dorm mates. While there is no overt pressure to socialize, itā€™s harder to ignore if itā€™s all around you.

exgymnast, Iā€™m replying to this a bit late and Iā€™m not sure I will be much help. Iā€™m not sure I would recommend a 3 star athlete choose Case. But, that would depend on what your sonā€™s goals are for college tennis. I donā€™t know a lot about Caseā€™s tennis team, but most teamā€™s are not the soul of the experience. If he wants a strong athletic experience with a highly technical academic setting with great friends who study (constantly) Case may be the best place. If not, and if he is looking for something more ā€œfrattyā€ friendly, liberal-arts oriented and sports-minded Elon or Colgate may be better choices. Case is a great school, but not for everybody.

As we are a week out from decisions, I find our family second guessing whether we should have applied ED instead of EA. We knew Case had an ED option, but the thought of committing without knowing financial/merit aid was a bit scary. I very much agree with @ProudDad26 when he said that Case has a clear vision on how to become an even stronger university. And likely move even higher in the rankings. CWRU is just a wonderful place.

When we visited Duke and Vanderbilt, they really pushed their ED Applications (they do not offer EA). In the end, my daughter liked CWRU more than either of those schools or others we looked at. So, we sit waiting for the CWRU decision to come out. We know if she is accepted and we can afford it, she will go to Case next year. She only applied to one other school, Tulane, which also has non-binding EA. If Case does work out, we will spend our Holiday Break applying RD to other places she likes more than Tulane. If Case does work out, we will spend of Holiday Break sending in the deposit, ordering some garb from their bookstore, and going out for a nice dinner to celebrate. So, as we sit here a week out, I think I wished we had submitted ED.I also keep thinking about @bopper excellent list of showing interest, and I realize that if you can commit to EDā€” it really is the strongest way to show interest. I wonder if any other folks are having this feeling?

@Wizard2 Good luck to your daughter! I do agree that applying ED will increase odds of acceptance, but I expect will also decrease/negate merit scholarship. Our son applied EA several years ago and received $23K/year. I know of a young man who applied ED last year and was accepted with no merit money. I would be interested to know if others who applied/were accepted ED last year received any merit funding. I would expect not, or not as much as EA.

S16 applied EA, but was unaware Case may base much of the admissions decision on ā€œdemonstrated interestā€. Other than applying EA (which to me shows alot of interest) - he has not contacted the school directly. We live 2000 miles away with a limited budget, so visiting prior to acceptance has not been possible.

Any suggestions this late in the game since EA decisions are due out mid December?

@ProudDad26

We have also heard from various colleges (not specifically Case though) that merit money is normally not part of ED, because merit money is used to attract top applicants to choose their school over others. So if a student has committed upfront to a college via ED, the college does not need to allocate merit money to ā€œsignā€ the student. Weā€™ve been counseled by our high school that if weā€™re seeking merit money, to not do ED, but do EA or RD.

@hideinplainsight I would agree completely. @4kids2graduate I would have your son contact the admissions office and speak with your regional counselor to confirm his interest, his situation about not being able to visit, and his plan to visit if/when he receives his EA acceptance as it is his first choice school. Better late than never!

@ProudDad26 Thanks for the suggestionā€¦I will pass it on to my son today. I just wish that working hard for 4 years to have good grades, test scores, and passionate EC pursuits, then choosing colleges carefully, doing early research then taking the time to thoughtfully apply was actually looked at as ā€œinterestā€. In my book it certainly shows interest if you take the time to work hard for the stats a school looks for, and then you choose to apply there.

@4kids2graduate did your son request an alumni interview? If not, it may not be to late to at least request one. Even if they are not able to schedule something, the effort to call would show interest.

We were not able to visit either, but will if D gets accepted with a decent aid package, we will. Her alum interview was very informal and enjoyable.

We did visit, so hopefully that showed sufficient interest ā€¦ of course, they continued to solicit us for visits over the ensuing months, so one wonders if they knew we visitedā€¦ (Yes, registered, etc. etc.)

@palm715 S did not request one, but as soon as he emerges from his self-induced homework isolation later this afternoon - I will encourage him to. He has been on top of most details for applications, and I also try to look online and catch details to help himā€¦but the extra ā€œinterestā€ needed including an alumni interview just totally missed both of us. His stats are very good, so we considered Case a match or even betterā€¦but on these threads (which I just started looking at today!) there is some indication that high stats kids may not get as much consideration because they are less likely to attend Case. I had no idea!

On the other hand, if a college was known to not give merit money to ED students, less students would be applying ED so in the long run it is best to give merit money to top students who apply ED.

To @exgymnast with the tennis player son. You listed one of his other interests as drama. Case has a top ranked theater department with lots of extracurricular opportunities for non-theater majors to participate in both departmental and student-run productions (musicals, plays written by students, plays directed by students in the black box theater, etc.). And there are many different kinds of students at Case. Pre-meds are a diverse bunch with wide-ranging interests because they major in so many different areas. So those might be some things to consider in his decision about fit.

To the OP wondering about the viability of a double major in engineering and music: Although the requirements for engineering are demanding, lots of Case students manage to do double majors (or a major and two or even three minors), often crossing between STEM and humanities subjects.

My D just finished up her 3rd semester at CWRU. Sheā€™s a Spartan Cheerleader, majoring in Engineering. The good life! Tell your kids to come aboard. Theyā€™ll love it too.

@bopper thatā€™s an interesting question. As CWRUā€™s admission selectivity goes up, accepted students reflect even higher SAT/ACT/GPAs, and yield increases - I would wonder whether CWRU will need to provide the high level of merit aid that it traditionally has offered. For example, does Wash U provide significant merit aid to their ED applicants? I would suspect not, but I may be wrong.