2019 HS grad here, accepted to both schools from out of state. I want to major in biochemistry but am flexible to change my major, so long as I work somewhere in the biology/chemistry field and get to do plenty of hands-on research (meaningful research, not just pencil-pushing; I want to be able present my findings) while I’m an undergrad. I also want to pursue my education in grad school after college. Don’t have any experience with engineering, unfortunately, which seems to be a huge thing at GT. Any suggestions on which college I should choose and why?
Tell us first, what are you looking for in a college? Do you prefer the SE or the Midwest? Greek life or not? We need to know more about what you are looking for in a college before anybody can tell you which would be better for you.
The more info you provide the better and more meaningful the responses.
Try asking in the CWRU and GT forums for more answers.
What are the net costs for each?
CWRU has many opportunities for undergraduate research.
The SOURCE program helps you match with professors.
https://case.edu/source/
Specifically for Biochemistry research: https://case.edu/med/biochemistry/u_res.html
As Case is surrounded by hospitals, In addition to in the BioChem Department, you can do research in many other labs including in the School of Medicine or in one of the research labs at the Cleveland Clinic, UH hospital, or Veterans Affairs Hospital.
Case is a smaller school…about 5000 undergraduates.
Here are some FAQs about Case:
Case has a single door admissions policy…so once you are in you can major in whatever you want. So if you started in Biochemistery but wanted to switch to Biomedical engineering you do not have to “get into the engineering school”. Or if you want to take classes in the business school you can do that too.
For bio / chem, Case Western Reserve is an outstanding option.
For bio/chem, I also vote for Case.
If you were going into engineering, I would have said GT.
Thank you for the helpful comments! I will do my best to elaborate, seeing as that seems to be the biggest issue here (besides the decision making).
Net cost for Case is ~$47k, and GT is ~$50k. I received some scholarship from Case which is why it costs less to attend there than GT, and no FA or scholarship from GT.
I’m looking for a “nerd” school I suppose, but with a lot of school spirit, diversity, and just general sense of community. I want an administration that is really involved and strives to provide the best college experience for its undergraduates, and plenty of research opportunities where I am able to research and present meaningful data at as early as my freshman year. I do want to be in a more metropolitan area because I feel it allows me more opportunities for career and personal growth. I don’t really want a large campus or undergrad population. I also need a school that will prepare me for graduate school, and I don’t really want to stray from the 4-year graduation track. I don’t really care about Greek life and don’t see me pursuing it, but I would like a lot of extracurriculars to choose from.
Weather isn’t really an issue, I come from the NE so I honestly like the cold, but not so much extreme heat/humidity. I’m a little scared of the commitment to a rigorous courseload that both schools seem to pose, so I guess that’s not really up for debate, but Case seems far more rigorous.
Thank you for all your help! You guys are amazing!!
Can’t speak for GT, but Case definitely has a “nerdy” vibe. The students there are also pretty diverse and accepting, though it may be a bit harder to find your niche at first because the general population is a bit more introverted. Case is, obviously, much smaller than GT, so the campus may feel much more tightknit. Having a smaller student population also means that you may be able to find research opportunities of your liking more easily, as you don’t have to compete with a horde of other people. As for research that is meaningful; I think that depends on the professor. I would like to believe that most professors in general would rather you work on something that directly helps their lab, or they are devoting time (and potentially money) toward you for nothing. You also mention being open to change your major. At Case, changing majors is as simple as getting someone to sign a paper.
For the downsides of Case, Case does not have whole lot of school spirit in terms of sports, especially compared to GT. Case does have a bit of school spirit, but nothing compared to a public school, and a D1 public school at that. You probably have to make more of an effort to meet people at Case. I would also think that, because GT has more students, there are more extracurricular activities. However, that’s not to say Case does not have plenty of extracurriculars. I think you’ll be able to find all that interests you. It’s just that GT probably has more variety to cater to the large student population. Also, Case has a large Greek life prevalence, and I only put this here as a downside because you seemed a bit more indifferent about this aspect. However, Case’s Greek life is definitely not the stereotypical Greek life, and is more of an organization that provides leadership, philanthropy, and social opportunities. I’m not trying to convince you to go Greek, but rather to emphasize that even though it plays a large role in campus life, the Greek life you see will be more chill than rowdy.
I don’t think you should nitpick stuff like reputation and course rigor. You will definitely have your hands full in either school. For grad school purposes, I doubt they will care about the name of Case Western vs. Georgia Tech, so long as you do well in your undergrad.
If you want a binary answer, I would say to pick Case Western. The fit seems better and it’s also the cheaper option.
Yes, Case seems like a slightly better fit. You prefer the climate, value the freedom to change majors, like the nerdy vibe, and seem as if the smaller and hence more agile and less bureaucratic administration would appeal more. Plus, it’s incrementally cheaper for you. And Case has tons of research crossover between bio/chem and the med school. Both are urban, both are rigorous, both are nerdy and have stellar reputations… if you’d only gotten into one of the two, whichever admitted you would have been great. But given the choice I feel like your description of what you prefer points more toward CWRU.