<p>My super geek son is very disappointed about not getting into his top 2 choices, MIT & Cal Tech for mech engineering. Friends who graduated from CW years ago recommended it. He applied last minute & got in with $15K/yr. Now that we are researching it more, it does not get very good reviews. Seems odd to admit 70% with yield of 15%. Is the school resting on past laurels? We are planning to visit over spring break. Also, he loves his liberal arts classes even though he has been an engineer practically from birth.</p>
<p>He has also been accepted to UC Davis & Cal Poly. Still waiting on Cal/Berkeley & Harvey Mudd. I am very concerned about what economic havoc will continue to befall what had been top notch public schools.</p>
<p>Case western is completely fine, one of the better engineering schools out there… However I think CalPoly is on par with it.</p>
<p>On the contrary, Case is regarded as a school on the move up. Look a little more deeply and I think you will find that. My son was accepted last year and didn’t end up going, but we were all very impressed. I think you will find that the admissions office has a very valid explanation for the high admit rate, and knows its targets are those brilliant kids (such as yours) who did not get into MIT, etc. We felt the energy at the campus, including physical expansion and serious thought to the academic programs. And we were particularly impressed with the quality of the liberal arts aspects mixed in with the strong engineering, etc. I spent some time at the small philosophy department during the admitted students program (highly recommended) and was very impressed by what the professor I spoke with said concerning the interest her students have in diversifying their intellectual experiences.</p>
<p>Case Western can be closely compared to two other top engineering schools from the East:</p>
<p>Lehigh
RPI</p>
<p>My son’s friend visited both Case and MIT and preferred Case for the undergrad focus. He said that they really care about their students, and even though there are grad students there is lots of research availability for undergrads. He said other lovely things (that I don’t actually remember). He is happy to be starting there this fall.</p>
<p>Harvey Mudd is where my son will be this fall. He didn’t apply to MIT, but did apply to Case. He wanted the undergrad focus, and chose Mudd over Caltech to which he was also accepted. Note that Mudd doesn’t actually offer Mech Eng, but a generalized Engineering degree.</p>
<p>I visited Case Western last year and had a pretty good impression of it. The reviews that I had read online were quite negative, but they aren’t very accurate. It definitely has a geeky vibe, but in a neat way. (i.e. they have outdoor classroom-structures that optimize sound without microphones and look like a colliding ship and iceberg.)</p>
<p>They have such a low yield because of the types of students it attracts. Most people applying from out of state have done their research and consider it to be a good backup for better ranked schools. Even so, I met several people there that chose CWRU over “better” schools because it provides great research opportunities and scholarships.</p>
<p>My son prefers to not have to choose the type of engineering immediately. Did your son do early or regular decision for HMC? We have not heard yet.</p>
<p>Oops, did not do the sub-reply correctly. Thanks for encouraging information, everyone. The “Rate Your College” sites are so hard to filter.
It seems so many schools have so many bitter people.</p>
<p>GeekMom63-</p>
<p>A bit off subject, but I remember reading on another thread that your son didn’t want to apply to HYPSM. Was that because of his preference for a more undergrad focused education? (Although I understand that at least P and Y are usually considered undergrad focused.)</p>
<p>Also, I believe he applied/was accepted to Rice? Why was it lower on his list?</p>
<p>Thanks. I think my S has quite a bit in common with yours, and we currently have a D at CMC. One of her best friends is a Mudder. He is going to love his four years there, no doubt!</p>
<p>@madredelgeeko - he did RD a year ago; he’s on a gap year.</p>
<p>@critter - Mudd’s been his favorite forever, although I thought Rice was very nice. He didn’t want big schools, so that’s why he didn’t apply to the others. Y and S were on his list, but his EA went so well that he didn’t bother.</p>