Interesting choice. I happen to have a teacher friend at Smith and stayed in that area. My son is at Case.
Research options are better at Case compared to Smith but Smith professors often do find ways to get students into research in other states, so you need to investigate that. The breadth of project choices is smaller at Smith, because it is a smaller school, but labs at U Mass Amherst may be open to you, check about that.
If you are premed, Case may give you more exposure to medical science because there are two major research hospitals, University hospital and Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic has many joint programs with Case
and some of the best heart disease research and the top hospital for Crohn’s disorder and intestinal disorders.
Case allows students who get into medical school early leave with a bachelors degree in three years, very flexible for smart premedical students. !
The two geographies are very different. Amherst and the five college system are in a rural area with a lot of intellectuals! Cleveland is a small scale city, also quite liberal in politics, but less flamboyantly ultra liberal compared to Smith/Amherst. Massachusetts takes some getting used to, as its strangely rule bound New England mixed with ultra liberal politics out there. Its a good three hour drive to Boston, so you will not go to Boston that much.
Smith will have a more intellectual atmosphere, and more of the student body will be studying humanities like English literature, art, history, social sciences, but Case does also have very strong humanities and social sciences too.
At Smith, you will have free public transportation to all the other campuses, including U Mass Amherst and be able to cross register at any of those schools, but Smith may limit the credits you can take at the other colleges (Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Amherst College and UMAss). .
CWRU offers a lot of flexibility on studying things you may not have thought of, and a LOT more courses are offered compared to Smith, because there are PhD programs offered, thus graduate level biology, physics math and other subjects are open to undergraduates who have the prerequisites . There is a full law school and business college and a very well known college of social work at CWRU. CWRU offer practical majors like accounting, or nursing should you want to change majors. CWRU is bigger socially and appears to be supportive of gay students, and very inclusive. CWRU is close to Cleveland Clinic and has joint programs for research and a new medical facility where dentists, doctors, engineers and psychologists can meet and talk about how to care for patients. You may get exposure to more different fields of study at Case and find that to be in your favor if you are undecided about what career to follow. The engineers at Case are not that nerdy, according to my son who is not an engineer. Greek life is mellow at Case.
I am unfamiliar with Smith’s music offerings but art, music and theatre is a strength at Case Western and Cleveland as a city.
Cleveland Institute of Music is on campus and you can get music lessons from very top musicians and attend CIM concerts. Also Cleveland Orchestra plays on campus at Severence Hall. Its the top five orchestra in the WORLD! , only Chicago Symphony would beat it for quality and amazing concerts. Students get season passes for a reasonable rate.
Finally Cleveland Art Museum, a block from campus, is almost to the level of the NYC MET. Its better than the Boston Museum of Fine arts in collection size and layout. Its free for everyone and has a wonderful small cafeteria should you grow tired of “Case Food”.
Cleveland Playhouse offers very good theatre. While Amherst/Smith will have some really good arts on campus
its not the same as a professional playhouse or world class orchestra that Cleveland offers you.
Good luck with this tough decision! .