<p>One son applied to Case on a whim and now he has been accepted. He will be an Electrical/Computer Engineering major. It is not his first choice but the program seems to be quality when looking at it from a distance.</p>
<p>We have never been to Cleveland and I hear horror stories on the neighborhood around Case. </p>
<p>We may have to go visit if the financial aid comes in but I was curious what others thought of Case and any experiences.</p>
<p>There is no horror story. In fact, the CWRU area is one of the nicest areas in Cleveland and Cleveland is a city that has been continually improving. The immediate surrounding area includes the art museum, music institute, and art institute. It is also close to the University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic. One of the closest areas is Little Italy. I recommend a stop at Mamma Santa's pizza. Up the hill from Little Italy, is the Coventry area with lots of trendy shops. There are some rough neighborhoods fairly close to CWRU but there is plenty to do without going into them. By the way, I am not a Cleveland booster. I lived in Cleveland during its worse time in the 70's and was happy to leave. The climate is miserable. The lake effect cloud cover starts in the Fall and the sun is rarely seen until May.</p>
<p>I can't add to what you already know about the academics. If they match, I would definitely recommend a visit.</p>
<p>drizzit: Case is absolutely SUPER as far as your son's major is concerned.</p>
<p>I am very familiar with Cleveland: The area immediately surrounding Case is a mixed bag. University Circle, where Case is located, is a very beautiful area with a hugely influenced by cultural (music halls, museums, etc.) things.</p>
<p>On the flipside, also nearby is an area that is not the best. But like any other urban college, you simply have to know where you should or shouldn't go. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to have my son or daughter go there.</p>
<p>Also, Cleveland is an absolutely wonderful city. The suburbs (all within 20 minutes of Case) are very nice and provide everything imaginable. Downtown Cleveland (about 5-10 minutes from Case) has been revitalized and it is a safe and "hopping" area.</p>
<p>Just curious.....what other schools is he considering?</p>
<p>We are now in the boonies, but lived about a mile from Case for many years - and my husband still works there.</p>
<p>Like most urban universities, there are neighborhoods that you would not want to jog in the middle of the night. However, there are many wonderful areas adjacent to Case, including Little Italy, and some very nice areas of Cleveland Heights. A lot of condos are going up (and buildings being converted) and there are not (for the midwest) cheap.</p>
<p>My son worked as an teaching assistant at a pre-college program at Case (equinox) so we dropped him off and picked him up in the evenings a couple of times in the north campus dorms. It was pretty lively (in a nice way) even in the summer. This was not true in the past (where your information may be coming from); it has improved greatly in the last 10 years or so, and even more since when I attended as a grad student.</p>
<p>Cleveland's renovated art museum is once again open, and all the facilities of University Circle are available. If you come to visit, be sure to take in the Monet exhibit.</p>
<p>Let me know if you need any additional details.</p>
<p>You can also ask this at the Case forum, or look at all the previous discussions of this topic over there (be sure to select "From the Beginning" in your search).</p>
<p>Here are some links to this topic:</p>
<p>old wise one</p>
<p>Son has also applied to (his last order of preference LOL --this changes weekly)</p>
<p>Northwestern
UC Boulder -- Accepted with some merit $$
Arizona State -- NMF full ride(we visit this weekend and may go up or down)
USC
Washington State --Accepted with significant Merit $$
Penn
Oregon State -- Accepted with Merit $$
Case Western -- Accepted
Univ of Utah -- Accepted with Merit $$
Univ of Wyoming --Accepted with Significant Merit $$
Univ of Arizona --Accepted with NMF full ride</p>
<p>Cleveland is totally sweet and Case is an awesome school. I would also recommend ASU, as I am in Phoenix right now, and the weather is spectacular. I am going to downtown Tempe tonight for Mardi Gras, and might recommend it further depending on how many sets I see.</p>
<p>drizzit - congrats to your son on a nice selection of acceptances already!</p>
<p>drizzit: Case is different from your son's other choices in that it is smaller (tho some of the larger unis may have "small" engineering schools) and affords a better chance to get to know professors & interact w/them. If that is important to him.</p>
<p>The student body, also, has a reputation for being "geeky"--even the humanities majors! My son is a CS and Math double major and loves his programs as well as the arts available on campus and off.</p>
<p>Thanks Ohio Mom ... Our Public selections were based on solid engineering programs and the opportunity for merit money. Son had to stay in budget :)</p>
<p>mommusic I agree on the size of case. That is one thing that attracted him to Wyo as well. The engineering classes are capped at Wyo and average 23 students and full professors teach 99% of all classes (no Ta).</p>
<p>S is a club soccer player and enjoys skiing and many outdoor activities so he enjoys stepping out of "nerd" mode quite often. It will be a tough decision for him. His top two picks show the dilemma between a good academic and a great Ski school like UC Boulder and a "elite type program like Northwestern" with no skiing.</p>
<p>
[quote]
S is a club soccer player and enjoys skiing (...) His top two picks show the dilemma between a (...) great Ski school like UC Boulder and a "elite type program like Northwestern" with no skiing.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm sort of surprised not to see "Ski U" (Montana State, Bozeman) on that list...</p>
<p>Wash dad</p>
<p>Montana does not offer engineering and Montana State was too close to home for the boys. They said since so many of their friends are going there it would be like HS all over again. MSU was considered but just was not there for other academic reasons as well.</p>
<p>drizzit,</p>
<p>I agree with many of the comments. As one who grew up in Cleveland, visit family a lot and spent a lot of time around Case, here’s my take viz your Q:</p>
<p>CASE: really quality, but somewhat underrated school, esp in engineering, which is what your son. Somehow case doesn't get the deserved ooos & ahhs that comparable schools like Carnegie-Mellon and WashU seem to get, but trust me, it's just as good and, in some ways, better. Because of that underrating, CWRU's student body is probably a tad more regional/local than its aforementioned competitors, but there are plenty of non-Ohio kids, w/ an esp heavy load from metro Philly, for some reason. The school, as hinted by its rather strange, long name, is the result of a merger of 2 universities in the 1960s: the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University – both well thought of, with strong traditions (look up the famed 19th century Michelson-Morley experiment at the 2 schools, which inspired Einstein’s relativity theory). The 2 campuses are split, generally, by Euclid Ave and Adelbert Street, as well as philosophically. At times, administratively, this has caused problems, but not hurting, so much, the high quality of education delivered... The beautiful buildings, esp the Gothic ivy ones, bespeak prestige.</p>
<p>CAMPUS/NEIGHBORHOOD: off the bat, it's a big city; it's not what you'd get, safety-wise, as in a smaller college town like Ann Arbor, East Lansing, or Bloomington (Ind). However, University Circle in general, particularly Case proper, is pretty safe and secure as big-city campuses go (I'd rather be at Case/U.Circle than, say, New Haven or some of the edges of Hyde Park (U. Chicago))... It’s worth remembering that University Circle has its own police force, as though it were a suburb. In fact, the UC police HQ is adjacent to the large, new dorm complex along E. 115th and 116th. (also note, there are 2 Starbucks in this area: one in the dorm complex and one along Euclid, along with a host of other funky, interesting coffee shops, clubs and restaurants – and as noted below, many more are coming!).</p>
<p>University Circle has been touted has having one of the highest concentrations of cultural, educational and health facilities in so small an area (roughly a mile or so in diameter, generally) in the nation... even the world. And the facilities, with classic architecture in the park-like surrounding, including lagoons, rises and the famed Doan Brook, is generally breath-taking.</p>
<p>The U. Circle area is rapidly improving, esp the core business district along Euclid Ave (Cleveland's main drag) and Mayfield Rd. And a project called "The Triangle" will, in the next 2-3 years, is going to bring in high-rise condos, increased retail, restaurants and a multi-level Barns & Noble. There are 2 (rail) rapid transit stations adjacent to campus that whisk students downtown (12 mins) and 2 the airport (35 mins). A bus rapid transit system is under construction going down Euclid with limit "stations" and long, train-like buses... The elevated rapid transit line, generally along the eastern edge of campus (and U. Circle) separates campus from a couple diverse areas, depending on, of course, which side you mean. Immediately to the east is Little Italy, a bustling, compact area of great shops, restaurants, art-galleries, narrow streets and fascinating architecture wedged in at the base of the eastern Application bluffs leading to Cleveland’s posh “Heights” suburbs. To the north and east of the rapid tracks is portions of lower Glenville and the suburb East Cleveland. Both these areas have extensive decay (Esp East Cleveland) and, yes, can be generally regarded as dangerous and not advisable as places to visit. Right now, until it is rebuilt and (slightly) relocated to the South, the E. 120 Rapid station should only be used by day and, preferably, but groups of people – it is totally unmanned and is on the edge of the aforementioned rough suburb of East Cleveland.</p>
<p>Along the northern border of campus is Wade Park boulevard which has stretches that look like an old-upper middle class suburb. This area has seen, and is seeing, extensive rehab. There are some mini-mansions along this stretch (and a full mansion here and there)… even U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones owns a home on Wade Park, so this should tell you something regarding the neighborhood’s quality and safety.</p>
<p>As for Cleveland? It’s a surprisingly sophisticated and diverse city given it’s existence in the conservative Rust Belt/Midwest. There’s a strong nightlife downtown, and it’s getting stronger as more, and more people are moving downtown to condos and apts. Downtown business-wise has sagged over the last couple decades, but it’s quietly on the upswing. Getting around without a car, esp in U. Circle/Case is a breeze with the Rapid and buses criss-crossing the area. What makes Cleveland esp attractive is its array of unique and lively urban-ized areas (like UC, Little Italy) and nearby areas like Coventry and Cedar-Fairmount, up Cedar Hill, and Shaker Square/Larchmere nearby. Ohio City, just across the river from downtown, to the west, is a lively and up-‘n-coming, gentrifying neighborhood of shops, restaurants, Victorians and the famed West Side Market – not to be missed – and is also directly on the Red Line rapid transit line service CWRU/U. Circle. Cleveland and downtown are very compact and walkable. Some will say you need a car but don’t listen to them. Cleveland is much easier to navigate without a car than, say, Detroit, LA, Houston, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Indianapolis, etc, etc….</p>
<p>Btw, if you think I’m generally boosting my home town (of which I’m justifiably proud), GOOGLE “Yahoo, travel, Cleveland” and read the 100 or so reviews by mostly non-Clevelanders to get the generally positive take on the city --- which, as you’ll often hear from reviewers, is as underrated, in many ways, as Case Western – it goes hand in hand.</p>
<p>I've just come back for a visit. The academics and facilities (academic facilities/research facilities) are amazing. The classes are fast an engaging, and the profs and TAs now their stuff. The students were socially inept, the dorms were mediocre, and the food was way overpriced. Unless all else goes wrong, I could never see myself going there - Most I met where midwestern nerds/geeks (who admitted it themselves!) who had no interest in socializing whatsoever. Faculty and staff met and engaged with the visitors, but none of the students did. A half smile was the best I saw.</p>
<p>My parents did their fellowship there and enjoyed it alot, but they were also in their mid to late 20s and able to be a part of the bar and club scene/</p>
<p>Quincy4: great job!</p>