We are heading to the April 5th and 6th admitted students program. My DD is staying overnight so we will give our impression and any additional information after our visit
Just did the 28th overnight and it was great! I am committed now.
The admitted students program has a lot of different activities to choose from. Its largely a-la-carte, with classes to sit on, campus tours, department Q and As (with the deans), a club fair etc.I got to talk with several professors and admins, all were friendly and welcoming. I had a lot of fun and made a bunch of new friends. Definitely do this, and stay for the overnight! I got to hang out with my host and his friends and get a sense of what dorm life is like. I was able to attend a swing dancing club meeting which was a lot fun.
Campus was actually really pretty. I have always heard that CWRU has an ugly campus and while it isnt very traditional, I rather liked it. It is very eclectic, a lot of the buildings don't seem to fit together, eg. Tinkham Veale vs Mather. The older dorms don't look great but the new upperclassmen ones are really nice. Definitely the best of any college T visited. The food is pretty good, but the dining hall isn't very large which surprised me.
I didn't like how the campus is cut in half by a road, but i guess that is pretty minor.
I didn't expect the humanities buildings to be so cool. For some reason i hadn't seen any photos of them, and they look nice. I was also surprised to see some people distracted during class. I am coming from a small private school where teachers call out kids who talk, so maybe that happens everywhere?
I sat in on 2 econ classes. The first was an intro class to micro. It was pretty interesting and easy to comprehend. The teacher was very energetic and knowledgeable. I sat in on an upper level econ class and was a little lost. It incorporated a lot of calculus.
The overnight was actually a lot of fun! I talked with my host about comedians and funny stories until after midnight. His roommates were all eccentric and clearly smart. They were very welcoming and eager to answer questions. Highly recommend.
Case is located in a nice part of Cleveland, I was expecting sketchiness but didn't see any. University circle is really pretty. I didn't get the chance to go into the city much. I ran in the morning and felt fine.
Definitely. I am completely decided on attending Case next fall. I made a lot of friends and enjoyed my time there. I went to the open house at the Business building which was super helpful! I was a bit wary about committing because CWRU is known mainly for STEM, but the meeting showed me that the weatherhead grads place well.
FYI the Campus is cut in half because Wester Reserve College was on the north side of Euclid and Case Institute of Technology was on the south. They merged in 1968 to form Case Western Reserve University.
Campus Legend;
The tower of Amasa Stone Chapel, completed in 1911, is adorned on three sides with smiling angels. The west side, however, features a menacing gargoyle, sparking what is probably the most persistent legend concerning the campus. As the story goes, the trustees of Western Reserve University decided to put the gargoyle on the side of the chapel facing the campus of Case School of Applied Science. Their reason for doing so, it is said, was their belief that Leonard Case Jr., who founded Case School, was an atheist.
What were your overall opinions about the admitted student program?
I thought it was well done but very crowded. I liked the a la carte, but was disappointed not to get more specific information (about CS vs just the EECS dept)
What did you like/dislike about campus?
nice campus, son loves location, very walkable (although I did get 27,000 steps last Thursday running all over)
Did anything surprise you?
maker space was very cool
biggest surprise was actually how incredibly nice every single student was. To give you an example, I was going to meet son somewhere, asking a student, and another student who had been walking past turned around and offered to take me (it was almost a mile away). This kind of thing happened constantly.
Did you sit in on classes? How were the professors?
Son sat in on a CS class and liked it very much. He thought the professor engaged students well
Did you do the overnight stay with a host?
Son did and enjoyed his host and the campus very much. I happened to see him sitting with a bunch of kids and the host looking very happy and relaxed and it made me smile :)
How was Cleveland?
I already liked Cleveland. I know people have concerns about safety, but it seemed like a bustling, fun, artsy area and I had no concerns.
Did the program change your opinion about Case?
Liked it before and after, just still waffling on son's specific program
@bestcasescenario & @jeh3924 ,
Thanks for the feedback. I’m looking forward to taking my daughter to the program on the 19th/20th. Would have liked to go the previous week for Diversity weekend but my daughter did not want to miss school. We’re outside Boston and currently Northeastern is her top choice. Hopefully, my daughter will enjoy the visit and move Case to the top of her list.
I thought the admitted student program was great. The university did a good job explaining who they were and what t they are offering. We all came away convinced that CWRU was a great school for the right kid, good value for the money (at least relative to what college costs, and my kid got merit aid).
The kids were really nice.
We still don’t know what our son will choose, but without a doubt we can recommend the program as a good way to learn more about CWRU.
Just attended the 2-day program this week. My immediate thoughts -
Well organized - I like that - the program has a lot of functions and panels to attend. The sit-in class list is long and extensive as well.
Super friendly kids all over, just genuinely nice kids. Not too stress out and unhappy. No snobbish wealthy kids. Just normal kids. It has a different vibe vs some of the NE elite schools. I like that.
If you want to do pre-health or anything biology related, I’d say go for it. Many incoming students sat in the pre-health pre-med session and I like the presentation. But ultimately, beyond the classwork, the availability of shadowing, volunteering and research matters a lot. I love the new health campus they are building (open in 2019). A little bit of walk, but heck, it shows the level of investments CW been placed into the area.
For engineering kids, the thinkbox tour is a must attend. It is just cool to have a huge workshop place with all the top equip. to put whatever ideas on paper into real working projects.
Food is typical. Nothing fancy, nothing horrible. There are enough places within short distance of campus to get you the variety you want.
Safety - since we are with the crowds and all the tours are during the daytime hrs, nothing to worry at all. We did walk around University Circle after dark and we didn’t feel unsafe at all. I guess after mid-night, it is best not walking alone but the campus security has the escort service, shouldn’t be an issue. UChicago is my alma mater, so CW actually appeared safer to “me”.
Dorms - typical dorms, nothing fancy. I didn’t see any forced-triples, and that’s important. I have been in schools dealing with such, those accommodations are just horrible.
Opportunities and social life - we can only grasp what was discussed in the panels and students we met at the cafeteria (we talked to a couple of undergrads there, they were just so friendly and willing to tell us about their dailies there) - overall, we like it. CW has greek life, but kids don’t seem to be the rowdy crazy party type. Class workload is heavy, it is not a secret in Case, and manageable with good study habits. Lots of clubs to do volunteering and service work.
Finances - CW is very generous in merit aid. The combination package they give to us is superior to all the schools we got. Money is a factor considering my kiddo wants to do grad school later on. I think the reputation of Case, the availability of undergrad research (lots of those around it seems), the overall finance package make CW a really tough “case” to turn down after this visit.
That being said, we are heading to Baltimore in mid-April and decide on the other school my kiddo may want to consider.
For future applicants to “Case” - my recommendation is to apply early, do ED if you can, EA is also better than RD. Don’t worry about the rankings and stuff, it is about your fit. If you are the nice, happy, somewhat “nerdy”, can do STEM (and Arts/Music) kid who wants to spend 4-yr of learning (yes, college is for learning - about yourself and the world), then come and take a look. I can’t emphasize enough how NICE the regular students (not just the panel people) on the campus been to us during the 2-day visit. Hope this helps.
@“Idaho Father” - he is down to either Ohio State of Case (yes, two very different places!). He likes the “feel” of Case and a few particular programs like first-year engineering at Ohio State. His factors were cost (didn’t have to be free, but we wanted roughly an in-state, flagship price), courses in CS (CWRU had a very good course catalog that did compete with some of the bigger schools), near a city, well-ranked overall, 4+1 program (would not do at Case, but would at OSU), and a robust honors program if the school was bigger. It’s been a long journey and I’m glad we’re nearing the end!
@Mickey2Dad : thanks much for your comments! Very helpful as we haven’t been on campus yet; we have a HS junior daughter who’s focused on either materials or chem engineering, so we have some time–but great to gather observations and thoughts like these. CWRU seems to be a very good option, quality academics, down-to-earth students–and possibly lower-priced than other “full price schools” given availability of merit aid.
@jeh3924: agree that if you go to a larger public school, a strong honors program (ideally with honors housing) is a great way to make the school feel smaller. As you’ve probably ascertained, schools vary with respect to the breadth of their honors classes, and indeed the very approach: some offer a broad number of courses, whereas some offer only a few thesis/capstones, while others essentially allow you to convert any regular course to honors by doing extra work. Based on my experience, I favor the first, as I was able to take a significant number of honors classes both within my major, but in other fields as well. The courses were taught by the respective dept’s top professors, and of course were smaller, so much richer interaction–not to mention either quicker pace or more advanced topics. One huge perk available for me (at UGA) was priority registration; honors program students registered before everyone else besides scholarship athletes. At a school like OSU, priority registration would be a really nice perk, as it means your son could get the courses he wants at the times he wants, and with the professors he wants. Additionally, the honors program could offer him an opportunity to develop friendships within the cohort–typically like-minded, serious students.
A school like CWRU, on the other hand, would likely offer him the chance to be smaller courses, easier access to faculty, maybe even more likely access to undergraduate research opportunities. Watching the YouTube videos on Case, plus reviewing the website and others’ comments on this site, would seem to confirm the latter.
We did the admitted students program and can happily report that it was a very positive experience for both my DD and DH and myself. Lots of options to sit in, loved the tour of thinkbox, organized and tons of info given. Loved the ease of stepping into research opportunities early on, the classes my daughter sat in on (cognitive science and an engineering class) were well run and I whole heartedly agree with how friendly every case student we encountered was. My daughter loved the CWRU Live where she got to speak to. A bunch of student organizations and she had a blast at the overnight portion. Downsides I would say the freshman dorms are meh and the cafeteria food was just decent, although there are other options with the meal plan so I’m not too worried about that. She had already committed to CERU before the overnight and the experience just Reinforced that it is a great fit for her!
I am a parent of a Case class of 2017 student.
Had a chance to meet professors at Case, and noticed my son got
Christmas cards from Case faculty, who he TA’ed for in computer science. The physics faculty
are fantastic at Case, its a very top department, and my son is so close to his physics advisor
that they meet now that he is in grad school, and still working on on paper together.
Cleveland has more to offer than just University Circle. If you like sports, the Cavs have been playing Golden Gate
each summer, so students who work in Cleveland will have a lot of fun with the huge TV screens
all over showing the playoff games. Indians are also a great team.
Cleveland Institute of Music students take classes at Case and their venue and concerts are
walking distance for Case students. Cleveland Orchestra, ranked 5 in the WORLD!!! is walking distance as well. Concerts discounts are substantial for Case students.
Its an artsy city, with a lot to do. Also Greek life is service oriented. If you join a frat or sorority
you may be going to a lot of activities in northern Ohio such as the amusement park in Sandusky, for fund raisers
and fun https://www.cedarpoint.com
About half the upper class students bring cars, but if you are from far away, you can catch Uber rides too,
to get around. Freshman do not need a car. Car will let you experience apple picking, ice skating, and more activities, but public transportation is very good to and from airport and downtown.
We went to the Tremont neighborhood for graduation dinner, as we forgot to book early in University Circle.
Cleveland has neighborhoods like Boston. University Circle reminds me somewhat of Cambridge MA, architecture,
big Cathedrals and Synagogues, students from CIM, Case, Cleveland Institute of Art, red brick roads on Murray Hill.
@3point1415 My D did not attend an admitted students event but she did visit after she was accepted. She was deciding between three or four schools at that point, one of which was Case. She had a preference for LACs going in. After the visit, she had narrowed to two choices, Case vs. the LAC where she ended up enrolling. She found the University Circle neighborhood attractive, enjoyed the eclectic architecture of the school, was favorably impressed by the food, and was extremely impressed by the quality of instruction and the degree of student engagement in the classes she attended. It was a contender until the very end. We will keep it in mind for our younger child.
We went to the admitted students event last week and a few things really stood out. Like someone else already mentioned it was very well organized. The chemistry department is not as impressive as we had hoped and they said they have 200-300 kids in the lower division chemistry classes which is a little disappointing given the cost of the school. The campus is actually really cool with a nice mix of large buildings on gentle slopes and you feel really safe while there. There are hospitals and medical offices everywhere you look. We have done a bunch of college tours at this point and I have the say that the kids going to school there seemed a little stressed out and not as happy as other campuses we have visited. Maybe they were all just really cold, but I did not see a lot of smiles coming from the students. I thought the cafeteria was way above average with a restaurant feel and cheerful music playing. Did I mention the weather was COLD? Keep in mind we are from Northern CA so we are probably very biased, but it was dumping snow all day and the wind chill was just not pleasant to say the least. They kept saying “Really folks, the weather is not normally like this in April…we promise!”. So overall we arrived there with Case being our number three choice and left feeling the same way. I can definitely understand why a lot of kids would choose it though.
We are from Northern California are we are visiting our daughter next week to watch her perform and help her start to move stuff for summer. We typically take the winter coats home for cleaning, but my daughter warned us that it has been cold late in the season and she still may need them. Today it is one degree.
I’m sorry to hear about the lower division chemistry class - our daughter is a nursing student and the chem classes that she has taken have both had less than 50. In fact - the most of the intro chem classes have students that have not tested out of them (which most have) and are even smaller.
@wildcatmom16@EDHDAD Cleveland is not 1 degree F today, its 34 degrees and either will be 55, 68 and 70 degrees F for the high, by Friday. Thats typical weather for northern Ohio, most of the midwest and all of the northeast as well. Cleveland is a bit more cloudy than some areas, but snow in April is normal now for most of the country. I spend half my life the northeast, and its now getting later and later snows back there too. Its not that bad, it just varies a lot more than it used to. The snow is melting very fast in April, so its not a concern for most students.
As far as coats, buy coats that can be thrown in a regular washer, and store them in Cleveland for the summer,
if you go to CWRU. No reason to lug it all back to California.
My kids were able to fly home on their own from Case and another school, that was over 1000 miles from home, store most everything and just stuff what they need for the summer into one suitcase. It makes things easier not to move stuff back and forth like that. They are boys though!
Lower division classes are big at almost all schools, especially chemistry which needs to be taken by every premedical student, every chemistry student, most biology student and nursing students, as well as some physics and engineering and chemical engineering student. Intro chemistry is broken down into recitations, so its not a big deal. Professors will have office hours as well, so she can talk to chemistry professors. Also the TAs are quite well vetted at Case Western.
“Cleveland is not 1 degree F today” - lol I was just going by what was on my daughter’s social media. She snapped a photo of a classmate wearing pants (this friend always wears shorts, regardless of weather). The degree was on the photo - I assumed it was accurate. Maybe she was joking.
And yes - I have a daughter with too many things and a fancy winter coat with all sorts of not machine washable doodads on it. She always seems to amass more stuff during the course of the year.
