Case Western for a non science student?

BobbyCT · 08-25-2009, 06:10 PM

Case Western has an outstanding reputation for its natural sciences programs (pre med) and engineering. How would a non-science major fit in on campus? D is looking to major in Psychology and CWRU has a good undergraduate program. We had been looking primarily at LAC's based on the belief that CWRU might have too much of an emphasis on the sciences and the "college experience" might be lacking. Also, it has been years since I have been on the campus. Is there any open or green space for the students or is it primarily a concrete campus? Thanks for your feedback

casegirl · 08-25-2009, 11:46 PM

It depends what other schools you're looking at (what is LAC?). I'm not too familiar with psychology at Case, it could be more "sciency" here than at other places. I'll be honest, in general, I don't think Case is a good place to go unless if you're not interested in science/engineering (as an engineer I'm probably slightly biased on that point but...). But then again, pysch isn't really in the same category as English or History, like I said, I don't know much about it.
What do you mean by "college experience"? Social life? Well-roundedness of curriculum? Case is certainly not a little liberal arts school (if that's what you're looking for, you'll be disappointed) but I know quite a few people who have double majored or minored in music with a science/engineering degree.
Open/green space: it's no University of Richmond, but it does have a campus and some open space on campus or just off. There's the quad, that's pretty open, a bit of grass; the lagoon by the art museum is gorgeous but I wouldn't suggest going by yourself, it's fairly secluded; Case students get in free to the botanical gardens (!); the Circle enclosed by all the museums is a great place; (not exactly addressing your question) but Little Italy is a really cute place to walk around.
Wow, didn't mean to be so negative in my post...

BobbyCT · 08-26-2009, 09:55 AM

Thanks casegirl for your response. LAC stands for Liberal Arts College but it seems you addressed that in your post. The "college experience" would mean a combination of social life, sports, greek scene, etc., things outside of studying. I appreciate your honest response, thank you.

Dad'o'2 · 08-27-2009, 07:52 AM

My S chose Case over RPI partly because it wasn't a "concrete campus." There are grassy open spaces in the main quad, around the library, around the freshmen dorms, and in between as you walk between the different areas of campus. The neighboring area surrounding the museums is "green" too. The campus is a bit spread out, though, but has a variety of architecture, from traditional brick college buildings to old houses with big front porches to a Frank Gehry chrome-clad building.

tuffy · 08-27-2009, 08:21 AM

Hi, my rising senior son and I visited this past July and we were both very impressed. We live close by (about 50 min) and I was concerned that Case was "too science based" and "too city" for his college experience. He is looking at humanities, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out the College of Arts and Science has the largest student body of any school within Case. Also, the campus is really very pretty. You don't feel like you're plopped down right inside of Cleveland. With University Circle right there, the kids have LOTS of arts opportunities, like discounted tickets to the orchestra, programs that overlap between Cleveland Institute of Music and Cleveland Institute of Art. Also, let me say that all of the student guides were wildly enthusiastic, bright, and diverse. Our guide was like an Islamic studies major but also women's studies or something. Meaning, not all kids are engineers or nurses. Also went to a program where they talked about study abroad. This school will be a top contender, pending a generous aid package.

casegirl · 08-27-2009, 11:33 AM

Right...forgot about study abroad, which is funny because this is my first semester back from study abroad. I absolutely loved it, the school I went to was stronger in a wider range of areas, if that's why you'd consider studying abroad. It was also awesome for pretty miuch every other reason you can think of, travel, new experiences, meeting new people, etc. now I just have to settle back down to "real life" back at Case. Don't get me wrong, I love Case, but it feels a little strange for me right now since I was gone for a year.