I’m currently going here and I’m not really enjoying my experience here. People here like to say there’s cool things here, but there really isn’t any crap. Cleveland is an economically dead city that no matter how much it could be revived will never return to it’s heyday of the 1900s. The campus here is really not a campus, and freshman are forced to make a 10 min walk to classes on the Case Quad. Food here is very mediocre but still eatable. Desserts are the only good part. Dorms are really old and turned up so hot that I had to sleep with my window open in the midst of a dreary winter. Classes here are reasonable if you make an effort. People here are boring and superficial. Completely overestimated school.
As a good Michigan boy living in boring, bland Ohio, I gate it here. It’s totally not worth the money, and I’d recommend a state school over this especially for humanities and business. Engineering and Pre-Med programs are decent, but it doesn’t really matter where you go for these programs because they’re same everywhere.
So, really look into the school and make a good decision or else you’d be stuck here forever. To all Michiganders reading this, the University of Michigan has WAY BETTER programs at a much affordable price. Plus, there is much more vibe in Ann Arbor and a better student body.
@qijanzhou you should really look into transfer options. Life is too short to suffer through college and not feel like you are alive and thriving and excited about learning. Good luck to you whether you choose to stay at CWR or leave it behind.
@qijianzhou What activities have you done? What places have you tried? What clubs have you checked out? What Events have you attended?
@bopper I tried as many activities as I could. I have been to many places on campus and have attended pretty much most of the events on campus. I know that this wasn’t the right fit because I have experienced Case for a year now. You don’t know me and probably are not a student, so you shouldn’t be questioning by attitude towards this school.
People have different expectations for a school, and Case doesn’t meet my expectations socially and academically. CII would rather be in LA or NY for college, but not here. It’s not worthy much here.
I am not trying to pick on you, but just let other potential applicants know what types of things you tried and didn’t enjoy. Part of this forum is to try to give information to people when they are making a choice for a college. I am not currently a Case student but have been one in the past and I volunteer as an alumni admissions ambassador and try to facilitate getting info (good or bad) to people so they know what Case is like.
But when someone says “It was no fun and I didn’t like it” that is not very helpful. But “I joined clubs and they didn’t have meetings” or “they expected 3 hours of work between meetings and I didn’t have the time"or " I have gone to the student government activities and they were not well attended” or “They got a hip hop artist for the spring concert and that is not my thing” is more helpful. That is why I ask.
great reviews about Case http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1443681-case-western-computer-science-reputation-p1.html
Whether or not @qijianzhou is a student at Case or not, I figured that I’d throw in my two cents as a current freshman. I am very happy here, and Case has met or exceeded almost all of my expectations.
Sure, it’s expensive, but I believe that the education and degree that I am getting is worth it. Classes are challenging but manageable, there is a wealth of clubs to join, people to meet, and things to do in Cleveland. If you want to party, you can, and it you want to do other things (like me) you can. Case has been growing and rising in rankings, so we’re getting more and more attention. It’s an exciting time to be here!
To address @qijianzhou 's claims…
- There’s tons to do on and around campus. If you want to party, you can. If you don’t, there’s lots of events that the university puts on, and stuff to do that’s easily accessible with the RTA.
- It’s an exciting time to be in Cleveland right now. With the sports teams succeeding and the economy coming back, you can just feel the pride, grit, and excitement of the city
- The campus is long and skinny so it is a 10-15 minute walk to the engineering quad from freshmen dorms, but it hasn’t negatively impacted my experience. You just have to wake up 5 minutes earlier than if we were a more compact campus. I have a bike and penny board that make getting to class faster and fun
- Food isn’t bad, just bland. Hot sauce became my best friend, and it’s made getting back into shape a lot easier
- While we don’t have AC, each room has its own thermostat, so you can control how hot your room is.
- The dorm were built in the '60s, so they are aging, but if you do your research and pick Juniper, you can get a dorm that was renovated in 2014
- I’ve met so many vibrant and cool people here. There’s a good portion of Case students that are ivy-caliber but chose to come to Case for financial reasons, so you can have very intellectual friendships and conversations if you so wish.
- Classes (for me) are challenging but manageable. We have a big workload, but it’s never been so bad that I work straight through the weekend or anything.
- I know plenty of kids from Michigan here who are very happy with their choice. Sure, Case isn’t the right fit for everyone, but his claim that all Michiganders should not go to Case is ludicrous
- As for trying “nearly all events on campus,” I see that as pretty much impossible considering how much is going on.
(Now assuming that he is a student here)
It’s totally fine if Case isn’t the right fit for someone, but you shouldn’t go online making these crazy claims without qualifying your experiences.
@SoCcErTrAcK2016 Thanks for the analysis.What is your major and how have your classes and professors have been?
True that there’s tons to do on and around campus, but you probably wouldn’t get the full experience unless you are going to another college. The parties here are just a group of people hanging in dorm rooms drinking beer. Sure, the things that are put on get boring. Also, a lot of the stuff around campus are overhyped. The Art Museum is free, but the exhibitions are not the best.
- As to it being an exciting time to be in Cleveland? Ummmmmm…not all the sports teams are suceeding. Browns are terrible. Cavs are overhyped. Indians, we’l have to see this year… In terms of the economy going back? How many companies/workforce are moving to Cleveland? Sure, it was better than it was in the 1970’s, most people are moving to the South like Florida, North Carolina, Texas or to the West like California, Nevada, and Arizona. Cleveland will never return to its heyday ever again.
Its annoying to have to walk 10-15 minutes especially in a dismal Cleveland winter, but spring time is okay. Also, Greenies are so unreliable. I have to literally wait 10 mins although the app said it was one min. - I never said the food was bad, I said that it was mediocre. Mediocre and bad are two different things. Seems like to me that the average Case student doesn’t have a grasp of English vocabulary! Also, paying around $14 for a meal swipe for food is a pure waste of money. Funny to think that it’d be cheaper to eat at restaurants.
- Thermostat does not work at all.
- How many dorms did they renovate? Only one!.
- There are vibrant and cool people everywhere, but overall the environment is not for everyone.
- It’s only the freshman intro classes, and I haven’t worked hard in many of them, which starts to make me question as to how Case is compared with other schools because all my friends are grinding on homework on the weekends.
- Yes, there are kids from Michigan here, but there are kids from Michigan in a lot of colleges. My personal opinion is why pay for Case when you could go to Michigan and get an “uncommon education for the common man” for $10000-$150000 less.
- Don’t doubt me, I’ve pretty much gone everywhere on campus, and I know what’s good for me, so other people who don’t know shouldn’t be questioning what I put down here.
To all those reading this page, I just wanted to offer another perspective on Case b/c when I visited I thought it’d be a great fit, but it hasn’t been.
1 Like
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
I will confirm that the user is in fact a student at Case, so let’s dispense with the side-eye comments. 5 posts deleted.
Also, I’m undecided, but leaning toward pre-med. Personally, where you go for premed does not matter because all med schools require you to take the same kinds of classes. I’m sure you could do better at a small state school. Although, I don’t know why Case kids abhor state schools so much…
OK. I will trust that the moderator has confirmation that you are in fact a CWRU student. But, do you think you really gave Case a chance? I noticed that you wrote the following when you posted that you were rejected by Chicago…
03-16-2016 at 7:50 pm
“rejected! Should I reapply as a transfer student after sophomore year in college???”
Further, I also noticed that you spoke of Univ of Michigan being your fall back school, and did not see any mention of CWRU in all of your previous posts about looking for a college on cc. How and why exactly did you choose CWRU?
You just seem to make a lot of generalizations and do not seem to offer many specific examples.
@qijianzhou thanks for your review as a student! the things you note are very similar to what I’ve read from other Case students. In addition, you made excellent points (in various threads) that a student could get great education at a public college. Case does have a niche for specific degrees, and it is very well recognized. But I could see why you might want to transfer to a college which offers same opportunities for better price (and with newer dorms, more vibrant community) 
@2wizard I have given Case a change for a month, two months, a semester, and now it’ll almost be a year. I have kept telling myself that that things will work out eventually, but nothing has. Yes, I did write that statement for Chicago, and Michigan was not entirely my 'fallback school." From speaking to my college counselor, teachers, and Michigan students, I was told that I would have had a relatively good chance of being accepted, but there are no guarantee(except for death and taxes :((. In terms of how I started to look at Case, I was spammed by Case during my junior year and senior year. it was pretty much unbelievable how much clutter I had in my inbox! Since the application was free and not a hassle, I took advantage of that opportunity, but would definitely never had it been $75 or even $30. Lastly, as for accusing me of making generalizations and specifications, how about you come down to Case and live with her for 2 weeks or even half a semester. You probably never have gone to Case Western, and you’re telling others about Case as if you’re an expert. I think you’re not at the position to do so…
@2sunny Thanks for recognizing my statement that students could get a good education at a public university. Also, in what niche markets is Case good at? I haven’t seen or heard anything about special programs here that are nonexistent at other institutions.
^^ It is great for pre-med and engineering. But you are correct that public choices could offer similar.
Would you like to transfer somewhere?
I can’t believe that you are letting one unhappy student hijack an entire topic about a school.
As a parent we visited Case and loved it, our child was accepted and was going to attend until some other circumstances came into play.
That being said, the area near the campus is only getting nicer, and the school has all types of activities to keep its students occupied. It appears that @qijianzhou is not willing to be accountable for his own situation and has chosen to blame his environment for it. I put Case on par with CM or U Rochester. It only has room to improve and in a few years should be climbing the rankings as Cleveland has a great vibe and cost of living that is attracting young professionals and companies to relocate their. Also, Case has partnerships with places like the Cleveland Clinic which is a world class medical facility. Good luck gijianzhou, I hope you find happiness somewhere in your life, as a parent if you were my kid I would tell you to put yourself out there and try to find something positive to seek out in your existence. How could you say something negative about the Museum of Art?!?!?! The permanent collection there is amazing and as a student you can go sit and read there every day if you choose!