Case Western Reserve University is a highly-regarded private institution in the United States. With world-class education programs and a wide array of subjects, this university attracts top students from around the world. If you go here, you have one thing assured: your future is set. Graduate programs and employers know that Case academics are demanding and ask a lot of effort from students. All in all, this school seems like a really great opportunity. However, there are some catches to consider.
1. Social life. If you are the kind of person who likes to party every weekend and do nothing but hang out with friends, this school is NOT for you. People here are extremely focused on their academics, and sometimes sparking up a conversation can be intimidating and awkward. You can find a cool group of people if you look hard, but this is not a social school.
2. Flexibility. Even though Case claims to be “open door” with regards to its programs, it is really hard to switch from a B.A to a B.S, or switch from a major subject to another, even if you do it early on during freshman year. There are many barriers to overcome, and eventually most students who go through with the switch end up repeating versions of their already-taken classes so that they can get the credit from them. Personally, I couldn’t change my program to an engineering-oriented program simply because I didn’t take a math class that was required, even though it was a version of another one I did take. Please note, this was during the fall semester of freshman year, and it was very frustrating. I ended up not going through with the change.
3. Cleveland. Even though it is a nice city to look at, there is really no life in here. Downtown seems ghostly no matter when or where, and you end up doing the same things around campus. It isn’t a safe city either, which makes it another downside.
All in all, Case is a great school for high-achieving students who want to advance their academic careers significantly. However, it is not the school for everyone and many things have to be taken into consideration.