Beautiful campus, awesome campus life, and a phenomenal education. If you have the merit for scholarships and can handle the Great Lakes winter, this is a great school to attend!
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
If you don't know how to study yet because you never had to in high school, really try to learn how to do that. I didn't learn until my junior year, and my GPA suffered a bit from that. Don't be afraid to study, because studying is almost like a contest here! But also be sure to SLEEP; it'll make your studying more effective, you'll feel great, and everyone will be jealous if you manage to get 7 hours a night. Decide what kind of activities interest you, and when you come in, go to the student activites fair and get information from a few campus groups! I promise, there is SOMETHING here that you will enjoy.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
Classes are hard, especially if you're a STEM student. I'm now going into my senior year as of writing this review, and I can count on one hand the number of classes I've taken that weren't curved. That being said, that also makes it a little bit easier to succeed. If you can avoid it, don't take more than 17 credit hours for your first semester or two. You'll thank yourself halfway through the semester, because it is a lot of work.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
I've only lived in freshman housing and then one of the nicest Greek houses on campus, so I can't speak for the sophomore or upperclassmen housing from experience. However, what I do know is that you are paying a lot of money for some ehhhhhh housing. Freshman dorms were pretty drab. Sophomore housing is in a suite style which is nice, but the singles are horrifically small and cramped. Maintenance is pretty unreliable; I had a friend whose heat went out in January, and it took two maintenance requests, two phone calls, and finally a visit to undergraduate services to have something done about it. And if you know anything about winter in Cleveland, you don't want your heat out for ten minutes, let alone three days. However, DON'T take that as a reason not to come here or to live on campus. The way the dorms are laid out makes it so easy to socialize with friends, especially in your first year. Laundry is FREE!!! Overall a positive experience that I have loved, especially being in my Greek house. Be sure to bundle up in the winter because it is about a 15 minute walk to the main quad from north side and 10 minutes from south side.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
If you visited, don't be fooled by the food you were served on prospective student day. Bon Appetit claims they don't serve better food when we have prospies, but anyone who has ate at the dining halls more than once will tell you that is absolutely a lie. The food is extremely... mediocre. Not terrible, but certainly nothing to write home about. If you have dietary restrictions, you'll get even less of your money's worth. When I was on the meal plan my freshman year, I lived off of the vegetarian chili and the pasta bar in Leutner; those are actually usually pretty good! Waffles and fresh fruit at breakfast go quickly, but are worth it if you're able to get there before class.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
There are tons of campus groups for all interests: music, fencing, anime club, you name it! But besides campus groups, CWRU offers its students a really awesome free access program. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Natural History Museum, and Botanical Gardens are all on campus, and they're all free admission for students. If you are a music junkie, Severance Hall is on campus and is home to the Cleveland Orchestra, a world-renowned ensemble, and they have a student membership program where you can get really awesome seats for only $10 a few days before a show. Or, if you prefer rock and roll, I believe students also get one or two free passes to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a year. If you're a little more athletic, both sides of campus have volleyball and basketball courts outside, south side has tennis courts, and Veale Athletic Center has racquetball, swimming, rock climbing, and indoor track, and a bunch of stuff to exercise and play. Students are also given a free RTA pass every semester they're enrolled full-time, so the entire city is in your hands!
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
Case, as you probably know, is an EXTREMELY expensive school. A common complaint from students every year is that they hike up prices about 4% every year, which is certainly something to consider when you are considering enrolling. However, they are also extremely generous with their financial aid packages. If you do well in high school and you have great enough financial need, like me, it's likely you won't have to pay much, if anything! Many of my friends and I actually manage to get reimbursements every semester, which can go towards books, food, and campus group fees. Just keep your grades up to keep any scholarships you're given, fill out the FAFSA every year, and you will be fine. For the education and bragging rights you will be receiving, it will likely be worth it.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
If you live on north side your freshman year (which you will unless you commute), you will hear a lot about The Ugly Statue. And you will be confused, because there are at least three very ugly statues on north side alone. Pro tip: THE Ugly Statue is the red and yellow one next to Sherman. There is certainly a lot of interesting architecture on campus, and you either hate it or find it very charming (I am the latter). Humans vs Zombies is a semesterly tradition for a lot of people on campus, and even if you don't want to play, it's incredibly fun to watch people in bright green headbands and arm bands chasing and shooting nerf guns at each other.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
Great for people who don't mind a little hard work, who are academically inclined. Ideal for those who was to pursue further education, like med school or grad school. If you're shy and want to come out of your shell a bit, become a new person, I've seen it happen time and time again on this campus. Being here really changed me and improved me, between coming out of my shell, discovering myself, and learning how to learn! It's probably just part of growing up, but I like to think I would not be the same if I had chosen to go anywhere else. And if you're LGBT+, this campus was rated as one of the most LGBT-friendly, and for good reason. You'll be welcome here.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
I've talked at length about campus clubs and activities, so I don't want to type anymore about that! But go ahead and google CWRU campus activities and see for yourself. Professional fraternities, club, intramural, and varsity sports, interest groups, service groups, anything. You will find it here.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
CWRU was recently rated as one of the top ten Greek experiences in the nation. I've never heard of or encountered a serious case of hazing in my time here; it's taken very seriously and even minor offenses like forcing new members to wear their pins everyday often are reported. An astounding 40% of the undergraduate population is Greek, if that gives you any indication of how great it is here. Not only is greek life here an amazing social opportunity, but it's also a great way to learn how to grow academically and personally, as just about every sorority and fraternity has a mandatory scholarship plan and membership development plan. Go to Greek Carnival! If you want to join a fraternity, don't be afraid to go to a few recruitment events. For sororities, go to formal recruitment and go to informal recruitment events for the sororities that have them. Even if you decide it's not for you, no one will hold it against you if you decide not to join, and by attending the events you will have made a few new friends and connections.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
Even though campus is close to East Cleveland, notorious for being an extremely dangerous city, University Circle has minimal crime. We have a few cell phone and bike thefts here and there, but I imagine it's no more than anywhere else. Case Security issues out warnings via email and text if there's a safety concern, and we even have an Android/iPhone app for security purposes. From evening until early morning, Safe Ride is running, which is a program where security officers drive vans and pick up students and drop them off at their destinations anywhere on campus or nearby. So if it's dark and you're alone and need to get somewhere, that is an option. Don't count on Safe Ride if you're in a rush though; sometimes they take five minutes, and sometimes they take 45. Overall, security and the campus as a whole take a lot of precautions to make sure students are safe.
Beautiful campus, awesome campus life, and a phenomenal education. If you have the merit for scholarships and can handle the Great Lakes winter, this is a great school to attend!
If you don't know how to study yet because you never had to in high school, really try to learn how to do that. I didn't learn until my junior year, and my GPA suffered a bit from that. Don't be afraid to study, because studying is almost like a contest here! But also be sure to SLEEP; it'll make your studying more effective, you'll feel great, and everyone will be jealous if you manage to get 7 hours a night. Decide what kind of activities interest you, and when you come in, go to the student activites fair and get information from a few campus groups! I promise, there is SOMETHING here that you will enjoy.
Classes are hard, especially if you're a STEM student. I'm now going into my senior year as of writing this review, and I can count on one hand the number of classes I've taken that weren't curved. That being said, that also makes it a little bit easier to succeed. If you can avoid it, don't take more than 17 credit hours for your first semester or two. You'll thank yourself halfway through the semester, because it is a lot of work.
I've only lived in freshman housing and then one of the nicest Greek houses on campus, so I can't speak for the sophomore or upperclassmen housing from experience. However, what I do know is that you are paying a lot of money for some ehhhhhh housing. Freshman dorms were pretty drab. Sophomore housing is in a suite style which is nice, but the singles are horrifically small and cramped. Maintenance is pretty unreliable; I had a friend whose heat went out in January, and it took two maintenance requests, two phone calls, and finally a visit to undergraduate services to have something done about it. And if you know anything about winter in Cleveland, you don't want your heat out for ten minutes, let alone three days. However, DON'T take that as a reason not to come here or to live on campus. The way the dorms are laid out makes it so easy to socialize with friends, especially in your first year. Laundry is FREE!!! Overall a positive experience that I have loved, especially being in my Greek house. Be sure to bundle up in the winter because it is about a 15 minute walk to the main quad from north side and 10 minutes from south side.
If you visited, don't be fooled by the food you were served on prospective student day. Bon Appetit claims they don't serve better food when we have prospies, but anyone who has ate at the dining halls more than once will tell you that is absolutely a lie. The food is extremely... mediocre. Not terrible, but certainly nothing to write home about. If you have dietary restrictions, you'll get even less of your money's worth. When I was on the meal plan my freshman year, I lived off of the vegetarian chili and the pasta bar in Leutner; those are actually usually pretty good! Waffles and fresh fruit at breakfast go quickly, but are worth it if you're able to get there before class.
There are tons of campus groups for all interests: music, fencing, anime club, you name it! But besides campus groups, CWRU offers its students a really awesome free access program. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Natural History Museum, and Botanical Gardens are all on campus, and they're all free admission for students. If you are a music junkie, Severance Hall is on campus and is home to the Cleveland Orchestra, a world-renowned ensemble, and they have a student membership program where you can get really awesome seats for only $10 a few days before a show. Or, if you prefer rock and roll, I believe students also get one or two free passes to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a year. If you're a little more athletic, both sides of campus have volleyball and basketball courts outside, south side has tennis courts, and Veale Athletic Center has racquetball, swimming, rock climbing, and indoor track, and a bunch of stuff to exercise and play. Students are also given a free RTA pass every semester they're enrolled full-time, so the entire city is in your hands!
Case, as you probably know, is an EXTREMELY expensive school. A common complaint from students every year is that they hike up prices about 4% every year, which is certainly something to consider when you are considering enrolling. However, they are also extremely generous with their financial aid packages. If you do well in high school and you have great enough financial need, like me, it's likely you won't have to pay much, if anything! Many of my friends and I actually manage to get reimbursements every semester, which can go towards books, food, and campus group fees. Just keep your grades up to keep any scholarships you're given, fill out the FAFSA every year, and you will be fine. For the education and bragging rights you will be receiving, it will likely be worth it.
If you live on north side your freshman year (which you will unless you commute), you will hear a lot about The Ugly Statue. And you will be confused, because there are at least three very ugly statues on north side alone. Pro tip: THE Ugly Statue is the red and yellow one next to Sherman. There is certainly a lot of interesting architecture on campus, and you either hate it or find it very charming (I am the latter). Humans vs Zombies is a semesterly tradition for a lot of people on campus, and even if you don't want to play, it's incredibly fun to watch people in bright green headbands and arm bands chasing and shooting nerf guns at each other.
Great for people who don't mind a little hard work, who are academically inclined. Ideal for those who was to pursue further education, like med school or grad school. If you're shy and want to come out of your shell a bit, become a new person, I've seen it happen time and time again on this campus. Being here really changed me and improved me, between coming out of my shell, discovering myself, and learning how to learn! It's probably just part of growing up, but I like to think I would not be the same if I had chosen to go anywhere else. And if you're LGBT+, this campus was rated as one of the most LGBT-friendly, and for good reason. You'll be welcome here.
I've talked at length about campus clubs and activities, so I don't want to type anymore about that! But go ahead and google CWRU campus activities and see for yourself. Professional fraternities, club, intramural, and varsity sports, interest groups, service groups, anything. You will find it here.
CWRU was recently rated as one of the top ten Greek experiences in the nation. I've never heard of or encountered a serious case of hazing in my time here; it's taken very seriously and even minor offenses like forcing new members to wear their pins everyday often are reported. An astounding 40% of the undergraduate population is Greek, if that gives you any indication of how great it is here. Not only is greek life here an amazing social opportunity, but it's also a great way to learn how to grow academically and personally, as just about every sorority and fraternity has a mandatory scholarship plan and membership development plan. Go to Greek Carnival! If you want to join a fraternity, don't be afraid to go to a few recruitment events. For sororities, go to formal recruitment and go to informal recruitment events for the sororities that have them. Even if you decide it's not for you, no one will hold it against you if you decide not to join, and by attending the events you will have made a few new friends and connections.
Even though campus is close to East Cleveland, notorious for being an extremely dangerous city, University Circle has minimal crime. We have a few cell phone and bike thefts here and there, but I imagine it's no more than anywhere else. Case Security issues out warnings via email and text if there's a safety concern, and we even have an Android/iPhone app for security purposes. From evening until early morning, Safe Ride is running, which is a program where security officers drive vans and pick up students and drop them off at their destinations anywhere on campus or nearby. So if it's dark and you're alone and need to get somewhere, that is an option. Don't count on Safe Ride if you're in a rush though; sometimes they take five minutes, and sometimes they take 45. Overall, security and the campus as a whole take a lot of precautions to make sure students are safe.