by Dave Best – Galin Education College Counselor
Located in Cleveland, OH, Case Western Reserve University is a private research-oriented university whose roots originate from two schools, Western Reserve College and the Case School of Applied Science. According to the CWRU website, here is the really short version of their history:
Western Reserve College was founded in Hudson, Ohio, in 1826. Case School of Applied Science was founded in 1880 in downtown Cleveland. During the 1880s, they moved to adjoining campuses on Cleveland’s east side, an area now known as University Circle. In the following decades, they laughed, they cried, they learned, they discovered, they trounced each other in football, they grew, they cooperated, they changed their names and they flirted with the idea of merging. At long last, they agreed in 1967 to “federate,” forming an institution with a very long name—Case Western Reserve University—that immediately assumed a position among the nation’s leading research universities. They still competed against each other in sports for three more years, of course. Since then, the university has continued to grow and strengthen its programs, preserving and celebrating its remarkable history and traditions.
Academics
Case Western offers degrees through its following undergraduate schools: the Case School of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, and the Weatherhead School of Management.
The majority of students at CWRU major in STEM-related fields. An essential element of the academic experience at Case Western involves research. CWRU’s combination of undergraduate, graduate and professional schools dramatically increases the range of opportunities for student research.
Case Western Reserve students can launch projects as early as the first year of their undergraduate or graduate and professional programs. SOURCE, or Support of Undergraduate Research & Creative Endeavors, supports undergraduate research initiatives. Every year, the Research ShowCASE puts student innovation on display.
The most popular majors at Case Western Reserve University include: Biology, Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering, Nursing, Mechanical Engineering, and Psychology.
Social Life
Students come to Case Western from all 50 states, the U.S. territories and 80 countries. CWRU has 17 fraternity and 9 sorority chapters, with around 30% of the student body participating
Case Western offers 17 varsity sports. All sports compete at the NCAA Division III level, and the Spartans participate in the University Athletic Association. The UAA members include Brandeis, Carnegie Mellon, Emory, NYU, University of Chicago, University of Rochester, and Washington University.
Environment
Case Western has a 185-acre campus in Cleveland, OH. The campus is located in Cleveland’s University Circle, a square mile urban district of cultural, medical, educational, religious, and social service institutions. Approximately 20 minutes from downtown Cleveland, students have free access to a handful of downtown museums like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center.
The school claims to be the only independent, research‐oriented university in a region bounded by Pittsburgh and Rochester on the east, Nashville on the south, and Chicago on the west.
And one more thing…
Joint Music Program: the intimacy of a conservatory with big school benefits. For almost a half of a century through an educational partnership between neighboring schools, Case Western and the renowned Cleveland Institute of Music share collective resources, focusing on the strength of each institution.
Case Western students take music lessons as well as performance, chamber music, theory and eurhythmics classes at CIM. CIM students take music history and non-music electives in the humanities and sciences at CWRU. Many CIM students pursue a minor at CWRU.
There is even a 4+1 and Dual Degree Program. This five-year combination program leads to two undergraduate degrees — a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a second degree in a major offered at Case Western Reserve University.
By the Numbers
Undergraduate Population: 5,121
Acceptance Rate: 36%
SAT / ACT (25/75) scores: SAT 1310-1470, ACT 30-34
Student-faculty ratio: 11:1
4-year graduation rate: 63%
US News Ranking: National Universities 37 (2017)
Tuition: $46,006 (2016-17)
