Case Western Reserve University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Nursing
Minor: Arabic
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Lesbian Female
Summary
I’m part of the CWRU Emergency Medical Service (EMS) which was partially a class then once you get your license you serve on a shift. I’m also part of Army ROTC.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Lesbian
High School Experience: Public school in Dayton, Ohio with a graduating class of 250 people. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Nursing
Minor: Arabic
Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of the CWRU Emergency Medical Service (EMS) which was partially a class then once you get your license you serve on a shift. I’m also part of Army ROTC.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
Both of them have. For ROTC, everything is very structured and it’s very demanding. I get up earlier than everyone and we all work out together as soon as the gym opens. We have specified labs geared toward the military and we sometimes get strange looks when we walk around campus in uniform. EMS has helped me have an extracurricular that’s geared toward medicine. I’ve met great people through all of them too.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
There haven’t been a lot of writing requirements for Nursing, but there is a weekly lab and clinical for your first year. The lab is about an hour and a half, but it generally doesn’t take the entire time. The clinical is in a hospital or nursing facility and it’s four hours per week. There are lots of participation points in a lot of classes. Your first year, there’s a two-semester course for anatomy, which has pre-class questions and lots of homework. They’re fast to do if you read the book. There aren’t many projects, but they will occasionally have you make a presentation with a group of people to get you used to speaking in front of people.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
You jump into clinical your first semester of college. You’re interacting with patients at hospitals or facilities interacting and treating people your freshman year.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I wouldn’t say it’s competitive, but everyone wants good grades. It’s significantly more difficult than high school and there’s a lot of responsibility put on the student to maintain a good work ethic.
How accessible are your professors?
Every time I’ve emailed a professor, they’ve gotten back to me within an hour. Occasionally, I’ll stay behind after class and they’ll answer my questions. They don’t seem to push you out the door. If you have a question, they’re happy to answer it.
What has been your favorite part of CWRU academically?
I’ve always liked working with people, and I feel like I get to do that at Case Western. There are lots of opportunities to take the classes you want and to mess around with your schedule to find something that’ll work for you. This upcoming semester I had an overlapping class, but I got it resolved with a professor saying that I could just come every other week because I’ve had that professor before and he knows I have a good work ethic. They’re very accommodating.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
When I was a freshman, I had a friend who was walking home and was attacked. When I visited her in the hospital she felt relief that the nurses were doing such a good job helping her come to terms with what happened. They made everything easier for her, and I was thinking I wanted to be able to do that for her. Going into nursing seemed like the next step.
Reasons to Attend
1) There are lots of opportunities here. You’re in the middle of Cleveland and could find anything there.
2) The professors are knowledgeable and relaxed.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you don’t like walking, Case might not be the best for you. Freshmen who live on the north side have about a 20-minute walk to most of the classes on the quad.
2) Cleveland isn’t the safest location, but there are lots of safety protocols in place. We had a lockdown this semester for shots fired near campus, and there was immediately a stronger presence of security and police on campus.
3) Sometimes the shuttles are a little late, so if you don’t find an earlier shuttle you might be late to class.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Norton House with one roommate
How was transitioning from Dayton to Cleveland, OH in terms of location?
It’s about a 3.5-hour drive, but it’s significantly colder in Cleveland. [The transition] wasn’t bad at all.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
We’re on the edge of Little Italy and East Cleveland, which isn’t a safe area. I’ll look around and see the emergency poles with the blue lights, and there is always a security presence where I am. With the army training I’m getting, I’m kind of trained to be paranoid and always look for threats. I always put myself in the safe spots on campus.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I don’t do a lot of nightlife-type stuff, but I like going out and seeing new places. One time, I went to an Indians game with my battalion. Also, you can drive 30-minutes anywhere and see something interesting. I went to this indoor obstacle course near Avon. You can go to the beach or the shore of Lake Erie. You can find anything in Cleveland.
What have been some of your favorite events at Case Western?
The Indian’s game was a lot of fun. We got to meet with a four-star general and walk around on the field. One of the adults in our battalion got to throw the first pitch and we got free t-shirts.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m pretty happy with how things are here. I can’t think of anything to change.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Through the EMT class, I took, and through one of my English classes. My topic was on poetry which wasn’t my favorite, but I met one of my good friends there.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Case Western Reserve?
If you know where to go and who to ask, you could find a party. A lot of Case Western are people who buckle down and study. It’s not the most social place in Cleveland, but there’s also a lot of opportunities to hang out and have fun with friends.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
You can go anywhere and find someone who’s not conforming. Generally, I don’t see a lot of friend groups who are mixed with international and U.S. citizen groups. The international students kind of stick together. We’re all friendly to each other, but we don’t hang out on a daily basis unless they know each other pretty well. [The undergraduate population is 43% White, 4% Black, 23% Asian American, 11% Hispanic, and 13% international.]
How would you describe the LGBTQ community on campus? How strong is it?
In the main student center, there’s a pretty big LGBTQ center. There are the usual people that hang around there who are all really nice. If you go in there, you can have some nice conversation and snacks. Also, a pretty diverse population of Case is in the LGBTQ community and you wouldn’t even know it. People are pretty accepting.
How do you like the size of Case Western in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 5,250 ] students?
I haven’t met everyone in my grade, which is a nice twist because at my high school I could name everyone. I originally wanted to go to a bigger school where I could walk around and never see the same person twice, but Case is a pretty good size for me. It’s a pretty large campus as well.
How would you describe the student body?
I feel like everyone here is driven and has goals they want to accomplish. Case Western is a good way to accomplish those.
Careers
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
With nursing, we’re already working in our field. We’ve already started in hospitals and nursing facilities. Next semester we have a community class where we go out and work in different locations like homeless shelters or elementary schools where we can get different levels of public health education.