Case Western Reserve University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Nursing
Minor: Music Studies
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Bisexual Female

Summary

I’m in the [Bigger than a Bread Box] A Capella club and I have a work-study job on campus.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

High School Experience: Private school in New York City, NY with a graduating class of 70 people. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Nursing
Minor: Music Studies

Extracurricular Activities: I’m in the [Bigger than a Bread Box] A Capella club and I have a work-study job on campus.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
I sang all throughout high school and wanted to join a choir, but auditioned for acapella instead. The club is a great community and I interact with people I normally wouldn’t interact with since nursing has a limited amount of people taking the same classes as you.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your prerequisite classes?
I have my core Nursing classes like anatomy, chemistry, and biology. I also have to take the writing class that everyone has to take, for which I did a lot of reading and writing. For my lecture classes, it was mostly reading textbooks, and attending lectures. Something they do that I like is they record the classes and we can watch them again.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
Case Western just opened a new health education [campus], and we have a lab required for class there. We have these mannequins that look like real people and breathe, which is interesting to interact with. Also, part of Nursing is we have clinical hours which are amazing because I’ve already been doing 4-hours of clinical hours each week. We jump in our first semester, which is something that’s special for Case.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s competitive, especially for Nursing. I have to talk to mostly Nursing students to make sure I get everything done because there’s a lot going on at the same time. There’s a community of Nursing students, and we have to spend most of our time working on Nursing classes to do well. It’s also extremely competitive because everyone’s trying to be the best student and the classes are hard.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re pretty accessible. I think they emphasize their care for the students. All teachers are caring and want to help you, but it’s on the student to reach out to them. They offer you all the tools and materials, but you have to utilize them and they have office hours.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m really happy. My mom was a nurse so I grew up around the hospital setting. I was always interested in women’s and reproductive health. My high school was extremely English and humanities-based, and I never really liked that. I like the human body and how it operates. Going into college, I didn’t like the idea of studying biology and chemistry for four years and then going to medical school. Nursing is a great major because you can get everything done in four years and immediately have a job after.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
It’s harder than my high school, which is shocking to a lot of my friends. Transitioning was pretty easy because I had a good understanding of how difficult it would’ve been. You have to learn responsibility and how to learn things on your own. As a freshman, a lot of people struggle with that.

Reasons to Attend

1) The environment is safe. I think Cleveland is a great city.
2) You’ll have friends no matter what major you’re in. You find them anywhere and everyone is so nice and welcoming.
3) You have everything you need. There are food places, there’s a thrift store, and there are great academics.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) Academics are very hard.
2) If you’re looking for a party school.
3) If you’re interested in the humanities. We’re very interested in nursing and medical school, and science.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Pierce House in a single
How was transitioning from New York to Cleveland, OH in terms of location?
It wasn’t that bad. I visited Case when I was a sophomore, and it on a great street, [Euclid Avenue]. There are food places and little stores.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
We have Safe Ride, which is basically a free Uber system. I was really excited about it going in because it meant I didn’t have to walk home at night, but from what I’ve experienced is there are long wait times. It’s unpredictable because I can’t rely on it.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
Weekends are difficult for me because I’m so busy spending time studying. I love my time at the gym. I think it’s a great stress release a good for overall mental health. I love spending time with my friends. It’s a pretty small group and we do some stuff. They have an event off-campus for $10 to go go-karting, or I’ll spend time with my acapella group. There aren’t too many things going on over the weekend, but it’s fun. Sometimes Case hosts events that are nice, but the weekends are usually pretty dry. I have some friends in fraternities and they do party through Case, which can be fun. Maybe once every month there will be something really fun, but it’s difficult because of schoolwork. What’s good is we do have a good police station if I ever need anything.
What have been some of your favorite events at Case Western?
Orientation, which is strange. I got an orientation leader who I still talk to this day. We had a concert for acapella on a Friday night and we had a party afterward.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I took a Greyhound bus to get to Case Western when I was a prospective student, and I met this girl on the bus and we ended up touring around together. She didn’t know if she was going to come, but she ended up coming and is a Nursing student. My whole friend group is all people who’re Nursing majors from New York City.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Case Western Reserve?
I think everyone is pretty friendly and gets along. There are still cliquey things, like sororities, but the whole fraternity and sorority thing that goes on at Case involves genuinely good people. Everyone is friendly and they’re all open to talking to you no matter what year you are.
How would you describe the LGBTQ community on campus? How strong is it?
Coming from New York City, I got a lot of support. I was worried about that coming to Ohio, which has a stigma of not being too open to people who’re different. People are nice and they are fine, but they’re not doing anything extra. There’s an LGBTQ Center and I’ve gone a few times. You can be yourself but there aren’t great support spaces where you can talk about it or host events.
How do you like the size of Case Western Reserve in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 5,250 ] students?
It’s pretty good. If I ever want to avoid someone I can, and if I do want to run into someone it’s easy to run into them at the dining hall or just going to class. I think the size is great for transitioning, making friends, and creating bonds with people from all over.
How would you describe the student body?
It’s pretty good. I’m not involved in anything besides acapella, but it’s pretty diverse from what I’ve seen. It’s primarily Asian and White. There’s diversity, but not as much as I had hoped. [The undergraduate population is 43% White, 4% Black, 23% Asian American, 11% Hispanic, and 13% international.]

Careers

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
I didn’t realize how financial aid would work. You do it on your own and if you have a logistical question you come and ask. It’s all over the place, but if you find the right people working at the right time I’m sure your questions will be answered and they’ll support you.