Case Western Reserve University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Majors: Double major in Mechanical Engineering and Theater with a Technical concentration and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Male
Summary
I have a [leadership position] in the Tabletop Empire board games club, I’m part of the Film Society, I’m involved with the Footlighters musical theater group on campus, and I’m involved with Players Theater Group (PTG).
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
On a 4 + 1 BS/MS Program
High School Experience: Public high school in Winnetka, Illinois with a graduating class of about 980. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Majors: Double major in Mechanical Engineering and Theater with a Technical concentration and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I have a [leadership position] in the Tabletop Empire board games club, I’m part of the Film Society, I’m involved with the Footlighters musical theater group on campus, and I’m involved with Players Theater Group (PTG).
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
Table Top has been a lot of fun. It re-wrote a lot of the constitution and worked with the student government to reshape some student policies that were outdated. It’s been very interesting to learn how the university’s funding system works. For the Footlighters, I sound designed a full-scale musical before it went to Broadway. We were working with a British artist to re-write a musical that he never finished. I don’t think anything will come of it, but it was fun learning the professional playwriting experience. The Players Theater Group is the way technicians learn to work with low-budget space, but still provide a high-quality product. The Film Society is a family experience that allows you to learn whatever you want, such as concession stuff or working the film projector.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your majors?
The first 1.5-2 years of mechanical engineering includes labs and forum posts for an English program called SAGES. The first year you have labs with big groups. After that, Mechanical
engineering goes to project-based classes, process-based classes, and some test-based classes for fluid dynamics, and civil structural stuff. We had a capstone project where we design a motorcycle engine, which is a lot of fun. The last semesters when you take all of your extra electives are a lot of fun.
For Theater, you have to take seven practicum hours which are working on a production that the Theater department is putting on. There is more flexibility in Theater than engineering because they offer alternate classes.
Is there anything you feel your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
I have a unique situation because my year they changed the course curriculum for mechanical engineers. They took us out of the main thermo-dynamic classes and gave us special ones, so we were the first year all the professors were there for that level of class. They weren’t really prepared to teach to the size and level of the class.
The Theater department will work with you however you want. I love them for it and they want you to succeed and have their major. They’re a lot of fun, very familial, and everyone knows everyone.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s mostly collaborative. Occasionally there is competition, but it’s nothing aggressive.
Why did you pick your majors? Are you happy with your choice?
Yes, I am happy with my choice. I picked Theater because I have been doing it since high school. I came in knowing what I like and knowing I wanted to do this. They don’t have a sound design class, but they have most other classes.
Reasons to Attend
1) The Sears think[box] is why I really came.
2) It’s great to attend the Engineering School because you get to learn a little bit about each type of engineering, especially mechanical.
3) Cleveland is a growing city again.
4) There is a lot to do. There are over 600 clubs, so you can always find what you want to do. It’s also easy to start your own club if you don’t find something you want.
5) They don’t put a limit on which colleges you’re in. You don’t have to transfer between each for everything. I switched majors at the end of my sophomore year and that was fine. They work with you and truly want everyone to leave with a major they like.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you’re really concerned about being able to walk alone at 3 AM, I wouldn’t recommend it. You have to act like you’re in a city and not in the middle of nowhere.
2) It’s more work than you think, but less than you expect.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Norton House with one roommate
Sophomore: Tippit House in a single with six suitemates
Junior & Senior: The Village with four people
What was your favorite living situation?
I really like the upper-class living situation in The Village. Everyone is connected and there are bridges between the buildings. There’s a Starbucks on the first floor, you have a huge room, there’s a full kitchen, and you get to pick with you live with. I’ve lived in different dorms over the summer because they move you around however they need to.
How was transitioning from your hometown to Cleveland, Ohio?
The location is about a one-hour flight away, but it’s really easy. I had gone to summer camps so I was used to being away from home. I knew people and I knew the campus because I visited a couple of times. There were six people from my high school that all went there, so at least I knew some people going in.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I’ve never had a big safety problem. We have some beggars that are a bit aggressive, but they don’t do anything. They follow you for a little bit but then they stop if you sternly ask them to. Little Italy is very safe, and people live there however we do live near East Cleveland which is one of the worst areas in Ohio. There’s a bridge you’re not supposed to go under, so if you don’t then you’re fine. You’re in a city so there’s always a mugging or two, but it’s nothing severe. You hear about one maybe once a month. [East Cleveland is only safer than 21% of U.S. cities.]
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
The Film Society is on Friday and Saturday nights. I also run the Board Game Club on Saturdays so we can destress after the week. Everyone on campus does work on Sundays. It’s an accepted fact that if you have a group project you meet on a Sunday.
What are your favorite events or activities?
We have a lot of fun things we do. The Film Society puts on a Rocky Horror Picture Show every year and it’s a lot of fun to see people. We also have the Yule Ball put on by the Quidditch Team. There are a lot of theater performances on campus too. For nightlife, there’s an on-campus bar people go to on Tuesdays for Trivia and Thursdays for Karaoke night. We have a Buffalo Wild Wings people go off campus for sports. You can always go downtown there are some clubs people go to.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
Greek life does parties, but it’s overall really maintained and they don’t tend to have issues. The university is a very pro-Greek life, and there’s a high percentage. We have a lot of service fraternities and sororities, professional groups, but we also have the social ones. They throw parties but they’re usually fairly controlled so you don’t have a lot of craziness. [About 28% of men are in fraternities and 36% of women are in sororities.]
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I enjoy what I do. In general, all the restaurants close at about 10 PM so that’s a bummer. I wish we had something opened later because sometimes if you’re doing stuff you don’t get food until 10 or 11.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met one of them doing tech for a show. She was the stage manager. I met several others through my freshman dorm, classwork, and just around campus at the maker-space.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Case Western Reserve?
We’re a nerd college and as social as that can be. A lot of people are doing stuff, but you also have a lot of people who are meeting up and working, then going out partying.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Quite a bit. Our campus is ranked [highly] for LGBT friendliness. Racial mixing happens freely. We’re in a city and people are used to it. We’re a liberal campus in a conservative state, but everyone gets along and we never have issues with interracial [conflict]. [The undergraduate population is 43% White, 4% Black, 23% Asian American, 11% Hispanic, and 13% international.]
How would you describe the student body?
Overall, everyone is very friendly and welcoming. There is also a big but mostly joking culture of millennial depression around a midterm week. People have fun, people get along, and during finals, people tend to close themselves in and do their work. If you need to know where something is you ask someone else and they’ll tell you if they know.
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?
I enjoy it. It’s a medium-sized university. It’s big enough where you don’t know everyone, but it’s small enough where you probably have someone in common who you know. I know how everyone in my major acts in general, but I don’t know everyone’s name.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
It’s impossible for them not to. Our campus is [about 34%] Greek. One way people make friends is by joining fraternities and sororities freshman year. I know plenty of people in Greek life. I know people who didn’t do it and that’s fine.
Do people generally seem happy with Case Western Reserve by senior year? Do people leave loving your school?
I think they see value in their experience and enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t say they always love it. The university has been undergoing a lot of changes that are affecting the juniors and seniors, but I think the freshmen and sophomores will leave loving it a lot more. They’re changing class and department structure.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
It’s helped me quite a bit. Because of them, I’m presenting at a consumer electronics show this year. They do all sorts of outreach on campus. Their network is quite large and if you want to work with them, they’ll work with you.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I’ve used them to revise my resume. They were very helpful with that. I always went to career fairs, and they helped me decide who I should personally talk to. If you work with them for a little they remember you and know who you should or shouldn’t go see based on your interests. We also have Handshake, which our university career platform.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
In my project capstone class, I ended up learning so Latex. It’s a report coding language. I learned a little MATLAB from a class.