Case Western

[pcl]

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I interviewed regionally for Case and was accepted, however, I have never been to Cleveland. I would really appreciate any thoughts on Case (curriculum, faculty, students), Cleveland, cost of living, etc. Thanks! Laura

 

[Amitha726]

I am from Cleveland, and can tell you that it's a great city. There's lots to do, including the Flats (the entertainment district w/ lots of bars and restaurants), the Rock Hall, and tons of other museums. Case's campus, however, is ugly. The neighborhood is ok. I didn't interview there, so maybe someone who did can give you better insight on the campus itself. All in all, I think it would be a fine place to spend your 4 yrs of med school. Cost of living is very reasonable, too. The weather's not so great, but being from Detroit, I'm sure you're used to it. Good luck with your decision!

 

[ppdka]

If you look at the Med Student Diaries section of the site, one of the guys is at Case. If you read his diary, this might give you a good idea of what it's like.

 

[Pathologist]

Cleveland is an awesome city! There are so many things to do and fun places to go. The cost of living is decent. The campus is kind of blah, as Amitha726 mentioned, but I've only been to the campus once. Maybe I missed something.

 

[doc-H]

Hey pcl I was just wondering if you would mind sharing your stats and volunteer experience. I am only a freshman, but my dream is to be accepted into CWRU's med school in the future.

 

[pcl]

Originally posted by doc-H:
Hey pcl I was just wondering if you would mind sharing your stats and volunteer experience. I am only a freshman, but my dream is to be accepted into CWRU's med school in the future.

I'm a non-trad, so I don't know how relevant that would be for you, but here you go:

UGPA:3.2 (Engineering), I took my bio/orgo pre-reqs after undergrad, 3.8. Above 30 MCAT.

Experiences:
I have worked as a management engineer in an academic health system for about 2.5 years. Since you probably don't know what an ME does, (no one ever knows this, not even my other engineering friends), I will explain. I work on projects to help the system become more efficient in some way, such as improving access to primary care, streamlining the flow through an ER, improving admitting processes, implementing the "patient focused care" inpatient model, centralizing call answering functions to reduce costs, improving the way labs are returned to patients, etc... Most of the projects are focused on improving patient/staff satisfaction or reducing cost (or both). I also volunteer at community outreach events as well as shadowing/research in the ER, and volunteering with the childlife department. I was involved in SWE and a mentorship program in college, and I continue some of that now, although I am a member of IIE's Society of Health Systems b/c it is more professionally relevant than SWE.

I think that the biggest asset though has been that I have had a lot of exposure to inpatient and ambulatory care delivery. It is an interesting perspective from which to start. And I have supplemented that with clinical exposure in the ER and peds unit. (yes, I like patients, not just the "business" side of healthcare!) It is something that makes me stick out in the applicant pool if the ad com can get past my low GPA. Case also tends to be very "non-trad" friendly from what I hear which is why I applied there in the first place.

Good Luck! I hope you are able to realize your dream!

 

[mophead]

Hey I'm also a nontrad and have been accepted to Case. I had a 3.3 undergrad from a small liberal arts college, 4.0 in MA program, 4.0 in post-bacc science courses, MCAT above their average. I'm a sign language interpreter with lots of experience in hospital and other settings.

My biggest dilemma now is deciding between Case and Pitt. Any insights or comparisons?


I'm debating

 

[brentunc]

I have the same decision to make - Pitt or Case. I really like Pitt because of the PBL format, but I really like Case because of its integration of laptops and the fact that it is pass/fail (I'm a big fan of removing all competition between students). I think that I am leaning towards Case because of the stated reasons.

 

[GeoLeoX]

Though I am going to medical school elsewhere I did go to CWRU for graduate school and I had lived in Cleveland for years. The classroom facilities and research facilities are pretty good. Where Case really shines is the clinical opportunities: University Hospital, Rainbow, Cleveland Clinic (still a little unfriendly to CWRU, but slowly changing its ways). I actually did my coursework at Case and worked in a lab at the Cleveland Clinic.

The city itself is ok. There's not much in the way of outdoor activities during the "down months". The immediate neighborhood around Case is questionable in parts, but some of the parts are outstanding. Severance Hall, the home of the Cleveland Orchestra, is just across Euclid Ave. and there are student tix available. The Cleveland Art Museum is world-class and FREE. The Natural history museum is ok, but there used to be a way for Case students to get for free - Lucy the Australopithecus is there. The Air and Auto Museum, Garden Center, are ok. There is a new Frank Gehry building going onto the Case campus (compare it to the Music experience in Seattle or the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain.

Bottom line - the cultural and educational experiences in Cleveland are greater than many other cities. However, the social scene consists mostly of drinking in the Flats, which gets old after a while. Then again, there's the Barking Spider, if you can find it.....

Geo

 

[Christiangirl]

Hey brentunc - are you leaning towards pitt or case instead of michigan and hopkins?

 

[brentunc]

I actually have no clue of where I want to go. Every day it seems like I'm leaning in a different direction. Last week I was leaning towards Case, but Sunday night I began thinking heavily about Johns Hopkins. I think that Pitt is at the very bottom of my list. My problem is convincing myself that I should not go to a school because of the name (Hopkins). If I could do that, then it would be a much easier choice - probably Case. Oh wait, now I'm getting feelings for Michigan. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I have no clue what to do. Is anyone else out there like me?

 

[pcl]

Originally posted by brentunc:
I actually have no clue of where I want to go. Every day it seems like I'm leaning in a different direction.


You're def. not alone! I go back and forth all the time about which is my "first" choice. When I started, I didn't pick a first choice b/c it didn't matter WHERE I went as much as IF I went. Now it's just a little more complicated. I would really like to make a decision so I can start planning, not to mention that I very aware I am holding spots that others would be very happy to accept. It's wonderful to have a choice, but difficult also.

I did my undergrad at Umich. (waitlisted there now, really liked the school, kind of want to leave Michigan or I prob. never will.) If you have questions about Ann Arbor, [email protected].

Laura

 

[Christiangirl]

Hi brentunc and laura! I say this as much to you as to myself, so I am definitely not playing holier than thou. I think in the end at all of the schools you are considering, if you perform well, you will get a top residency choice. The bad thing would be to pick a school for name and not really like it, because you will be unhappy and that will affect your academic performance. If you graduate at the bottom of your class at Hopkins (because you are unhappy and I am not saying that you will be, you may love it - only you can gauge that) you will not fare better for residencies than if you went to Case (and were happy - once again, only you know if you will be) and graduated in the top half.

Once again, I honestly am saying this as much to you as to myself.