Ask any undergraduate about why they decided to attend Case and you'll hear one common answer: money. To the students who are accepted it's true. Case hands them a respectable chunk of money, whether it is in financial aid grants or scholarships. Most recently, ninety-two percent of undergraduate students at Case received financial aid, the average financial aid package being $23,458, which, needless to say, is a lot. There are many varied scholarships available to freshmen, including President's, Trustee's, National Merit, and Creative Achievement scholarships, all of which are awarded on the basis of achievements and credentials.
Students, much like me, will find it necessary to work during school just so they're not completely without a little pocket money. For that, Case offers work-study awards as part of the financial aid packages. There is a wealth of jobs available to students on work-study, most with flexible hours that can be worked around class times since employers recognize education as students priority. All positions anywhere, even if you're just handing out towels at the Veale Athletic Center, pay really well. It's without a doubt an option worth looking into, even if you're not a student with a work-study award, though the work-study students are given priority.
Graduates
Then there's graduation. When it comes time to do ridiculous robes and hats and walk across the stage, the degrees you might hear being called out most frequently are in management, biology, and mechanical engineering, which together make up about twenty-five percent of Case's graduates majors. A little more than half of the students will graduate in four years or less, and close to seventy-five percent will graduate in five years or less.
Coming out of college, around forty percent of graduates in a recent year enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation; the other approximately sixty percent found jobs or had other plans. Aiding students about to graduate is the Career Center, an on-campus office students are free to visit anytime for advice on what opportunities exist. They can put you in touch with alumni among Case's 95,000 graduates who volunteer their contact information and invite students to ask them about finding jobs. Students can contact those who work in similar fields of interest and set up informational interviews, inquire about what sorts of skills are needed for that type of work, or discover who else might be a good and helpful person to talk to. This sort of networking is crucial in finding the best opportunities, and is really provided by the Career Center.
Additional resource include E-compass, an online campus job search engine where employers post positions and student internships. All the contact information is easily accessible and students are able to create a profile and resumes and cover letters, which they can use to apply to positions or post online and make available for employers to read, For writing the materials necessary for job application, students can set up appointments with Career Center staff for tips on interviewing, help with career assessments, and insight on the job search process.
Summing up
Experiences at Case can range from brain meltingly boring to rocket-propelled merry-go-round exciting. It depends on who you are and what you're looking for. If you're looking to sit down every night with your studies and dedicate yourself fully to your grades, then you will get good grades. A lot of students at Case make the decision to do this, which is, in part, why Case gets a reputation for being a "nerdy" school. This is unfortunate-tragic almost-given the opportunities available to students. Apply and attend and you will be surprised as long as you want to be surprised. Opportunity is here for an amazingly unique experience that is not just academic, but social and cultural and anything else you can think of. You just have to be willing to get off the couch and go find it.