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Case Western Reserve University Admission Essays

Decoding aspirations: my case western reserve supplemental odyssey.

Navigating the terrain of my educational aspirations, the Case Western Reserve Supplemental Essay serves as a beacon, illuminating my path towards a university experience defined by intellectual curiosity, innovation, and impactful contributions. As I embark on this reflective journey, I aim to convey the essence…

Summer 2014: College Admission Essay Sample

We arrived at Ho Chi Minh cancer hospital for the first time, full of determination. The moment we entered the hall, a scene captured my eyes: young children (between the ages of 4 and 9) lying prostrate in the aisle. The countenance of the very…

New Park, Old Memories: College Admission Essay Sample

I stand alone in the middle of an empty square, looking at the period Chinese pavilion that was built less than a month ago. The park is new. The smell of paint is still fresh in the air, the carved characters still sharp on the…

Life: College Admission Essay Sample

“Millions long for immortality but do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon,” sharing her views on life, Susan Ertz describes the force that has the ability to unify all of humanity. Life, the cool summer dew forming on the…

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Case Western & Cleveland Clinic Medical School Secondary Essay Prompts

  • Cracking Med School Admissions

There are two sets of Case Western secondaries: 1) Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and 2) Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM). Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (both CWRU and CCLCM) admits students who are strong in academics and research. Submitting an OUTSTANDING Case Western secondaries are vital to receiving an acceptance. It’s important to discuss your research clearly   in your Case Western secondary essays. 

**Case Western changed its secondary essay prompts for the 2023-2024 cycle.** We would not recommend pre-writing this secondary because the prompts might change again this upcoming 2024-2025 application cycle.

Our Cracking Med School Admissions team has a track record of helping several of our mentees receive acceptances to Case Western year after year. We can help you next! We want to stress that submitting a strong Case Western secondary application is crucial and we can help you through our secondary essay editing packages . 

Cracking Med School Admissions - 1 School Secondary Essay Edits

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Case Western Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2023 - 2024

Case western reserve university secondary essay prompts.

  • The most successful medical students at our school are generally those who are intrinsically motivated, self-directed learners. Think of a time when you had to pursue a goal without clear external direction. Describe your approach and any new knowledge, perspectives, or skills that you acquired. (1,000 character limit)
  • Based on your current maturity and wisdom, reflect upon an experience from the past few years that you would handle differently today. (1,000 character limit)
  • Did you take a gap year(s)? Yes or No? If Yes : If you are taking time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation, please tell us what you are doing during this gap, and why. (1,000 characters max)
  • Optional – Research/Scholarly Work: One of the four pillars of the Western Reserve2 Curriculum is Research and Scholarship. Although research is not a prerequisite requirement for the University Program, if you have participated in research or another scholarly project, please tell us about it. Describe your experience, including the question you pursued and how you approached it, your results and interpretation of the results, and most importantly, any thoughts about what this experience meant to you. Remember that research is broad-based and can include such projects as a senior capstone or a thesis and can include both medical and non-medically-related investigations. If you have not completed research/scholarly work, you will be able to indicate this in a radio button embedded within this response. (3,500 character limit)   Note that if you are applying to both the University Program and the CCLCM, the research response will default to the CCLCM required response – see below.
  • Optional – Additional Information Response:   Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee that may not be captured in the rest of your application? (2,000 character limit)

Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine Secondary Essay Prompts

  • Greatest Challenge Essay:  The admissions committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral or ethical dilemma, a situation of personal adversity, or a hurdle in your life that you worked hard to overcome. Please include how you got through the experience and what you learned about yourself as a result. (2,000 character limit)
  • Research Essay:   Please tell us about ONE research project to which you made a significant contribution. In your essay, describe your role on the project, the hypothesis of your research and whether you contributed to hypothesis generation, why the methods were selected to answer that hypothesis, your results, and interpretation of your results with respect to future findings. In addition, please briefly share your motivation for pursuing this research project and reflect on how this experience affected your future career goals. (3,500 character limit)
  • Career Essay:  What does your ideal career entail fifteen years after medical school graduation? (1,000 character limit)
  • Gap Year(s) if applicable:  If you are taking time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation, please tell us why you made this decision and what you will be doing or have done during this gap time. (1,000 character limit)
  • OPTIONAL – Additional Information Response:   Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee that may not be captured in the rest of your application? (2,000 character limit)

Case Western MSTP Secondary Essay Prompts

  • Based on your current maturity and wisdom, reflect upon an experience from the past few years that you would handle differently today. (1,000 character limit) 
  • PhD Advisor:  What do you look for in a PhD advisor, and who at CWRU would interest you? (800 character limit)
  • Area of Interest:  What is your specific interest in the MSTP at CWRU? (800 character limit)

Tips to Answer Case Western Secondaries

Case Western Secondaries Pre-Writing Guidance: Because the Case Western secondary changed a lot in the previous cycle, we recommend students to NOT pre-write their Case Western secondaries this year.

Read our Cracking Med Secondary Essay Workbook and Examples  to help you with all your secondary essays!

Case Western Secondary Application Tip #1: Answer as many questions as possible on your Case Western secondaries. Our Cracking Med School Admissions team does not view Case Western Medical School secondary essays as optional. For the optional essay about the COVID-19 pandemic, incorporate your personal experiences as well as healthcare current issues you noticed throughout the COVID pandemic. We have an entire healthcare current events blog post here , where you can read more about healthcare disparities and COVID-19 .

Case Western Secondary Application Tip #2: For the question, “Based on your current maturity and wisdom, reflect upon an experience from the past few years that you would handle differently today” and “ The admissions committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral or ethical dilemma, a situation of personal adversity, or a hurdle in your life that you worked hard to overcome. Please include how you got through the experience and what you learned about yourself as a result ” make sure you clearly discuss what the challenge was and how you overcame this. Common mistakes students make include:

  • Talking about a topic that is too common among premed students, such getting a “C” in organic chemistry.
  • Not providing enough context about the challenge they faced.
  • Not discussing how they overcame the stressful situation.

Many of our Cracking Med School Admissions students write about challenges they had in their research projects for this question. If you have questions about whether your topic is a good topic to write about, send Dr. Mediratta and Dr. Rizal a question through our contact form below. 

Case Western Secondary Application Tip #3: Remember, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine LOVES students who have been engaged with research. Even if the research essay is optional, you definitely HAVE TO answer it!

Furthermore, for the research question, you must describe your research clearly. You are not only judged on your actual research endeavors, but you are also judged on how well you can communicate your research. This is a great secondary application to get our help through secondary essay editing !

Case Western Secondary Application Tip #4: Don’t forget to incorporate a little bit about “Why Case Western Med” throughout your Case Western secondaries. You can definitely write more “Why Case Western” in the optional essay, “ Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee that may not be captured in the rest of your application? ” Talk about projects and research you want to do at Case Western.

  • Read our blog post  Why this Medical School? Secondary Essay Example

Case Western Secondary Application Tip #5: Have questions about how you can stand out on your Case Western Med secondaries? Contact us below. Need editing help on your secondary? We can help you through our secondary essay packages . 

[ Read more secondary essay tips:  Washington University in St. Louis , Stanford , Northwestern , University of Chicago ]

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Medical School Stanford School of Medicine

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Undergraduate Johns Hopkins University, Phi Beta Kappa

Residency Stanford, Pediatrics

Awards & Scholarships Marshall Scholar Tylenol Scholarship Global Health Scholar

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Case Western Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2022 – 2023

  • The Admissions Committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral or ethical dilemma, a situation of personal adversity, or a hurdle in your life that you worked hard to overcome. Please include how you got through the experience, how you handled the uncertainty or stress, and what you learned about yourself as a result. (3,500 characters max – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • (Optional) The past year has reflected an unprecedented time in world history, and we are aware that many have experienced significant disruptions in numerous aspects of their lives. Please use the text field below to share with us how you may have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including academic, financial, medical disruptions, etc. If medically-related or patient-based experiences were interrupted, tell us how you were able to explore these areas in alternate ways. (3,500 characters max – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • Did you take a gap year(s)? Yes or No? If Yes : If you are taking time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation, please tell us what you are doing during this gap, and why. (1,000 characters max – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • One of the four pillars of the Western Reserve Curriculum is Research and Scholarship. Although research is not a prerequisite requirement for the University Program, if you have participated in research or another scholarly project, please tell us about it. Describe your experience, including the question you pursued and how you approached it, your results and interpretation of the results, and most importantly, any thoughts about what this experience meant to you. Remember that research is broad-based and can include such projects as a senior capstone or a thesis and can include both medical and non-medically-related investigations. Please limit your response to 1 page (3,500 character recommendation), and leave a blank line between paragraphs.
  • Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee that may not be captured in the rest of your application? (3,500 characters)

Case Western Secondary Application Optional Questions

  • If you took coursework that was Pass/No Pass due to pandemic disruptions for for 2019-2020 and/or 2020-2021 academic years, please list the courses below.

Case Western Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2021 – 2022

  • One of the four pillars of the Western Reserve Curriculum is Research and Scholarship. Although research is not a prerequisite requirement for the University Program, if you have participated in research or another scholarly project, please tell us about it. Describe your experience, including the question you pursued and how you approached it, your results and interpretation of the results, and most importantly, any thoughts about what this experience meant to you. Remember that research is broad-based and can include such projects as a senior capstone or a thesis and can include both medical and non-medically-related investigations. Please limit your response to 1 page (about 3,500 character recommendation), and leave a blank line between paragraphs.

Case Western Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2020 – 2021

  • The past few months have reflected an unprecedented time in world history, and we are aware that many have experienced significant disruptions in numerous aspects of their lives. Please use the text field below to share with us how you may have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including academic, financial, medical disruptions, etc. It would also be helpful for us to know if any of your planned experiences in shadowing, volunteering, research, employment, or other activities have been suspended due to the pandemic. (3,500 characters max – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • If you were working on a small group project and you thought that another student wasn’t carrying his/her load, how would you handle it? (300-1000 characters recommendation – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee that may not be captured in the rest of your application? This optional response will only be considered by the University Program. (3,500 characters max – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • One of the four pillars of the Western Reserve2 Curriculum is Research and Scholarship. Although research is not a pre-requisite requirement for the University Program, if you have participated in research or another scholarly project please tell us about it. Describe your experience, including the question you pursued and how you approached it, your results and interpretation of the results, and most importantly, any thoughts about what this experience meant to you. Remember that research is broad-based and can include such projects as a senior capstone or a thesis and can include both medical and non-medically-related investigations. (3,500 characters max – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • How will you contribute to the diversity and inclusion mission of our medical school?  (1,000 character recommendation)

Case Western Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2019 – 2020

  • (Required)  The admissions committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral or ethical dilemma, a situation of personal adversity, or a hurdle in your life that you worked hard to overcome. Please include how you got through the experience and what you learned about yourself as a result. (3,500 characters max – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • (Required)  Please describe the hypothesis of your research, why the methods were selected to answer that hypothesis, your results and interpretation of your results with respect to future findings. In addition, please briefly share your motivation for pursuing this research project and reflect on how this experience affected you. If you have not participated in research or scholarly work, please indicate so in the text area below.
  • (Required)  If you were working on a small group project and you thought that another student wasn’t carrying his/her load, how would you handle it? (300-1000 characters recommendation – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • (Required for College Program) Areas of Improvement Essay: Each year our students target for themselves areas of improvement. Other than the acquisition of new knowledge, what personal area do you think you have that could use strengthening? Design a plan as to how you could improve it. (1,000 characters max – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • (Required for College Program) Criticism and Feedback Essay: Tell us about a time when you received unexpected criticism or negative feedback. How did you react? What did you do? (1,000 characters max – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • (Required for College Program) Career Essay: How do you see your career ten years from now?  (1,000 characters max – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • (Required for College Program) Teaching Essay: When were you challenged to teach, coach, or mentor others to learn a new skill or improve an old one? Please describe how it went and what you learned from the experience. (1,000 characters max – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • (If Applicable) Gap Year Essay: Did you take a gap year? If you are taking time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation, please tell us in no more than four sentences what you are doing during this gap, and why.

(Optional) Additional Information Essay: Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee? This optional response will only be considered by the University Program.

Case Western Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2018 – 2019

  • The admissions committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral or ethical dilemma, a situation of personal adversity, or a hurdle in your life that you worked hard to overcome. Please include how you got through the experience and what you learned about yourself as a result. (3,500 characters max – leave blank line between paragraphs)
  • Did you take a gap year? Yes or No? If you are taking time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation, please tell us in no more than four sentences what you are doing during this gap, and why.

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Case Western Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2017 – 2018

  • The Admissions Committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral or ethical dilemma, a situation of personal adversity, or a hurdle in your life that you worked hard to overcome. Please include how you got through the experience and what you learned about yourself as a result. (3,500 characters max)
  • Please describe the hypothesis of your research, why the methods were selected to answer that hypothesis, your results and interpretation of your results with respect to future findings. If you have not participated in research or scholarly work, please indicate so in the text area below (3,500 characters max)
  • If you were working on a small group project and you thought that another student wasn’t carrying his/her load, how would you handle it? (1,000 characters max)
  • (Optional) Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee? This optional response will only be considered by the University Program.

Case Western Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2016 – 2017

  • (Optional) One of the four pillars of the Western Reserve Curriculum is Research and Scholarship. Although research is not a pre-requisite requirement for the University Program, if you have participated in research or in another scholarly project please tell us about it. Describe your experience, including the question you pursued and how you approached it, your results and interpretation of the results, and most importantly, any thoughts about what this experience meant to you. Remember that the definition of research is broadly-based and can include such projects as a senior capstone or a thesis, and can include both medically and non-medically-related investigations. (3,500 characters max)
  • If you were working on a small group project and you thought that another student wasn’t carrying his/her load, how would you handle it?  (1,000 characters max)
  • (Optional)  Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee? This optional response will only be considered by the University Program.

Case Western Medical School Secondary Application Essay Prompts: 2015 – 2016

Case western medical school secondary application essay prompts: 2014 – 2015.

  • The Admissions Committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral or ethical dilemma, a situation of personal adversity, or a hurdle in your life that you worked hard to overcome. Please include how you got through the experience and what you learned about yourself as a result.  (3,500 characters max)
  • Please describe the hypothesis of your research, why the methods were selected to answer that hypothesis, your results and interpretation of your results with respect to future findings. If you have not participated in research or scholarly work, please indicate so in the text area below  (3,500 characters max)

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How to Get Into Case Western: Admissions Stats + Tips

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How hard is it to get into case western, average academic profile of accepted case western students, what is case western looking for, how to improve your chances of getting into case western.

Case Western Reserve University is a private university located in Cleveland, Ohio, known for its world-class research.

Case Western has an excellent engineering program, and they offer over 140 dual-degree programs to prepare students for their post-college careers. They provide over 200 student organizations and have an undergraduate population of just over 5,000 students.

Case Western is a highly-ranked school with a competitive admissions process. To be accepted, you must have a solid academic profile and a well-rounded application. In this post, we’ll review the average academic profile of Case Western students, note important factors the admissions committee will consider, share some tips for improving your chances, and more.

Case Western is a competitive school. Last year, out of the 29,084 students who applied, only 8,804 were accepted, giving the school a 30% admissions rate.

While Case Western’s acceptance rate is low, your chances of acceptance may be higher or lower depending on the strength of your academic profile.

To gain an understanding of your chances of acceptance at Case Western, use our free admissions calculator . This tool uses your grades, test scores, extracurriculars, and more to calculate your odds of acceptance at top schools, like Case Western. The tool will also give you tips on how to improve your academic profile.

The average high school GPA of the Case Western Class of 2025 is 3.75 . The percentage of students with a 4.0 GPA is 7% , and 53% of students had a GPA between 3.75 and 3.99.

The middle 50% SAT scores for admitted Case Western students were 1350-1490 . The median 50% for ACT scores is 31-34.

69% of students submitted SAT scores, while 49% of students submitted ACT scores. Case Western does not require students to submit ACT and SAT scores for the Fall 2022 semester, but the admissions committee will consider test scores if offered.

Out of the students accepted to Case Western for the 2020-2021 school year, 70% were in the top ten percent of their high school graduating class, and 95% of students graduated in the top quarter of their class.

Most students applying to Case Western are excelling academically. Although your grades and test scores are essential, it’s also critical to be a well-rounded individual to stand out to the admissions committee.

Case Western says they are looking for students who are “on the path to personal, intellectual and professional success.” This means that your life experiences and interests are just as meaningful as your high school courses and class rank.

How Case Western Evaluates Applications

According to their 2020-2021 Common Data Set , Case Western considers the following factors “very important” :

  • Course rigor
  • Academic GPA
  • Extracurricular activities

These factors are “important” :

  • Application essay
  • Recommendation(s)
  • Talent/ability
  • Character/personal qualities
  • Race/ethnic status
  • Volunteer work

These are “considered” :

  • Standardized test scores
  • First-generation
  • Alumni relation
  • Work experience
  • Level of applicant’s interest

And these are “not considered” :

  • Geographical residence
  • State residency
  • Religious affiliation

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Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admission—and how to improve them.

1. Achieve at least a 3.75 GPA while taking the most challenging classes available

Since the average GPA of students accepted to Case Western for the 2020-2021 school year was 3.75 , you’ll want to focus on maintaining a GPA that meets or exceeds these requirements to increase your chances of admission.

The reason why it’s crucial to maintain a competitive GPA is a tool called the Academic Index . The Academic Index is used by selective schools, like Case Western, to determine if applicants have enough academic success to move to the next step in the admissions process. If your transcript lacks the necessary academic qualifications, it’s unlikely you will make it past the Academic Index.

While it’s essential to keep your GPA high, it’s also crucial to challenge yourself with rigorous courses . Consider taking AP classes or honors classes to make your transcript extra competitive.

If your GPA is lower, and you’re earlier on in your high school career, check out our tips for increasing your GPA . If you’re a junior or senior in high school, it will be harder to improve your GPA, so the easiest way to increase your Academic Index is to get a higher test score.

2. Aim for a 1490 SAT and 34 ACT

Last year, the middle 50% SAT scores for admitted students at Case Western was 1350-1490, and the middle 50% for ACT scores was 31-34. 69% of students submitted SAT scores, while 49% of students submitted ACT scores.

It’s important to note that Case Western is test-optional ​​for students entering in the fall of 2021, 2022, and 2023. In light of COVID-19 test-optional policies , we recommend taking the test if you can safely.

According to this year’s Common Data Set, we recommend submitting your SAT score to Case Western if it’s a 1350 or above and your ACT score of 31 or above. You can use our free chancing engine to help you determine whether or not you should use your test scores in your application.

To improve your SAT or ACT scores, check out these free CollegeVine resources:

  • How to Get a Perfect 1600 Score on the SAT
  • How to Get a Perfect 36 Score on the ACT
  • More SAT Info and Tips
  • More ACT Info and Tips

3. Cultivate at least one or two Tier 1-2 extracurriculars (find your “spike”)

Even though all extracurriculars demonstrate your interests and passions, certain types of extracurriculars can help your application stand out to the admissions committee. And since Case Western considers your extracurriculars as “very important” during the admissions process, you should focus heavily on developing your list of extracurriculars.

At CollegeVine, we’ve created a rating system called the Four Tiers of Extracurriculars to help you understand how each type of extracurricular is evaluated. When you’re applying to competitive schools like Case Western, we recommend becoming involved in a few Tier one and two extracurriculars. Here’s a look at what these types include:

Tier 1 activities include prestigious leadership positions, like being chosen to attend an esteemed summer program or receiving national recognition for academic or athletic achievement.

Tier 2 activities include more common achievements that still demonstrate exceptional leadership, like being your school’s student body president or earning the all-state selection for your school band.

We recommend focusing heavily on a related set of extracurriculars (a highly-developed interest known as a “ spike “) rather than participating in several unrelated activities. For example, starting and leading a book club at your school and winning a national essay contest demonstrates that you’re interested in literature and writing.

4. Write engaging essays

Your essays are one of the best ways to stand out and showcase your unique personality during the admissions process. Try to demonstrate your alignment with the school, and also weave in the factors that Case Western considers to be “important” for admission, like your talents and abilities, character qualities, race and ethnic status, and volunteer work you’ve been involved in during high school.

Read our tips for writing the Case Western essays for the 2021-2022 school year !

5. Apply early decision or early action

Case Western has both early decision and early action plans. They also have two phases of early decision admissions. Case Western’s early action plan does not inhibit students from applying to other schools’ early action plans. However, early decision students must be committed to going to Case Western if they are accepted.

Typically, students who apply early decision and early action are more likely to be accepted than students who apply by the regular decision deadline. Generally speaking, early decision students are 10-12% more likely to be accepted than regular decision students, and early action students are 4-6% more likely to be accepted. For a school with an admissions rate of 30%, applying early action or early decision can make a big difference!

However, keep in mind that there are some limitations to applying for the early decision deadline. Read this blog to determine if the early decision plan is right for you.

6. Prepare for your interview

Interviews are optional for Case Western applicants, but they are highly recommended and deemed “important” by the admissions staff. Interviews are also a great way to display your personality and credentials in a one-on-one setting.

Case Western recommends that students do the following during/while preparing for their interview:

  • Ask questions that demonstrate your interest in Case Western.
  • Anticipate questions the interviewer might ask you. Here is a list of common college interview questions to prepare for.
  • Know where you are going when you arrive for your interview.
  • Dress professionally but in a way that is comfortable and matches your style.
  • Arrive early to fill out paperwork and explore the campus.
  • Follow up with the person who interviewed you by sending them a thank you note or email.

7. Request great letters of recommendation

Case Western considers letters of recommendation to be an “important” part of the admissions process. Before you start collecting letters of recommendation, read these tips on how to request an excellent letter of recommendation from a teacher or academic counselor.

How to Apply to Case Western

Application requirements.

Students can apply to Case Western using the Common Application or Coalition Application. You’ll also need the following:

  • Official high school transcript
  • Transcripts from other universities
  • Official SAT or ACT scores (optional)
  • $70 application fee
  • Optional portfolio

Learn more about Case Western

  • What Is Case Western Known For?
  • Case Western Reserve University Student Panel
  • What Does It Cost to Attend Case Western?

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