Residential Colleges for First-Year Students

First-Year Students

First-Year Experience

As a part of the larger first-year experience, the residential colleges play an integral part in a first-year student's personal and academic transformation. The residential colleges help students transition into their new communities, connecting them with the university through academic support, campus activities, residence hall programs and other events. Our goal is to help each resident establish a foundation for future success.

First-year students at Case Western Reserve University become a member of one of four residential colleges: Cedar, Juniper, Magnolia, and Mistletoe. Located in the North Residential Village, each residential college has its own identity, theme and traditions.

Because of their size and structure, the residential colleges allow students to feel comfortable in their smaller building communities and, at the same time, encourage residents to become a member of a larger community of other first-year students. In addition, students within the residential colleges benefit from the Faculty-in-Residence program, in which a faculty member lives on-site in the one of the residence halls and engages students through programming and informal interaction.