<p>My S has been accepted, but we haven't yet visited. We're going to the accepted student event on 4/18. Any insight as to how small Mt. Vernon really feels? Is it in the middle of a cornfield as I've read? Any movie theaters, etc. in town? Are there students from big cities there, or mostly rural kids?</p>
<p>Sorry if I'm asking the obvious, just trying to get a feel for whether it may be TOO rural. We visited another school that definitely fell into that category.</p>
<p>I know someone who was very interested in Cornell College (which is different from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY). He loved the block study program and the facilities and the students, but after being accepted and visiting, he ultimately decided that the surrounding area was just too "dull" for him (his words, not mine). </p>
<p>That won't necessarily be your son's opinion. He might love it! (You have the right idea to ask current students, though. Even if he loves it on visiting day, the location could get old after a few months.)</p>
<p>Thanks, kdmom, that's my concern, but I think S will get a pretty quick sense if it's too small for him. In addition to the admitted students event, he'll do an overnight and attend a class, so he'll have plenty of time to get opinions, but I'd like to gather the expertise from CC as well!</p>
<p>My son has also been accepted to Cornell College. We visited the school over a year ago when he as a high school junior. It was right after a snow storm and we really couldn’t see how beautiful the campus is because of all of the snow. (That didn’t bother us though because we’re from Minnesota.)</p>
<p>My impression of Mt. Vernon is that it is a very lovely small town that exists today because of the College. The drive there from the Twin Cities was about 4 hours and we mostly drove through farmland (that at the time was covered in snow and ice.)</p>
<p>It might be a shock to your son, if he’s never been to the Midwest. We have all four seasons here: winter can be harsh and cold, spring can be wet and rainy, summer can be very hot and humid, and fall is gorgeous until it turns cold and wet again. It is in a rural area of the United States, but Chicago, Kansas City, and Minneapolis/St. Paul are all within a 4 hour drive. Iowa City (University of Iowa), Cedar Falls (University of Northern Iowa) and Ames (Iowa State) are very close too. Plus, there are quite a few other small private colleges in the area. But, none the less, your son will be attending a small college in a small college town. If he wants a city or urban setting, then this is the wrong choice for him.</p>
<p>My son does not want an urban setting, after having visited rural setting schools. He doesn’t want the distraction. (He was appalled when I suggested Macalester or St. Thomas, both here in St. Paul. He did like Hamline though.) My son had initially said that he wanted to attend a college where it was always warm, and even though he saw Cornell on one it’s worst days, he still is considering going there. The initial attraction, was the OCAAT scheduling. But, what he really liked was the two classes that he sat in on. They were both very small (8-10 students) and were basically discussions between the professors and the students, not lectures.</p>
<p>Thanks, stpaulimom. I know it will be rural, but at least CC is closer to a town with a multiplex theater than the LAC we previously visited! While we’re from Southern California, we’ve spent a lot of time in the northwoods of Wisconsin, so the four seasons won’t be a surprise. </p>
<p>I think it will be a make it or break it visit. OCAAT has distinct advantages and disadvantages, and hopefully my son gets a sense of which is stronger for him by sitting in on classes.</p>
<p>CC seems like it gets a geographically diverse mix of students, and the adcoms have told me most who are from OOS are from cities, not rural areas. </p>
<p>I’ll share thoughts when we return!</p>
<p>Mt. Vernon is really small. Visited with son. Very nice campus, lots to do, terrific people, etc. We were told student union to be renovated, that will be nice, given the lack of anything around campus they really need a strong campus center. Town has a nice cafe, a few pizza places, a convenience store out on the main road, not a lot else there. Feels very isolated, much more so than other small midwestern LACs we visited. Other comment is that block plan could be great for certain type of student, but has to be right type. We heard from both a professor and a student that it is very intense–4 hours of the same class for 3 1/2 weeks, no time to slack whatsoever. If it is a professor or class you don’t like, could be very long 3 1/2 weeks.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response. Son decided he couldn’t see himself in a rural school in a small town, so we cancelled our visit.</p>
<p>I went on a visit about two weeks ago and loved it. I’m from the Bay Area and live in Birmingham, AL–it just keeps getting smaller. In any case, I didn’t classify it as rural as the one college I visited in Virginia.
But in the end, it’s all up to the student. Hope your son found a good fit, cpeltz!</p>
<p>I was admitted, but ultimately chose to go to Beloit College.</p>
<p>CC a great choice for a kid who knows they really want to dig in to campus life, not so concerned about anything outside of campus, and who is able to and really wants to focus on something in a very concentrated way. I believe very strongly in the liberal arts–strong comunication, reading, writing, analytical, etc., skills are what get you through life, both in terms of work and in terms of life overall (understanding the world around you, etc.)–and that college should not be vocational, but, from the perspective of work related skills, this school has a big advantage. Much of the work world is scheduled the way CC is–concentrated effort on one project for periods of time. I would imagine that the work habits developed here really carry over into the work world.</p>