My daughter was recently accepted to Cornell College. She hasn’t visited yet but loves the one class at a time concept. Can anyone describe the social vibe, typical student at Cornell? Liberal? LGBT friendly? Any and all info is greatly appreciated!
(Sorry, I initially posted something that was from Cornell University, not Cornell College! Can’t delete.)
That’s from Cornell University, not Cornell College
Okay, searched “Cornell College” and found this - it says it’s No. 20 on a list of “Gay-Friendly Colleges”: http://emptyclosets.com/forum/chit-chat/4042-gay-friendly-unfriendly-colleges.html
But on the other hand, there’s also this: http://thecornellfeminist.■■■■■■■■■■/post/151342731153/judithbutleroverdrive-shoutout-to-all-the-lgbt
My nephew and his wife graduated from Cornell. They loved it. She has a degree in Art and (lol I can’t remember his degree)
I would say it has a liberal, progressive vibe.
Both of them and their friends all have a very introspective and inquisitive way of viewing the world. There is definitely a " Cornell Vibe"
Overall not what you would expect for the middle of Iowa.
Hi PlainTruth,
I went to Cornell College and I was active in the choir as well as the Theatre (class of 2014.)
Cornell is incredibly gay friendly. A large number of the LGBTQ+ group congregate in theatre, but also throughout campus in a lot of other areas. The students are really good at shutting down discrimination in all its forms, and they always have really heart-felt discussions about what really lies at the root of it. Cornell also has a housing policy that allows students who don’t identify with their birth gender to live with a roommate of the gender they do identify with. Many buildings also have unisex bathrooms.
The vibe is that you can be a musician or a theatre nerd, but at lunch you might have a really deep conversation with a History major about the Philosophy class they’re taking. The people at Cornell are there because they believe they have a lot to learn and they want to learn as much as possible. They also tend to believe that learning about things outside of just their major will be helpful to what they really want to understand.
It’s a very liberal campus, but the political conservatives who attend tend to feel comfortable confronting ideas they don’t agree with, and debates tend to be spirited and genuinely aimed at finding commonalities and understanding/respecting differences.
Those were the questions you asked, but I also wanted to let you know what I think of the Music and Theatre programs because I have experience with them:
When I attended, they were doing a musical every year and I believe that is still the case. The music and theatre programs are sometimes in conflict the last few weeks of the semester when everyone is performing. Choir members don’t usually conflict much, but band and orchestra members sometimes have their concerts on nights that there is a theatre show.
You would also want to keep in mind that these two groups have slightly different schedules than most of the rest of campus. Cornell College has a “One Course at a Time” program (what we like to call the “Block program,”) and many musical and theatrical classes are taken on this schedule just like the rest of campus. For instance, I had a “Voice and Movement” theatre class that met 4 hours a day for 18 class days. But, because of the nature of theatre and music, they also operate on a semester plan. Choir meets every weekday after classes get out (all Block classes are required to end at 3 p.m., and Choir starts at 3:15.) If your daughter gets involved with a play, that would usually meet at night. These are still considered classes, so missing rehearsals would mean either a lower grade or not receiving credit at all.
The performing arts building is amazing and very well renovated for a college in the middle of Iowa. After graduating from Cornell, I moved to L.A. and work at a performing arts school that has multiple venues, but none are even close to Kimmel Theatre at Cornell. There is also a Black Box Theatre in the same building as the Main Stage, and there is usually more than one production going on at a time–one Main Stage and (at least) one student production.
Sorry for the lengthy reply. I hope it helps!!