We were impressed with Cornell after our visit last weekend with S20. A few highlights:
- Nice campus. Many older buildings. Large trees. The campus is laid out in a linear fashion along the ridge of a hill with nice views over the countryside. One main pedestrian spine winds along the ridge and connects most of the buildings. New science building. Athletic building rehab is on the way. The college owns a bed and breakfast adjacent to campus, which is very nice.
- Mount Vernon is small but super quaint. Idyllic, old houses. Cute main street two blocks from campus. Lots of art galleries, restaurants and antique shops. The historic Lincoln Highway follows the main street and runs adjacent to campus. It’s close to Cedar Rapids and Iowa City but far enough away to still feel rural. I was surprised there was no Wal-Mart/Target or similar store.
- The campus vibe seems friendly and low stress. A reflection of the location. The staff especially was super friendly. There is a lot more geographic diversity among the students than one might imagine given the location.
- S20 enjoyed his overnight. He spent much of his time with his prospective sports team. The coach and team were great and spent tons of time with him. He enjoyed his class, tour and various meetings. He liked the food and said it was the first school where every student he met said the food was good. The dorm rooms he saw were large and nice.
- Every four years presidential candidates are omnipresent in Iowa. Buttigieg was on campus while we were there and it was interesting to observe.
- Cornell’s big calling card is the one course at a time system. I’m surprised only two colleges in the U.S. use that approach (Colorado College and Cornell College). For a good overview of the merits, read the CTCL entry for Cornell. I think the system might be a good fit for S20 and make time management more straightforward. It may not be a good fit for some students though.
The favorable visit plus excellent merit aid make Cornell a very attractive option for S20.