<p>I was accepted to cornell college last week. I was wondering what it is really like, from a student and parental perspective. As of right now, the college is in my top three choices. I am looking for anything anyone can tell me about the school. Thank you.</p>
<p>Weel, I've never been there, but I can tell you about Iowa in general, if that would help you.</p>
<p>My daughter has been accepted at Cornell College as well. Chose it because of small size of student body, the ONE COURSE AT A TIME CUrriculum, and general appeal of its course offerings. We made a campus visit in Dec. met fin. aid folks and she sat in on two classes. Still feels it is a place she would like to be, and can see herself there. It is a bit remote (30 min from Cedar Rapids), no general public transport available, and the town of Mount Vernon is a typical small town with the campus right next to it. Seems like there is a nice relationship between college and town/citizens. Overall a nice impression. Certainly recommend a campus visit/tour/sit in on classes to make decision.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. I still have no idea where i'm going. :( Its very stressful actually. Cornell looks like a great school and I think I will probably visit many schools before i have to decide in April (you have to have a decision made by May 1). Any information that I can get about the college helps a lot!</p>
<p>Cornell</a> College | Colleges That Change Lives</p>
<p>It is listed as a college that changes lives.</p>
<p>My D graduated last year from Cornell College. It was a great place for her (she’s now in an Ivy League grad school.) The pluses for her were that is was a small town and she could walk everywhere, she really got to know her profs (small classes), she loved the block system for almost everything (there seems to be an acknowledgment that it’s not so great for science/math), it’s possible to be really creative in campus activities – that is, if you want to create a new club/organization, you can … making you look good to grad schools, and many students have double or even triple majors, once again making students look attractive for their future endeavors.
The negatives about Cornell for my D were the food, which improved a bit while she was there, but was pretty poor compared to many similar schools, the fact that Mt Vernon is pretty isolated, so students have to leave for Iowa City or Cedar Rapids or Chicago for fun, and the fact that if you’re taking a class you don’t like, those are a long 3 1/2 weeks.</p>
<p>Lyre - my son is interested in Cornell College for Computer Science and math. Do you know why the general consensus is that the block schedule is bad for math and science? Thanks a bunch!</p>
<p>Hi GeekMom63! - I just asked my D about this and she said that there was a feeling that because science and math courses often are all about “building a concept” that it’s just quite hard to do this effectively in 3 1/2 weeks. Also, science classes often involve a lot of rote memorization and details, and once again, it may be difficult to really squeeze all the knowledge required, in what is normally a semester long course, into one’s brain in 3 1/2 weeks. She also said that if you’re taking a lab science class, you’ll have long lectures and then long labs … that it’s very time consuming. Finally, she said that students she knew who were really into science and math were particularly unhappy during required humanities courses and not being able to do any science or math for a whole block.</p>
<p>My advice to you is to visit CC if at all possible and chat with professors about these concerns and any others you may have. We really enjoyed visiting the school and found that everyone was very honest with us about the realities of the Block plan. Good luck!</p>
<p>One other thing I wanted to add about the block plan in general, is that you can’t get sick and miss class. You really can’t. If you miss more than a couple of days you will have to withdraw from the class. The good thing about Cornell (as opposed to Colorado which has eight per year) is that there are nine blocks in an academic year, and you only need to take eight per year to graduate. Soo, if you have to withdraw from a class you can do that one time per year without it affecting your ability to graduate on time. </p>
<p>Also, Cornell being small does have some issues with scheduling, that is if you want/need a particular class, it may only by offered during one block per year and it may be hard to get into that class depending on your seniority.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. My S was accepted, and he is getting excited about the College. We plan to visit, but the OCAAT scheduling is something that I don’t think you truly know works for you until you’re in it!</p>
<p>I got in to this school, but really don’t know anything about it. Honestly, I couldn’t even locate Iowa on a map. I’m from California…should I even consider this school or is it a dead give-away that I’d be miserable?</p>
<p>We’re from California too and hope to visit in the a few weeks. Any comments in the interim would be appreciated by LadyZ and me!</p>
<p>Well, my D was born and raised in CA and frankly, she really missed it for the first year. Many of the other students were from much closer geographically, but there were a fair number from California. </p>
<p>Mt Vernon is a very small town and CC is a very small school … there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Iowa weather is pretty startling if you’re from a place that doesn’t have winter. There is really nothing much to do in Mt Vernon, so kids go to nearby Iowa City (30 min), Cedar Rapids (30 min), or Chicago (4 hour drive) for fun. My D really liked Iowa City, which she said reminded her a bit of Santa Cruz.</p>
<p>I think if the idea of a small, personal school and the block plan appeals to you, then you should definitely consider it.</p>
<p>For anyone who is worried about a 30 minute drive to a city, don’t worry about it. I personally haven’t been to Cornell College, but I do live miles from my small town. Getting there takes about 30 minutes; going to the largest metropolitan area is about an hour.</p>
<p>If you’re used to the city meeting you at your footsteps, I can see how this will be a problem. But I think you’ll definitely get used to it. Also, from what I hear, Cornell College tries to make sure you have a lot to do on campus, knowing it is secluded, so if it’s true that’s a plus. Also, I read somewhere on their website that they have shuttles every month going into the city, so maybe you all can look into that.</p>
<p>According to the Forbes Ranking, President Obama attended Cornell College…</p>
<p>Hi I was thinking of majoring in BMB or Biology and I’m interested in this college-what are your recommendations? Is it possible to do well in this major with this college? And are research opportunities available?</p>
<p>By the way I was planning on transferring to Cornell, I’m a freshman right now- is it a good idea to transfer?</p>