Location is a big part of college searches and many people ask rural, urban, or suburban? I’ve always been kind of turned off by the idea of a rural university in the middle of nowhere, but I don’t want to shut off my options without really getting a real idea of what living in a rural campus might be like, in case I do like it. Any insight or experience to share about this?
Obviously they are gong to be more self contained. You are going to do more things on campus – go to events organized at the college, hang out with friends, play intermural sports, do club activities, etc. A trip off campus takes effort and planning.
How do you define rural? Cornell and Purdue and many others are in college towns, neither rural nor suburban.
Not sure about Purdue but I would say Cornell and Dartmouth are absolutely the epitome of rural imo.
I went to Williams for my undergrad (rural) and Columbia for my graduate studies (urban). My other homes were always suburban.
Williams had so many events every weekend I never lacked for what to do or was bored.
With student and guest speakers and performances, theatre festivals and the Berkshire symphony, art museums like the college museum/ the Clark/ MassMOCA, we did not lack for culture either.
The scenery was beautiful and hiking and canoeing/kayaking were available.
What does a rural setting lack? The easy convenience of public transportation, chain stores and department stores, more restaurant choices within 15 minutes of campus, inexpensive convenience items, cars honking and alarms screaming at night, the hustle and bustle of many strangers pushing past you on the streets. If you like the convenient shopping, and the anonymity and energy of a city, you might miss it at Williams.
Personally, I preferred Williams’ setting to Columbia’s, but your opinion might be different. It depends what you like.
@TomSrOfBoston @moscott I’m not really sure what I would “define” as rural besides like away from the city and in the countryside or a smaller town. What else would be the difference between a college town and rural?
@intparent thanks for your input!
@TheGreyKing thanks also! since you went to a rural school, I was wondering - Did you go off campus much? What about internships and such? Is it harder to get one in a rural area?
IMO if you are turned off by the idea of a rural college, then no need to convince yourself it is OK. There are so many college options out there that it is fine to eliminate some from your list if the location doesn’t appeal to you.
It also depends on the size of the college. There is a difference between being at a large university in a rural area (think UIUC) vs a small LAC with a couple thousand students. I do think that the LACs make an effort to provide a lot of activities on campus. And honestly, even when you go to college in more of an urban area, you can get so busy on campus and with your activities that you don’t leave your “campus bubble” much anyway. I think most students overestimate how often they will go off campus.
Colleges can offer an edge-of-rural feel while still providing access to suburban amenities:
https://www.hamilton.edu/transportation/the-jitney
Re Ithaca/Hanover, I’d say Ithaca, college town; Hanover, rural.
@happy1 I agree and am not trying to make myself like it, but I just want to make sure I wasn’t too quick to dismiss the idea entirely before even knowing what rural colleges are really like.
@intparent that makes sense, thanks!
Contact the rural college of interest to you and ask them about internships. They can tell you what they offer. Internships not available near campus might be available during a winter study one month term, summers, etc.
I personally did not go off campus much, except for Spring Street (like a Main Street) which was walking distance from the school. There was so much happening on campus! Occasionally I took a trip to a restaurant or store or movie theatre or to get out into nature. But then again, I’m still a bit of a homebody now!
From what I have seen, rural schools tend to have larger greek life.
@soyunchico Not all rural schools HAVE Greek life, and plenty of urban schools do.
I think the key thing is that they are more campus-centered – at a rural school, your fellow students, and the resources of the school, are EVERYTHING. That can be great, and foster a tight-knit community, or it can be frustrating if you want to extend the reach of your life to the rest of the world (beyond whatever’s available in the nearest town(s).
@TheGreyKing summed it up well.
@porcupine98 I just meant like where I love, penn state has really big Greek life and apitt has a smaller Greek life.
Agreed. Suppose you put GPS trackers on typical students at competitive schools, and monitored their day-to-day movement (this is a hypothetical scenario, “helicopter parents” should not get ideas). You would probably find that the vast majority of students spend the vast majority of time either on campus, or in an adjacent commercial/residential neighborhood, within walking distance of the campus, that has student-oriented shops, restaurants and services. Those are the locations that actually define the university experience for most students.
And if you spend most of your time in a “bubble” on-campus or next to campus, then the urban/suburban/rural distinction becomes less important. In fact, it’s quite possible for the most urban campuses to have the smallest and least interesting bubbles, due to concerns about crime and safety. Cornell, for example, defines “rural” to some people as per posts above – but it wouldn’t surprise me if there is actually more for students to do in Ithaca, within walking distance of Cornell, than there is (for example) in Los Angeles within walking distance of USC, or in Baltimore within walking distance of Johns Hopkins.
Now obviously students do leave their bubbles from time to time, and that’s when location does make a difference. Then the urban student probably has more access to things like arts, shopping, or major league sports; the rural student probably has more access to outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, or mountain biking. But the amount of free time available for such things may be less than what prospective college students expect.
Rural colleges are the best, especially if you are an outdoor person.
Where I went to school in central AZ, weekend activities involved exploring old mine shafts and ghost towns, hiking, mountain biking, boating, skiing, etc. Needless to say, it was a very unique experience compared to what you might get attending an urban college. The student communities at most rural schools also tend to be very tight knit which makes it easy to make friends.
The best part about rural college life though, IMHO, is that the lack of man-made entertainment encourages you to become more self-sufficient, and find creative ways to spend your free time. You learn enjoy the simple things in life more, which I think is important for overall happiness.
If you think Ithaca, New York or Hanover, New Hampshire are the absolute epitomes of “rural”, then you’ve never been to places like Middlebury, Vermont or Williamstown, Massachusetts.
I mean, come on – Ithaca and Hanover have Starbucks. How does that qualify as “rural”?
Old joke: “Williams is a good choice for people who are attracted to Dartmouth, but can’t handle the fast pace and urban intensity of metropolitan Hanover.”
Regarding getting off campus, college outing clubs generally plan trips to locations within a six hour radius or so.
Rural colleges may support/arrange internships at least as well as their urban counterparts. In the below example, 81% of students are indicated as graduating with two or more: