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Cornell College, a small liberal arts school in Iowa, employs a unique one-course-at-a-time program, allowing students to focus on just one course (or 鈥渂lock鈥�) each month, providing an 鈥渋ntense, thorough, and complete immersion.鈥� Though students agree that this 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 give you any time to think about anything but the class you鈥檙e in right then,鈥� it allows for personalized curricula design, and areas like the humanities 鈥渨ork perfectly with the block plan.鈥� Students also 鈥渁lways know when to find people,鈥� which makes it easy to get together. Some classes may not be the most challenging, but 鈥渦pper-level courses are very engaging and fulfilling.鈥� It鈥檚 very varied, according to one student: 鈥淵ou could have hours and hours of homework one block and practically none the next.鈥� The block plan makes it very easy to gain off-campus field experience or do international study, and it鈥檚 鈥渆asier to try off-campus opportunities.鈥� Administration is generally 鈥渆xcellent at taking a personal interest in each student,鈥� though some note, 鈥淭here is not much transparency at the administrative level,鈥� which can be 鈥渙ut of touch鈥� at times. On the classroom side, professors 鈥渒now how to motivate and encourage their students,鈥� and though 鈥測ou may get a bad apple maybe once a year,鈥� they鈥檙e 鈥渘ot only knowledgeable but dedicated.鈥� As one student puts it, 鈥淭he personal attention you can receive from any given professor, if you seek them out, is especially rewarding.鈥� All in all, students love the block structure and the sense of community it creates, as 鈥渘o matter what it is you may want to do, you can find someone to do it with you.鈥� One student claims he 鈥渃annot imagine learning any other way.鈥�

There鈥檚 鈥渁 great diversity of interests鈥� in people who attend Cornell, and the 鈥渟uper busy鈥� students have a hard time defining a more common characteristic than the fact that almost all are driven and involved. Some division into typical groups does occur鈥斺�渢he cafeteria design and Greek life are very conducive to this problem鈥濃�攂ut 鈥渆ven group to group there is always mingling because you never know who will be in your next class.鈥� Since the classes are so small and 鈥測ou see the same people four hours a day for three and a half weeks,鈥� people are generally accepting, and 鈥測ou have to be really, really strange here to stick out.鈥� As one first-year says, 鈥淭he only intolerance I鈥檝e seen is toward the consistently indolent.鈥�

Since Cornell is very campus-focused, the school makes sure there鈥檚 a large variety of campus organizations and 鈥渕any events going on almost every weekend.鈥� Though there鈥檚 definitely a 鈥渟mall-town quiet,鈥� Cedar Rapids and Iowa City are both only a twenty minute drive away, and 鈥渋ce climbing, rock-climbing, paddling, and hiking鈥� are popular outdoor pastimes. It鈥檚 also 鈥渇airly easy to start up a new club or group.鈥� In addition, the school provides fall, winter, and spring breaks as well as 鈥渂lock breaks,鈥� which last four and a half days and give students the opportunity to travel, go skiing or camping, and so on. The cold weather can cause problems here, in both a locked-in feel and the possibility for accidents, and students are encouraged to 鈥渂ring snow boots!鈥� Many here tend to have a love-hate relationship with sports; while athletics are a huge boon, 鈥渢he athletes and the non-athletes are seldom friends.鈥� Much like the curriculum, lunchtimes are pretty unique, and students all eat in a common cafeteria, naturally falling into a somewhat 鈥渉igh school鈥� habit of eating at the same tables every day. Most people stay on campus for entertainment and socializing, 鈥渃reating a cohesive community.鈥� Parties do take place on weekends, and 鈥渄rinking is popular on campus but never forced,鈥� but in general, 鈥減eople are more interested in just having a good conversation with their peers.鈥�