Warlord grew up, garduated and went to college: in Iowa

[warlord]

So I'm off to Mt. Vernon, Iowa in 3 monthes to start my college days at Cornell. So i pose the following question to Iowan ENworlders: What is there to do in Mt. Vernon and the surrounding area? Jazz clubs, venues, FLGS? Is there anything other then crops? Will my dreams of satrting a kickass screamo band die in a sea of wheat?

 

[Goldmoon]

So I'm off to Mt. Vernon, Iowa in 3 monthes to start my college days at Cornell. So i pose the following question to Iowan ENworlders: What is there to do in Mt. Vernon and the surrounding area? Jazz clubs, venues, FLGS? Is there anything other then crops? Will my dreams of satrting a kickass screamo band die in a sea of wheat?

Where did you "Garduate" from? LOL

 

[kenobi65]

One of my best friends in high school went to Cornell College. My recollection is that there wasn't jack to do in Mount Vernon, and so they'd go to Cedar Rapids or Iowa City to go out. (I also recall that they didn't have summer session because the area got too dang hot from all the corn fields surrounding the campus.)

Edit: Jazz clubs? In Iowa???

Edit #2: Not a sea of wheat. A sea of corn. Important that you learn the difference, grasshopper.

 

[comrade raoul]

The gorges are supposed to be great!

 

[Matchstick]

I graduated from Cornell College in '90. Great college, the "One Class at a Time" makes all the difference in the world. I wish more places would do that. Just a great great way to take classes (though difficult for things like math or sciences). I can't say enough good things about this MUCH lower stress but easily just as (if not more) educationally effective method of going to college. It's very very cool.

At the end of every block you get block break, and there will certainly be some good parties. Potentially Wednesday after your final, and even Thurs, Fri, and Sat. You can get a month's worth of parties in over block break, never party on a school night, and still have Sunday to recover.

Beyond the normal college drinking/partying, and/or if you aren't a drinker/partyer (I'm not) there's not a lot going on in Mt Vernon. If you can get access to a car you can (as mentioned above) hit Cedar Rapids or (more likely) Iowa City. With UofI in Iowa City there's ALWAYS something going on there: parties, concerts, shopping, gaming, etc. I saw Miles Davis there, it was awesome. I saw Stevie Ray Vaughn in CR or Iowa City as well (best concert I've ever seen). I think it's actually a pretty good exchange: you get easy access to all the activities in two active metropolitan areas (I don't think either is more than a 20 minute drive) but you don't have to deal with the hassles of a large university or that same metro area.

Don't ignore Palisades State Park for a some good peaceful nature hiking or picnics. The Pal is a really pretty place, though not terribly big. There are other Parks as well, they would certainly be worth checking out.

I wouldn't worry a bit about a screamo band, unless you don't have a car. I would bet Iowa City is filled to the gills with college screamo bands with turnover. It's just a matter of getting there.

A car is the key obviously, but if you do have a car, or even a friend/roommate that has a car and similar interests or will let you borrow the car (how I did it for three years), all you need to do is stay aware of what's going on in Iowa City and CR and you'll have no shortage of fun things to do.

It's probably a lot easier to keep track of that stuff now, when I was there we had no internet!

 

[kenobi65]

I graduated from Cornell College in '90. Great college, the "One Class at a Time" makes all the difference in the world. I wish more places would do that. Just a great great way to take classes (though difficult for things like math or sciences).

I never did get how you could cover a semester's worth of calculus in 3.5 weeks (and expect it to stick), but I guess it works. I do recall my friend waxing poetic about the 4-day bacchanal that would follow.

 

[Matchstick]

It can be difficult. I was an English major, so it wasn't nearly as bad for me.

I've always explained it as immersion learning. Using your subject example you're in the classroom for calculus up to four hours each weekday for three and a half weeks (17.5 days, professors are required to have the final done by noon on the 18th day). Generally it's split into 9-11 and 1-3 each day. I'm figuring pretty close to the max though because it's calc, many classes don't meet that much. I had a philosophy class that met 1-3 on Mon, Wed, Fri (that was a great block)!

You have no other classes to worry about, and each professor only teaches one class at a time, so he/she can focus on just that class.

You're immersed in whatever it is you're learning, whether it be differential equations, Shakespeare's comedies, Biology of the Horse, or a Music class. It can be difficult, but with everyone concentrating on that one class there's resources to help if you feel you're falling behind. Classmates and professor certainly.

It's a fantastic way to go for language majors, or for learning languages. Even maths can be good if you can get the right classes in the right order.

I can remember my roomate (physics/math major) having DiffEq with three other guys on our floor. They would do 4 hours of class a day, take a break til after supper, and then get together in someone's room and do the homework from 7 til whenever they finished. It wasn't easy, but it was effective.

A schedule like this also allows for something like the Shakespeare's Comedies class, where the class, in addition to papers and classroom study, puts on one of Shakespeare's comedies on the last weekend of the block (the pre-finals weekend). I did this and it was an untouchable collegiate experience. Class from 9-11, rehearsal/set building/costuming from 1-3, and then more of the same from 7-whenever. I'm sure I put in 9 hours a day for that class, and loved every minute. It was a great cross-section of students, and a real bonding experience. No way could you do that in a college with normal scheduling.

Sadly the professor that used to run that class passed away a few years ago. I'm not sure if the class still exists or not, I sure hope it does. If it does I would recommend it whole heartedly for anyone going there, English major or not.

Oh, and yeah the almost hidden bonus in the One Course at a Time is the block breaks. Imagine having a 4.5 day weekend EVERY MONTH of your college career. Nice! Oh, and there's nine blocks in a year, but you only have to take eight classes, so you can take a month off if you want/need! Imagine having six weeks of vacation for Christmas, or a month off around Spring Break! I did this at the end of my Junior year, my early availability helped me get an internship.

That's why I think it's SO much less stressful. No juggling of classes, resources for help available and encouraged, and a small vacation every month. It's a crazy good way to go to college.