Located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, Cornell was the first college west of the Mississippi to grant women the same rights and privileges as men, and, in 1858, to award a degree to a woman.
In 1978 Cornell faculty adopted the One Course At A Time curriculum, transforming how teaching and learning happen at Cornell. With the 1996 publication of Loren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives, Cornell's life-changing education was formally recognized. Cornell continues to be recognized with each new edition.
Cornell students immerse themselves in just one academic discipline per three-and-a-half-week block with the distinctive One Course At A Time curriculum. This focus makes it possible for professors to go beyond the traditional lecture format through extended discussions and labs, all day simulations, and off-campus learning for an afternoon or an entire block without competing with other classes. Over the past four years, Cornell faculty taught 70 off-campus courses. Moreover, students can easily take a block to gain experience through internships.
The college offers more than 40 academic majors and pre-professional programs, and an unlimited number of individualized majors. Also, the Cornell Summer Research Institute provides a summer living-learning community fostering research in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
The college is located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, a town whose urban fringe atmosphere brings the city's best into a small-town venue with art festivals, famous local restaurants and cafés, and quirky boutiques. Mount Vernon's mix of historic buildings and creative flair earned it accolades as one of "America's Coolest Small Towns" by Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel magazine.
In a world where graduates will be employed in roles that don't yet exist, liberal arts learning is more practical than training in a specific skill that may become obsolete. A liberal arts education emphasizes forming independent thought, articulating convincing arguments, and developing lifelong learning tools. Cornell's admission is selective and based on academic ability and preparedness, personal character, and meaningful extracurricular involvement. The Class of 2021 had middle 50% scores of 3.12-3.89 GPA, 23-29 ACT, and 1108-1328 SAT.
Life at Cornell is active and diverse. Students participate in numerous clubs, organizations, and special-interest groups. Nineteen percent of students participate in the fine arts. Thirty-six percent of students participate in intercollegiate athletics. Ninety-two percent of students live on campus. All first-year residence halls were renovated in 2015 and included spacious community areas with different themes in each hall. Upper-level students stay on campus and join Living & Learning Communities, live in suite-style halls, and more.
The academic year is divided into eight blocks, each lasting for three and a half weeks. A student takes one course per block, has a four-day break, and then begins her next course. Similarly, professors teach only one course at a time. At a place where the average class size is seventeen students, that means the professor is focusing on a tiny cohort of students. You would be hard-pressed to find this kind of attention anywhere else.
Each professor can build the class schedule best suited to teaching the content instead of molding it to fit the schedule. That means that professors infuse experiential learning opportunities into class frequently because they have the time to do it. Scientists love the time to work in the lab–to learn science by actually doing science. Linguists love the language immersion One Course At A Time offers. Artists love that the clock does not trump the muse. Over and over again, professors say they could not go back to the semester system because of the Block Plan's freedom and their students.
Professors, students, administrators, and staff work for a common purpose: to educate and equip Cornell graduates for lives of work, leadership, and fulfillment. You will not find even a hint of Ivy envy, and people here are sure that Cornell sets the standard for learning and teaching. They are right.
Students dine at the nationally recognized Hilltop Café and Zamora's Market, featuring food from Bon Appétit, a food management company dedicated to health and sustainability. Cornell's dining was ranked #20 by Bestcolleges.com in 2016 and was the only Iowa college service given an "A" grade on PETA's Vegan Report Card.
Cornell professors are accomplished researchers, scholars, and above all, mentors. Ninety-eight percent of the college's tenure-track faculty hold the highest degree in their fields. The faculty-student ratio is 1:11, and many students work closely with faculty members on research or other projects.
Cornell's student body includes 1,000 students from 42 states and 17 foreign countries. The college actively cultivates diversity among its student population, and 21 percent are students of color. The average class has 16 students, though many upper-level courses are significantly smaller. Most classes are capped at 25 students.
Students will integrate and apply knowledge from a focused area of study and broad general education, including disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Students will respond to the complexities of contemporary and enduring problems using information literacy tools, research skills, creative thinking, and analysis. Students will evaluate evidence that interprets data and uses analytical, mathematical, and statistical problem-solving tools.
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