Coe College

Statistics

Students Say - Academics
Coe College, a small liberal arts school in Iowa's second-largest city, is "an institution that fosters community, political awareness, active student involvement, and the broadening of minds through multiple venues not expressed at other colleges and especially universities." Coe's distinctiveness results in part from the Coe Plan, with integrated curricular and experiential components, including service learning requirements, campus engagement activities, opportunities to participate in job-search workshops, and an academic practicum, completed in their junior or senior year. The school also offers "fantastic research opportunities for undergraduate students" that "allow them to interact with professors on more of a colleague level" and provide "experiences that most students don't get until graduate school." Academic offerings here feature "special attention to the natural sciences" as well as strengths in nursing, fine arts, and math. The school's Writing Center is one of the only writing centers in the country to allow freshmen to become consultants; students call it "a great strength" of the school. As at most small schools, "The availability of the professors is astounding. Many professors provide students with their home phone numbers, allowing students to become more comfortable with conversing and asking questions rather than trying to interpret the assignment on their own."

Students Say - Campus Life
Life on the Coe campus "is very relaxing but at the same time involved." Students tell us that "there always seems to be something going on at Coe: late night movies on Fridays, musicians in the pub, Bible study groups, Blindspot [an open mic/experimental theater event], visiting speakers, and the list goes on. People are always welcoming to a new person joining the group." Greek organizations "are very popular for men and women," and "athletics are important, including intramural sports and general fitness in our two fitness centers." Coe "still has a wet campus," so while students hit the books hard during the week, "on the weekends we do make up for our good behavior" and "party hard." Students add that "while there is a heavy drinking culture at Coe, it is very possible to have fun and find things to do if you choose not to drink." Hometown Cedar Rapids offers "lots of restaurants, bars, and shop- ping venues for students to go to" and "also hosts environmental or cultural events that students can walk to and participate in."

Students Say - Student Body
Coe students "know they are here for an education and study accordingly, but they also know that there is a time and place to get involved, have fun, and interact with faculty, students, and the surrounding community." They are "able to balance athletics, class, and free time" and "have time to be social and time to study." Coe students "cannot be pinned down as being a jock, or a geek, or any other stereotype. The vast majority of students at Coe are involved in multiple activities on a very diverse scale." While "most students at Coe are from small towns in Iowa" and while "many of us may be Caucasian, there are also plenty of foreign exchange students who really add to the mix. We embrace cultural differences through multiple clubs, as well as our Annual Cultural Show."

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