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Clarke College is a "close-knit" Catholic school where students and faculty are "one big family" and there are "opportunities for everyone." "I love the small, personal environment that Clarke provides," one mathematics major says. "It is clear that faculty and staff care about me as an individual, and not just as another student." Here, students "constantly feel at home and supported," and walking around campus you "always see a familiar face and are on a first-name basis with everyone." However, "because Clarke is small, it cannot offer as wide a range of classes as larger universities," and "some majors are stronger than others." Among its strong programs are the "respected education program" and its "amazing nursing program." "Clarke emphasizes the importance of being involved in its community," and "everyone is learning from each other." Students love "the 11-to-1 student-teacher ratio" that allows professors "to give you one-on-one attention, which is really beneficial." Professors at Clarke are "accessible outside of class" and "hesitate [to] go on until everyone has grasped the concept being taught."

Although Clarke "used to be very female-dominated," a larger number of men have been attending, and the gender balance is "evening out." Thus the stereotype of "a white Catholic girl who dates boys from Loras or UD" is becoming less common at Clarke. "All students are very different at Clarke," suggests one student, "however everyone is accepting of differences, and all students are accepted." Students get "involved in campus life through activities and clubs or athletics," and the school is simply "too small…for students not to fit in." Clarke is "a very open place," and "you never hear of any form of discrimination or harassment. It just doesn't happen here."

Clarke is like its own small town, one student explains. "Everyone knows everyone else's business. It's also a little boring to see the same people every day, but that's what you get at a small school." Some students wished "there was a Greek life with sororities and fraternities" at the school, but most just wish for "more fun things to do!" Because there are a large number of commuter students at Clarke, a significant portion of the student population does not spend much time on campus. "The main social activity for Clarke is drinking on the weekends, and if you do not enjoy doing that, then it is hard to find things to do besides a movie or going out to eat." "Drinking is a popular social activity, but bowling and the movies are popular as well," suggests another student. However, the "activities board tries to provide a variety of activities every weekend. We can see comedians and musicians pretty regularly." Students also "receive a ‘weekend update' e-mail message every week provided all the activities going on campus and around town," although students caution that the nearby town of Dubuque "does not have much of a night life toward college students so many just stay at the dorms bored."