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Small Monmouth College is a “quaint� bastion on the liberal arts in western Illinois. It’s affiliated with the Presbyterian Church but pretty much “purely in the name.� A “well-rounded� curriculum offers “a taste of everything.� There are “a lot of double majors.� Most students major in at least one career-focused program like business and education. Hard sciences are popular, too. “A smaller group indulges in the humanities� as well as art and music. Monmouth offers “hands-on experience in scientific research� and “takes time to locate jobs� for graduates. The administration can be “uptight� but it’s fine otherwise. “I feel comfortable going directly to a dean or even the president if there is a problem,� says an art major. The faculty is full of “extremely well-qualified� professors. “Classes are small and are personal.� “Discussions and lectures are very engaging.� “You can interact with your professors a lot easier than in a larger school,� asserts an education major. “The workload is not difficult.� “Only during midterms and finals do you see people freaking out,� observes a sophomore. “My overall academic experience has been pretty good,� reflects a senior. “You can get mediocre grades and pass through Monmouth if that is what you desire, but you can also challenge yourself.�

There are “a lot of people� from Chicago and the Quad Cities as well as many students “from smaller rural and surrounding towns.� Ethnic diversity is meager. Depending on who you talk to, minority students on campus either “don’t seem to have trouble fitting in� or “do not find it enjoyable to remain at Monmouth.� There is a smattering of commuters here but, mostly, it’s your “stereotypical college student.� The majority is “really involved in a lot of extracurricular activities� “I am involved in at least seven,� reckons a junior,� It’s very easy to get involved, which I love.� Overall, students “have a lot in common.� “I would venture to say that the typical Monmouth College student is a jock of some type, involved in a sporting activity,� submits a senior. “Students here generally fit into a clique,� adds a sophomore, “jocks, artsy kids, theater kids, international kids, the politically conscious, the fraternities and sororities, and the music kids.� These different groups “very rarely commingle.�

“Monmouth is a fairly laidback, small-town kind of college, the kind of place where everybody turns up for Homecoming.� The “brick-themed� campus is “charming.� The athletic facilities are “superb.� While some describe their on-campus housing as “amazing,� others tell us “Monmouth could improve the underclassmen dorms.� There are more than 80 clubs and organizations. “Nearly half the campus is involved in at least one intercollegiate sport,� swears a junior. The Turkey Bowl—the annual football game against archrival Knox—is big and “a fierce athletic pride� for every Fighting Scots team permeates. “The entertainment offered by the campus is usually boring, giving off a school-sanctioned vibe.� Mostly, life is dominated by a “really big� Greek scene. “Frat parties are popular,� as are a handful of bars. Monmouth’s “close-knit� atmosphere can be “almost suffocating.� There is “more drama than necessary.� The “small town� location offers “hardly anything to do for fun.� While some students say being “in a smaller town… brings the student body closer together,� others say “we often go else where for entertainment.� Sometimes, students “drive to Galesburg to go to Wal-Mart (which is a sad testament to entertainment in and of itself) or the movie theater.� Macomb (home to Western Illinois University) and both Peoria and the Quad Cities are also reasonably close.