The Benefits of Living in the Mountains


Sunrise over Old Main.

Amanda Carrion

I’ve been a student at the Mount for two years now. That is not that long compared to the other students and teachers here. However, it’s been long enough for me to learn a thing or two about living in the middle of nowhere. While I didn’t grow up in an especially large city, I’m accustomed and close by to well-populated locations such as Manhattan, Philadelphia, and the Jersey Shore. Obviously, coming to Mount Aloysius College was a huge difference in living. As a freshman, I often complained that there was nothing to do and that I wanted to go home. My sophomore year still had a little bit of that lingering emotion to it, but I’ve learned to appreciate my surroundings.

There might not be any huge bars or clubs, or a store at every corner…or an establishment that’s open after midnight, but there are a lot of other amazing things. The beautiful countryside. Being in the mountains, MAC students are clearly surrounded by various types of trees, plants, and wildlife. Frogs can be heard late in the summer and early in the school year. Birds and bats make noises at all hours of the day. If someone were to venture into the woods that surround the school (bug spray in hand, of course), they would find all kinds of mind-boggling things.

The weather is a little absurd in Cresson, that can’t be denied. Snow until March, sun one day and thunderstorms the next, cold mornings with hot afternoons and chilly nights; it’s all a little bit confusing. Still, there’s a calmness to the chaos. With winter, there is so much beauty in the ongoing whiteness of snow. In the summer, the hot days are a welcome reprieve from the winter cold that seemingly lasts forever. The rain can get annoying, especially when it floods the fields, but the gray skies make for perfect cat naps and the music of raindrops are perfect to fall asleep to. The hectic, bipolar weather might be overwhelming to newcomers, but it can be appreciated as a constant mix of diversity all year long.

As previously mentioned, having “nothing to do” can be hard. There’s a lot to do if you like nature; picnics, hikes, sitting by the pond, walks to spend the day at the park down the road, etc. If a student doesn’t enjoy being in nature, at least they will have more time to focus on their studies than worrying about finding something to do. I have lived in Pennsylvania all of my life, but I never really took the opportunity to appreciate mountains or the history of the land that I walk on every single day. The Mount doesn’t let their students forget any of that, however. Everything on this campus has a story to it. Statues, buildings, stained glass windows, paintings, trees, benches; everything has a history that students are encouraged to learn. Last year I thought that this place was a place of isolation and boredom. I hear that very sentiment repeated from so many students, both freshman and upperclassmen. It’s vital and beneficial for everyone to know where they are from, but also to appreciate where they are currently. I might not be originally from the mountains, or a rural area, but I certainly came to appreciate everything this college has offered; weather and quiet town, included. I hope everyone will one day appreciate it also.