Program Reviews

Thoreau College is more than just an educational experience, it is a community of care and acceptance that can both empower bold ambitions and give attention to heavy struggles. During my fellowship at Thoreau College I have been supported in an internship with a local community engagement group, have found many likeminded (earth and community focused) people of all ages in the Viroqua community, have had access to a wide range of Driftless Folk School classes, and have also been supported in my independent study. My semester at Thoreau has truly been enriching! Great caring and kind people, great organic food, deep conversations, and lots of hope for the earth's future!

My summer in Viroqua with Thoreau College was life-changing and unforgettable. It gave me an appreciation for and understanding of the natural world that I could not have gotten on my own, and I think it is extremely important that everybody has an experience like this. Furthermore, I think alternative forms of education like this one are integral to a well-functioning society and are necessary for those who like to learn in a hands-on manner. The housing situation was wonderful, I loved sharing a beautiful house with other students, and Thoreau staff were extremely attentive and caring to everyone's respective needs. Overall, I could not recommend this program enough and anybody would be lucky to have such an experience.

I spent half a year attending school at Thoreau College, realizing I loved the area and the community I was surrounded by, I decided to stay! Viroqua is a charming town, full of music, art and revolutionary people. My time spent in this program was life changing in every way, I was challenged to think about how I show up in the world, what I want with my life and pushed me to make bigger jumps for my future. I would recommend this program to anyone that feels lost, uninspired or unsure of what they want with their life. Always testing my limits!

Thoreau College is a moving and mind opening program, everything from outdoor Expeditions to Classroom Discussion and Community building, it's intimate and immersive. My teachers and housemates have been so caring and supportive towards me and helped me move towards my plans for the future. I have gardened here, camped, canoed the Boundary Waters and the WI River, and have made friends that I will miss dearly. I've laughed, I've cried, I've slept in the woods! there will always be a piece of me here. This is your chance to grasp onto something beautiful and fleeting, take it, breathe it and live it!

Thoreau College is a very, very hard place to convey in words. We've done things from camping on the fast-flowing lower Wisconsin river, drawing pictures of corn, read articles on world religions, tracked deer in winter and fall, discussed Walden, butchered and eaten chickens with our own hands, illegally canoed into Canada, and walked in corn fields while discussing GMOs. But beyond the wisdom about the world that this place instills in you, the most wisdom it will give you, is that towards yourself and others.

I'm a student attending TC Fall Semester 2025 and I feel significantly enriched by the experience. I have made great friends, learned new skills, and formed new connections that I don't think I ever would have if I had gone to a larger school instead. The communal living is great for developing social and conflict resolution skills. The animal slaughter and butchery workshops help immensely to put into perspective exactly where the food we eat comes from in an era where we are so disconnected from the whole process of harvesting and processing food. I recommend this program to any young adults who are looking to expand their social and career horizons.

When I came to Thoreau College, I really didn't know what to expect. It was in a part of the country I had never visited, learning skills I had limited exposure to, and I wasn't sure what kind of people would be there. I expected it to be an interesting and unique experience, but I couldn't have anticipated how truly transformational it would've been. In my time here, I learned so much about how to be in community and how to build a life that feels purposeful. The small scale provides a sense of mentorship and recognition of personhood that enables everyone in it to grow and strive to be better people. While I really don't think a website or a paragraph can do justice to the experience of being here, I will say that it is a place that challenges all of its students in unique and beneficial ways. If you are searching for "more" out of your education, Thoreau College is the place you should come.

This will shape how you see the world and yourself through community building, agriculture, and governess. I could not imagine any other place than Thoreau College to teach the unteachable and foster such a deep sense of connection in the peers. I grew in such a way that I would have never been able to without staying Viroqua for 10 months. The experiences are also incredible. Being able to spend my gap year canoeing the Wisconsin river and camping in the boundary waters was something unforgettable and let’s you get so close to the amazing people here.

Participating in the Thoreau College Field School was the best thing I have done for my education. I found that teaching and learning can be done in a variety of ways that differ from traditional schooling, and it is done at Thoreau College in a way that fosters curiosity and further learning. The days were filled with class discussions and readings, crafts, exploring the local area, gardening and farming, and lots of laughter. I learnt various practical skills and about living healthily in a community. I was surprised and delighted that Viroqua, being a small rural town, always had some event or another going on and days easily filled up in enjoyable ways. In just one month, I found so much love and care for this place and brought myself back for the Fall Metamorphosis Gap Semester.

This programs was amazing. I didn't really know what to expect but got more then I realized I would get. It was informative, mind blowing, and hands on. At one point I was staring down a humongous pathway filled with edible mushrooms. Or we could talk about the cave that I never knew existed in the Viroqua area. From caves to sheep sheering to wood carving and chicken butchering. There was never a dull moment.
Housing and food were provided as well as a lovely community of like-minded people to follow.