<p>I do not have a child that goes to Marist, but my niece does and I have been there many times. I live in a rural environment in northern New England so trust me, Poughkeepsie is not rural. Rural implies cows, no street lights, little traffic and small population, etc. It is not the big city, but I think the person who used rural mis-used the word as a description for the surrounding area. The area is not bad nor is it great. If you are looking for the big city, New York is close by and the train to the city is right on the edge of campus. The school is right on the river and it is very pretty, small, but pretty. There is a mall down the road but as someone else mentioned it is right off of route 9 which is total of 4 lanes and what you get along the road are strip shops, gas stations, fast food and car dealerships. It is not a quaint town but it isn’t horrible either. Here is my take on the school. I think what you read about it being a bar school is correct. The kids wait to become of age or not to hang out in the bars as that is what the area offers. With that being said, the school is what you make of it. If you choose to not participate as a spectator in sports then you are probably one that says the school has no spirit. The school appears to have loads of activities for those that don’t want to go to the bars, but if you don’t join in then you probably think there is nothing to do. Of the 4 or 5 people I know that go there they all seem to love it and they are all very different people. If you ask 100 people about the any school you are going to get 100 different answers. I think you have to go with your gut and how you felt when you visited. If you are not the type of person to get involved and make it the best 4 years of your life then it won’t matter where you end up.</p>