Charles Flint and his siblings would be the seventh generation to farm on the family's heirloom estate; as a child, much of his time was divided between doing chores on the farm and attending school in the winter, both of which unquestionably influenced his careers in agriculture and education later in life. At the age of 12 everything changed when his mother died, and after the two years that followed he was sent to live with his uncle, owner a large farm in Norway, Maine There he would continue his studies in the local school, dedicating much of his remaining time to working on his uncle's farm. Flint would credit this entire turn of events as what ultimately gave him his drive as well as his ability to write concisely and fervently about agricultural, but his passion for writing had only begun to manifest itself. It was around this time that a teacher of his, having not accomplished the same, convinced him that to get liberal education in order benefit him in his future interests; ever determined to better himself, Flint left Maine at the age of 17, enrolling in the Phillips Academy of Andover, Massachusetts. Unfortunately Flint would later attribute these trying times for his poor health in later years, having to constantly support himself while gaining his education. He would graduate from Philips in 1845, entering Harvard in the fall of that same year; ever having trust in the future, Flint attended both institutions virtually unaided financially. To pay for schooling he would constantly contribute essays, stories and prose to whichever publishers would accept them. One day, while waiting in the Salem railroad depot, Flint noticed an ad for the Essex Agricultural Society offering a $20 prize for the best essay on Indian corn, after a moment's consideration, Flint decided to give it a chance. Upon returning to Cambridge he began to research the subject, becoming increasingly interested in its history until, by the time he had finished, it was a thorough history of the crop going back to its introduction as a staple to human civilization. Flint's essay would not only win the prize, but years later this paper would be responsible for his career as the Secretary of the Board of Agriculture. In addition to this Flint entered several literary contests, winning $40 for first place in Harvard's prestigious Bowdoin prize for an essay on "The Different Representations of the Character of Socrates, by Plato, Xenophon, and Socrates". He would also enter twice in the college's Boylston prize, winning first place in 1848 and second place in his senior year. After four years of rigorous schooling and working to pay for this education, Flint graduated from Harvard debt-free, with honors, in the class of 1849.