<p>Hey!
I am going to be a first-year at Grinnell this fall. I have a lot of questions, so if anyone could answer them that would be great.
1) What sports meet about 3x a week? I want to be active, but I am not a varsity athlete at my high school.
2) What activities are there going on for students who don't drink? It seemed to be a very "wet" campus when I visited.
3) How hard are classes? I intend to major in some area of science.
4) What is the average homework/study load a week?
5) What school supplies will be needed? Is it up to me what I bring besides textbooks?
6) What are the best ways to get involved on campus?
7) What clothes should I bring to campus in fall?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>hey there! although i dont know about other aspects of grinnell, i do hear from one of my friends at grinnell says that the study is not that difficult and that she can always get enough sleep. so, i guess, grinnell is not actually freakily rigid as many people thought.</p>
<p>from the mom of a grad - I remember sometime late in the summer before first year, S received a very helpful booklet of info from the school that had been written by students. It had loads of practical advice of the sort you’re seeking here. The main points I remember are that you will probably not need as much as you think; all dorm and school supplies can be bought on campus or in the town (there is a Walmart); most kids wear t-shirts and sweats but you’ll need a dressy outfit or two for campus events; and that the fall break, if you’re going home, is a good time to bring cold weather clothes to campus. When you find out who your roommates are (probably in late July or early August) you can coordinate shared items - you won’t want two or three room fridges, for example. </p>
<p>As for the studying, the kids I knew worked hard. And loved the school. Grinnell wouldn’t have admitted you if you couldn’t do the work. Take advantage of all the help that’s offered. The school has gorgeous facilities for working out/swimming and if you don’t do a club sport, you can always be active that way. Join any club that interests you, and then pare it down to the ones that fit best. You’re going to have the time of your life.</p>
<p>Can’t help you with the sports: i’ve never touched them.
There are not many activities officially happening for students who don’t drink. There are board games from the Christian Fellowship (or whatever they’ll call themselves next year) on friday nights, but usually if you don’t want to drink you’ll do homework or hang out with your friends. There’s always the Harris movie too: sometimes they get good ones.
If you’re majoring in sciences, classes WILL be hard, but they may not be hard the first semester: it depends on how much you covered in high school. be prepared for long labs though.
The average load per week varies: most people I know had roughly 30 hours a week this year, unless we had papers or projects, but you may not be as crazy devoted as we are.
You will be able to buy a lot of school supplies here, but I’d recommend a 3-hole punch, a spiral and binder per class, and most of all remember a STAPLER: it’ll save your life.
Clothing wise, it’s pretty universally jeans, shorts, and t-shirts here. Bring whatever you feel like wearing: you won’t be judged unless you smell.
There’ll be an activities fair right before classes start: make sure you go and get on any e-mail list you’re remotely interested in: you can always ask to be removed later.</p>
<p>Check out the International Soccer Club - they do pick-up games a few times a week: No pressure to be there or not. Re other sports, most teams are walk-on so try them out. S tried golf, tennis and swimming. He still attends practices with the swim team in the winter to stay in shape but doesn’t compete.</p>
<p>And yes, science classes are hard in the sense that you cover the material a lot faster than you do in high school (and at a lot of the large public schools, if our well-regarded public is indicative). But S has time for his sport, a gf, music lessons, and other activities, so it’s clearly manageable if you are organized and planning ahead.</p>
<p>A suggestion: As tempting as it might be to load up on interesting courses, make your first semester a bit lighter than you might otherwise. You want plenty of time to check out activities, form relationships, and adjust to a new place. Too many freshmen underestimate how much energy adjusting to a new environment takes and regret it.</p>
<p>I’m just a parent of a recent graduate, not a student, but I remember that 3 years ago, the college hired a full-time wellness person and a big part of her job was to create non-drinking activities. I saw signs and posters about these activities up all over the place that year. I wasn’t on campus the next year and wasn’t paying attention to anything but my student senior year, but I have the impression that the college does make an effort to organize all kinds of activities. Try out some clubs. There are speakers, concerts, plays, etc. going on every weekend. </p>
<p>To do well at Grinnell, you will have to work.</p>