Advice for applying ED

Colleges and Universities A-Z Grinnell College
1

Hi. I’m an international student and will apply ED to Grinnell this year. It would be great if someone can answer any of these questions for me-

  1. Does everyone get to write the "Why Grinnell" essay? I gathered from a few other threads that you receive an email to write an optional essay but I couldn't find whether everyone gets such an email.
  2. Is it harder for international students to get in as compared to the US Citizens? (I will not be applying for financial aid)
2

@LeadChromate: Good luck with your application next fall. Grinnell is an excellent school with many international students. In answer to your questions:

  1. I believe everyone has the opportunity to submit the essay, but it is not required. Other essays are required. I highly recommend submitting the Why Grinnell essay.
  2. I suspect relative admissions chances would depend on which country you are from. If your country is underrepresented at Grinnell relative to other countries, it may make it easier. If overrepresented, it may make it harder.
3

The year my son applied, the Why Grinnell essay invitation was sent out shortly after the RD application deadline. I think that every RD applicant is invited to submit the essay. If you apply and are accepted ED though, it wouldn’t apply.

It’s difficult to answer your second question since there are so many variables but not needing financial aid and applying ED will give your chances a solid boost even if there are tons of other applicants from your country (your grades and test scores still have to be on target of course). If you happen to come from a country that is underrepresented in the applicant pool, all the better.

I saw some of your earlier posts…you certainly sound like a Grinnellian. Make sure you show interest and ask if interviews are available in your area (even if they’re not, the act of asking is a good way to show interest). Good luck!

4

@Andrew2199 Thanks a lot for the info!

@Otterma Thanks for the compliment! The information is really helpful. What do you think can be some other ways to show interest?

5

Honestly I think applying ED checks off the “showing interest” box pretty thoroughly.

Other than that, yes, you can request an interview, keep an eye out for local events if any (you can find information on that on the application portion of the school website), show up/sign up at the info table if there is an event, and perhaps most importantly, ensure that you are sufficiently familiar with the school that you can clearly articulate/incorporate your reasons for applying in at least one of your essays.

As for the “Why Grinnell?” essay, I’m a little muddy on whether there was an email invitation or if it just showed up on the application portal one day. It’s possible it was the latter … or at least that we missed the email in our household. In any case, it’s a good idea to check the application portal regularly.

6

Thanks a lot @porcupine98