@crknwk2000 hi there! my apologies for not getting back sooner. i’m a first-year hoping to major in psychology w/ a double concentration in linguistics and neruoscience (all while doing the pre-med track). it’s funny you mention snow, because we’re supposed to get our first snow tonight! i’m from tennessee, so i’m about a twelve-hour drive and a 4 1/2 hour flight from the school (also having to take two flights).
the only experience i’ve had with inclement weather thus far is when i visited for an admitted students weekend this past april and it poured snow. i didn’t have to drive myself because the school offers shuttles for those who need them.
it’s typically uncommon for many to go home over thanksgiving since break is only four days long (i’d say close to 3/4 of the student body chooses to stay from what i’ve been told), but i do know those who live closer (i.e. those who are from iowa and chicago) do make trips home. fall break is typically when looots of kids go home besides international students, those who don’t have the means to make it home, and athletes whose sports are in season.
i’m not a student-athlete yet, but i do plan on doing track and field during the spring semester. many, many of my friends are student-athletes ranging from swimming to football. the workload here is fairly heavy (it’s almost become a meme to be honest), so if your kid wants to do a sport, i highly suggest s/he be able to manage her/his time very well. sports take up a lot of time + classes take up even more time + work can take up time as well. add all three of those in with other extracurriculars, and you have a busy, busy schedule. all of that being said, it’s completely and totally manageable. if it wasn’t, 1/3 of the student body wouldn’t be an athlete.
i applied early decision, but had i not gotten into grinnell, some of the schools i was very, very strongly considering/hoping to be accepted to were macalester, wesleyan, vassar (i almost chose ED2 for vassar over grinnell but ended up not applying at all… go figure), connecticut college, and hamilton (i also think i didn’t end up applying to hamilton as well because i was so burned out, but i did heavily consider it during my process of applying).
all in all, i don’t think i could see myself anywhere else. my friends and i consistently make the point that the people who end up here genuinely are supposed to be here, so when/if your kid gets that “feeling” about grinnell that s/he can’t explain that makes her/him love it so much (a feeling i got that made me fall in love with grinnell), i say go for it.