Which one would you attend? I’m really inclined towards Grinnell, but that may just be because it’s the only one of the three I’ve visited. I know Carleton is seen as a better school, but they’re not giving me nearly as much money. Is it worth it? How do I make this decision?
These are three great schools that are more similar than different. You can’t lose but a few tangible differences include:
- semesters vs. trimesters (Carleton has trimesters. There are pros and cons, but trimesters can make study abroad a bit trickier)
- endowment (Grinnell wins here - more merit aid, more travel opportunities, more research opportunities, newer facilities)
- location (Carleton and Grinnell have similar locations whereas Macalester has the urban campus)
- reputation (I put Grinnell and Carleton a bit above Macalester. U.S. News tends to place Carleton a bit higher than Grinnell, but I'd say they share the same overall reputation among grad schools and employers. Both have strong, loyal alumni networks. I believe Carleton was slightly more selective last year but Grinnell was more selective two years ago and had a very high number of applicants again this year. Don't let the slight rankings differences between these three sway you...they are too close)
- majors (Your area of likely study and the strength of the program at each school should play in. For example, Macalester has a Geography Department)
I’d base a decision on fit. Visit all three and one will call to you more. My son visited both Carleton and Grinnell last year. He ended up picking Grinnell and is very happy with his decision as a first year student. But I know many students that have received great educations and have loved their time at all three schools.
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i may be biased, but you should pick grinnell. 
(p.s. i agree with everything andrew stated. i believe it will come down to fit.)
(p.p.s. i already know a lot of people in the incoming class [and some who are already at grinnell] who chose/are choosing grinnell over carleton. if you want to talk, don’t be afraid to pm me! i hope to see you as a member of GC2022!)
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Ignore the rankings – Carleton and Grinnell are indistinguishable in terms of quality of education. Carleton has a bit of a jump on Grinnell in terms of name recognition outside the midwest, but any employer, grad school etc. is going to be equally impressed. I’m a huge fan of Grinnell, have visited about 5 times with 2 kids – I only wish one of mine went there! As noted above, a meaningful difference is trimester at Carleton vs. semester at Grinnell. We know Carleton kids, and the trimester can be a little tricky with summer plans – late arrival home, late departure after most of your friends have already returned to school. If you prefer Grinnell and the money is better, I’d take that in a heartbeat.
While not in the heart of downtown, Mac is a different vibe because of its urban location. If that appeals to you, go visit. But if you already prefer Grinnell, and the money works – go!
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You’ve got three good schools to choose from, all of them quite similar.
If colleges were people, Grinnell and Carleton would be twins, or at least siblings. Grinnell is probably the most similar school to Carleton in the entire country. Similar setting, vibe, politics, culture, weather, academic reputation, etc. Mac would be like a sibling or first cousin.
If money is a major factor for your parents, you should probably go with the one with the best financial offer, unless you think you’d be unhappy at that place. If not, do overnight visits at the other schools, if you can, and then base your decision on fit. If you can’t visit, then is there a particular field of study you’re interested in? If you still can’t decide, then stick with what you know you like — Grinnell.
Some random factors to consider:
Grinnell is a bit farther from Des Moines than Northfield is from Minneapolis.
Grinnell (town) is half the population of Northfield.
More cultural opportunities in Twin Cities than Des Moines. Minneapolis-St. Paul metro population of 4 million versus Des Moines metro population of 700 thousand.
By air, Minneapolis-St. Paul is easier to reach with many more flights
Everything being equal, I would probably choose Carleton (I am an alum), but if you have a clear preference for one of the others schools, go with that one. Carleton may be the highest of the three in certain rankings, but in the grand scheme of things, that doesn’t really matter much. Most employers won’t care or even know. If you’re going into academia, it might make a slight difference in grad school admissions, but after that it’s all about your most recent accomplishments: papers published, research, advanced degrees, etc.
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Three great schools! You can’t go wrong with any of them. I’m having a similar problem – I’m trying to decide between Carleton, Grinnell, Whitman, and a couple of schools in Europe.
Of the three liberal arts colleges, I’m narrowing in on Carleton vs Grinnell. So far, I’m strongly leaning Grinnell. I loved Carleton, but, for me, I think Grinnell would be a better fit. I loved the friendly, kind, supportive students and the involved faculty. I am an athlete, and Grinnell has better athletic facilities and an incredible pool. I want to go into the sciences, and Grinnell has better labs. I like Grinnell’s open curriculum, and I prefer the semester to the trimester system. Grinnell has better research and travel opportunities. Grinnell has a LOT more money per student. While Carleton does a little better on the US News rankings, Grinnell has slightly higher average ACT scores (32 vs 31 in 2017) and a slightly lower acceptance rate (18% vs 20%). This is relatively new for Grinnell, and I think Grinnell will probably move up in the rankings over the next few years. I felt at home at Grinnell in a way I didn’t experience at any other of the many schools I visited. I felt the students at Grinnell seemed happier and more mature than students I met elsewhere. They seemed to have a real sense of purpose, which I speculate comes from the open curriculum and being creators, with the help of an advisor, of their own academic programs. They also seemed very … connected and attuned to other people. Maybe I just had a good visit, but I felt people cared more about others than they did anywhere else (and I had great experiences at every college I visited.)
Having said that, I thought Carleton had a prettier campus and Northfield is bigger than the little town of Grinnell. I spoke to some kids when I visited about Grinnell’s relative isolation, and they said they’re so incredibly busy on campus and there’s so much going on that they don’t really notice the location. Grinnell brings a lot of entertainment (music, speakers, etc.) right to the campus. Some of the kids went into Iowa City every Saturday on the school bus, and there’s also a bus into Des Moines (I don’t think that goes every weekend, though.)
Sorry, but I don’t know much about Macalester, although I’ve heard good things about it.
So, again, you have great choices and you can’t go wrong with any of them. My sense is that you would probably have the best opportunities, in terms of education, research, and travel, at Grinnell, but choosing a college is a very individual decision.
Good luck! I hope everything works out for you.
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They’re all strong academically. Carleton might have a slight edge here, but all are adequate.
Carleton probably also has a slight rep edge, but again, they’ll all look good on a resume or a grad app. I would not consider rep in your decision.
I would compare them primarily on these things:
- Location/environment
- Carleton and Grinnell are fairly rural, while Mac is urban.
- Academic calendars
- Available majors and classes in majors that hold your interest.
- Social vibe. I'm not certain, but I think Mac and Grinnell are a bit crunchier than Carleton. You could find your people at any of them, but it might be easier at one than the other two. If you visit while classes are in session, you'll experience some of the cultural differences. But I would consider this last as, like I said, you'd find friends at any of them.
- And, of course, cost.
A similar choice, for some context, would be the three (most) famous Maine LACs: Bowdoin (Carleton), Colby (Grinnell), and Bates (Mac). People would say Bowdoin has the biggest rep, and it does, but all three are very good and anyone choosing among them would do well to choose on fit and finances, not rep/rankings.
Carleton is more small town vs rural. Grinnell is truly rural. Northfield where Carleton is located is a cute town, also home to St Olaf, so a lot more people around. Easy to get to a Minneapolis. Grinnell not terribly far from Des Moines, but Minneapolis beats DesMoines. That being said, you will get a great education at either.
Urban v. Suburban v. Rural. All 3 excellent schools.
I highly encourage the OP to visit all 3 before deciding, they have some similarities but many differences, too.
Academics: Carleton > Grinnell > Mac
But these are not huge differences. What particular area of study are you interested in, as that could be dispositive?
Good luck!
I agree with @Sammy2000’s assessment of Grinnell, which also has the edge in terms of socioeconomic diversity. The academics are superb at Grinnell; it’s hard to imagine how Carlton’s could be any better.
Since there is a significant cost difference between Carleton & Grinnell, and since you favor Grinnell, Grinnell is the easy choice in your situation.
If the money is the same between Mac & Grinnell, I like Mac best. “Urban” implies a somwhat gritty environment. But Mac is in a really nice city neighborhood, with easy access to both Minneapolis & St. Paul. Bit of an international flavor to the school. Academics are fine. I think Carleton is a cut above both academically, but if the money doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Mac is much easier to get to as well, major airport just a few miles away.
I highly recommend you visit Macalester and Carleton if you can. Both can be done in one trip. I’ve visited both Macalester and Grinnell with my daughter last year. They were both fabulous schools but my daughter ultimately chose Mac because the isolated location of Grinnell wasn’t for her. I can’t really speak about Carleton, having never visited it, but of course I know of its excellent reputation!
Grinnell clearly had fabulous facilities and programs. They have a huge endowment and it shows. Mac is more low-key and less “sparkly” - best way I can think to describe it - but still a great school with an attractive campus. The fine arts building is beautiful inside and they are building a new theater building. Freshman dorms are pretty standard although they vary in size. My daughter’s dorm seemed a lot bigger than her friends’ dorms at other schools. The student body might be a little quirkier at Grinnell than Mac but I’d say the populations felt pretty similar. A good number of internationals, not quite as many domestic students of color as maybe there ought to be, which is probably the case at most private liberal arts schools. Very LGBTQ+ friendly. One difference my daughter noticed was that Grinnell seem to have a bigger drinking and drug culture than Mac, something that also factored into her decision to choose Mac. She did talk to Grinnell students about it though, and they told her that while it’s prevalent, there’s no pressure.
My daughter is finishing up her first year at Mac and just thrilled with her choice. The academics are very rigorous; she has a great deal of work to do both weekdays and weekends, but with good time management skills it doesn’t become overwhelming. The professors are very accessible and supportive. She finds she still has plenty of time for other interests and to participate in campus activities. She’s not a partier but has a ton of fun on and off campus with friends.
She absolutely loves the location. She feels it’s wonderful to have a self-contained campus smack dab in the middle of a very safe mixed residential and commercial area. The restaurants, shops, and cafés feel like an extension of campus and she frequently brings her laptop and does homework over a cup of tea like many other students. Venturing into either downtown St. Paul or Minneapolis requires an easy and cheap ride on the bus. The Twin Cities are full of theaters, museums, and concert halls, as well as clubs that are 18+ so underclassmen can go out for a night of dancing with her friends. Speaking of friends, she has found it to be very easy to meet people. She finds the student body to be smart, engaging, very interested in learning, friendly, and accepting. As you can tell, she has had a wonderful first year there.
So there’s my plug for Mac! Honestly, you are faced with making a choice between three fabulous schools so it really does come down to fit. As I said, you should really try getting yourself to Minnesota so you can visit the other two. Congratulations on your acceptances!
I have visited all three (across two sons’ respective college searches) and agree with other posters that all three are wonderful. One son’s choice came down to a close call between Grinnell and Carleton. In the end, visits during admitted students days sealed the decision in favor of Grinnell, as a matter of fit more than anything else.
Two additional things that factored into my son’s decision: pretty minor and perhaps not relevant to you, they were about to begin a massive demolition/reconstruction of the science facilities at Carleton. As a prospective science major, he was a bit dissuaded by knowing that during at least half of his time there, the science spaces would be disrupted. I’m not sure what the status of that project is. Another issue were pretty substantial General Education requirements at Carleton coupled with the fact that AP credit and college course credits earned in HS could not be applied towards fulfilling those GE requirements. (Grinnell has no Gen Ed requirements. You must take a First Year Seminar and you must complete a major.)
He is a very happy second year student at Grinnell. He has explored across the curriculum widely even in the absence of GE requirements (and knowing his intended major on Day 1). He has received amazing support w/r to extracurricular pursuits and professional preparation, which can be attributed to the strong financial resources of the College but also to its culture.
Grinnell is perhaps the least inviting of the three locales (though marginally less cold in winter!). Most students don’t seem to mind its isolation too much (they probably went elsewhere if it was a deal breaker) and many learn to appreciate the beauty of the prairie. FWIW, the college does a great job of shuttling students to and from the Des Moines airport and Chicago before and after breaks.
I hope you’ll be able to visit all three before making your final decision, but fortunately, for you, you really can’t go wrong with three great choices.
macaron3y says “I know Carleton is seen as a better school [than Grinnell].”
I don’t think this is true any more. It may have been true 10 years ago, but Grinnell has been attracting very smart and serious students in recent years. It used to be that Oberlin, Grinnell and Macalester were similar in “flavor”. They were very liberal LAC’s with good academics. Now I’d say Grinnell fits in more with Carleton and Swarthmore in terms of general profile. They are all academic powerhouses and attract very bright and dedicated students. Grinnell is probably underrated relative to the other two because it used to have lower stats. That is no longer the case. As Sammy2000 pointed out above, Grinnell has surpassed Carleton in terms of ACT scores and acceptance rates. Grinnell’s scores are more in line with Swarthmore’s now.
You’ll get a great education at any of these three schools, but don’t think you’re passing up a better school in Carleton. Grinnell is exceptional and is becoming more so each year.
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