DD is a junior with a 3.85 weighted GPA and a 33 on her ACT from a very rigorous high school. School does not rank. Solid extra curriculars and rigor in course load. Would she have a chance at a school like Grinnell? Would she be smart to go the ED route? Thank you.
I’d think she’d have a very good shot if she applied ED, but the deadline is switched, unless she’d called her admissions counselor and asked to switch her RD application to ED2 and submitted the ED contract. I don’ t know Grinnell’s policy. With RD, it’s difficult to say.
Thank you so much! She will be applying next year and I will talk to her about going ED.
She should have a good chance of RD acceptance and an excellent chance of ED acceptance at Grinnell. Only take the ED route if a school is her clear first choice and comparing aid offers is not important. If that is the case, then ED makes sense.
Thank you, Andrew! That is great advice!
Understood. I thought you had meant she was a senior this year, so she has a great deal of time. I’d recommend she apply early from a timing standpoint (whether it be ED or RD), but she can always switch to ED (from RD) by simply emailing her admissions representative before the ED deadline. Grinnell does not have an admissions fee or supplemental essay, so very easy to submit using the Common or Coalition App. If seeking merit aid, she must submit her application by December 1st anyway. She sounds like a great candidate for admission!
Andrew is correct that she should only apply if she’s sure she’d want to attend if accepted, but just be aware that the acceptance rate is much higher with ED (55% on ED1/2 v. 25% on RD). We’ve known people who were rejected with strong GPA and 34-35 ACT via RD who seemed like a shoe-in. This isn’t just the case with Grinnell, but with many of these elite schools. There is such a high focus on yield (Percentage of attended/admitted) that they all give the benefit to those applications they’re sure will attend.
I think Grinnell is a great choice for a couple of reasons. We looked at the Ivy League schools and other elite institutions on the East Coast (NESCACs), etc, but what we found was that most of them only provided need-based aid. All stated that they’ll meet “demonstrated need”, but this doesn’t take into account the cost of living in most cases. So, if you’re in an above average cost state, your income may look inflated v. lower cost areas, but your “ability” to pay does not match their calculation. Grinnell is different in that it also offers merit aid, which reduced our obligation considerably! In addition, if you visit Grinnell College, I think you’ll find the people there to be much more sincere and welcoming than your typical elite college. While it may sound a bit cheesy, going to a place where you’ll like your fellow students and staff was a HUGE plus to us! Also, most of these students will ultimately settle in cities/suburbs post graduation, so four years in a new environment also gives them a very unique opportunity to grow and experience life in a small town.
As you can see, I’m clearly biased, but if these things are important to you and your daughter, Grinnell may prove to be the perfect fit. Enjoy the process.
Good luck
Have you run the NPC or are there any budget limitations?
I would only apply ED if either you are fine with being full-pay or if you have run the NPC and you are fine with the results.
I think it’s also important to try to get a feel for merit aid. To me, Grinnell is very similar to a lot of the NESCAC schools, but unlike them, offers merit aid. For those of you living along the coasts, this may be your best bet at aid. But he’s right, you need to be comfortable with the aid before you go ED. We called the financial aid offices after completing the net price calculators for their school to get a better feel for what type of aid we might expect, which helped us make the decision.
17% chance. EA is always a better shot.
There is no EA at Grinnell, only EDI (due 11/15) and EDII (1/1). If you’re concerned about the cost (as most are) and being locked in by ED, if you have a good relationship with your contact in admissions you can ask them to give you an estimation on the financial package. It won’t be exact and binding, but can really help if Grinnell is your #1 choice and you tell them that. They want kids who want to be there, but it’s hard to make a binding decision and potentially be on the hook for $70k/year. I believe all ED acceptances at Grinnell now carry a minimum of $10k in aid, regardless of family contribution.
Grinnell’s fill tuition is under 70k, which is less than most NESCACs and liberal arts on the east coast. ED acceptance rates are always higher for liberal arts partly because all recruited athletes apply ED. Definitely visit if you can as it is in a rural and not as well known on the east coast. Also check the Net price calculator so you will get an estimate of how much you will pay.
Good luck!