<p>Is there a clear choice between Grinnel and Colby for Economics major with quality of academics and level of national/international recognition as the key factors?</p>
<p>S visited both Colby and Grinnell. Both very nice schools. The choice is probably more one of culture and fit than anything else.</p>
<p>I can’t speak to economics at Colby, but spouse is an economist and says the coursework at Grinnell appears to be rigorous and good preparation for advanced study in economics. It is not a substitute for a business degree, so if that is what you want, it’s not what Grinnell provides.</p>
<p>Re national recognition, Colby is well known in the NE and Grinnell in the midwest if you are speaking of the general public or regional employers. But I believe Grinnell produces a higher percentage of Phds than Colby so graduate schools are probably more familiar with Grinnell grads. (But I’d check that statistics for economics grads specifically.) Internationally, very few people have heard of LACs. A friend who graduated from Amherst and did a year abroad at London School of Economics, is always introduced, when in Asia, as being an LSE grad and has given up making the correction.</p>
<p>You didn’t ask, but I’ll add that Grinnell was significantly less preppy, which was decisive for S. He also liked that he could walk into town at Grinnell. It’s small, but quaint, so if he wanted to leave campus and didn’t have a car, he could. Not true at Colby. Town/gown relations at Colby were also somewhat strained judging from the articles in the student newspaper, but that was two years ago and may have changed. Colby does have a major outdooring club, if you are into those kinds of activities and Maine is a great place for it. Grinnell has amazing gym facilities-and is building even more. Both have great food in the dining halls.</p>
<p>M’s Mom, thanks a ton for your comprehensive reply. Very useful indeed.</p>
<p>Grinnell has an excellent econ program and I ditto everything that M’s mom has said. We have visited both and thought hands down that Grinnell was an overall better school. It’s a very academic school without being stuffy and snooty like other schools of its caliber. It’s ranked very high and well regarded. It also has a large number of students that go on into advance study and those that do, perform quite well. Another nice perk is it has one of the largest per capita endowments in the country which affords the school to bring in tons of free activities for the students. Beautiful campus with incredible facilities. They are in the process of finishing their new indoor tennis and indoor track, pool and climbing wall. </p>
<p>Ous S will be attending Grinnell this upcoming fall and couldn’t be more thrilled. Keep us posted and good luck through this whole decision process.</p>
<p>d’smom, thanks a lot. I am making these enquiries for my son who has got an offer from Grinnell apart from others. We live in a country thousands of miles away. Hence, feedback from kind people like you are very much appreciated.</p>
<p>I would pick Grinnell also. D was accepted to both Grinnell and Colby (she’s not attending either due to financial aid). D would have picked Grinnell due to the excellent academics and quirky student body. We have not had a chance to tour Colby, but it would definitely be preppier than Grinnell. Both would be great depending on where you feel that you would fit in better, but I also think academically that Grinnell still has a a slight edge.</p>
<p>My son is a Grinnell student also. We didn’t visit Colby, but we did visit Bates, another Maine college that I think is quite similar to Colby. We visited Bates instead because a close friend (who is a high school guidance counselor in Maine) told us it was the least preppy of the “big 3” in ME, including Colby and Bowdoin. My son doesn’t have a preppy molecule in his body and he felt Bates was preppy, so I have to assume Colby would be preppier. It was kind of a North Face/LL Bean sort of preppy and there’s nothing wrong with prep if that what you like, but my son feels much more comfortable with the unpretentious, unconventional thinkers that abound at Grinnell. I will say the one student I know at Colby loves it and is having a great educational experience–he’s a theater major. To him, the school is a lot more relaxed than his very coservative Catholic HS, so it’s all relative.</p>
<p>I agree with others that it’s nice at Grinnell to be able to walk into the little town. There is a small supermarket a couple of blocks away and some restaurants and shops within very easy walking distance. Town/gown relationships aren’t perfect, but the school works hard on it, funding lots of good stuff in the town and inviting residents to attend the many wonderful free lectures, performances etc. that the college brings to campus. I couldn’t even begin to list the variety of activities, clubs, etc. that are free to students. Grinnell students also work on the relationship with town residents, tutoring younger schoolkids being one example. I think there’s a program that pairs Grinnell students with local seniors too. I believe there is a host family program for international students, local families who volunteer to be a home-away-from-home for kids who may benefit from that.</p>
<p>I’m going to guess that there is more diversity at Grinnell. They have the endowment to give good FA and they have quite a high minority and international presence. Can you tell we love Grinnell? I’m sure none of us mean to speak badly of Colby. It is also an excellent college. Depends what you’re looking for.</p>
<p>Colby’s Econ Dept is one of the best. You can read about some of the econ stuff by going to [Colby</a> College | Colby Magazine | Winter 2010](<a href=“http://www.colby.edu/mag]Colby”>http://www.colby.edu/mag) and typing in the keyword economics. The preppy remarks are always interesting. Every college has preppy kids. They also have arty kids and jocks and geeks, etc. Most of what you hear about a college is only going to be partially true. Your best bet, if you can’t visit the colleges, is to spend a little time getting to know the colleges by reading about what’s going on. Check out the Grinnell magazine at [The</a> Grinnell Magazine - The Grinnell Magazine | Grinnell College](<a href=“http://www.grinnell.edu/car/communication/magazine]The”>http://www.grinnell.edu/car/communication/magazine). And also for Colby, go to [insideColby</a> - for students, by students](<a href=“http://www.insidecolby.com%5DinsideColby”>http://www.insidecolby.com), that’s all stuff produced by Colby students about what it’s like to attend.</p>
<p>Muscutp,</p>
<p>Thought this might help you. Grinnell has one of the very best econ programs around. I think this speaks for itself. I can’t add much about Colby in favor or not, but I can tell you that Grinnell has one of the very best rates for producing future Ph’d’s in multiple fields. It’s known for being one of the most intellectual schools in the country. I am not saying that Colby is preppy, rather that Grinnell is very unpretentious and many chose it for that reason over some other schools. Our son did an overnight and had the most incredible experience. He felt safe and accepted. He liked that the students accept everyone. Grinnell embraces people of all different walks of life. </p>
<p><a href=“http://web.grinnell.edu/institutionalresearch/webdocs/PhDProd_F06.pdf[/url]”>http://web.grinnell.edu/institutionalresearch/webdocs/PhDProd_F06.pdf</a></p>