Computer Science @ Grinnell? (and a few other questions)

<p>Hello! I am potentially looking at Grinnell as a school to apply to this fall.</p>

<p>I am a very math-science student and I intend on pursuing a PhD possibly right after undergrad. I know that many LACs, especially ones like Reed, Grinnell, Haverford (to name a few) have great rates of graduate school placement.</p>

<p>I am mostly interested in majoring in engineering, which however, is not offered at Grinnell. However, I like the atmosphere that Grinnell seems to create. I hate the idea of greek life, and Grinnell has been hailed as very rigorous and fostering an intellectual environment. I don't want to go to a large technical university because they are male-dominated and I'm not a big sports/greek life kind of person.</p>

<p>I am also somewhat interested in Computer Science - but I am not sure if that would be a good field to pursue at Grinnell, especially if I am intending for graduate studies. Since it is a LAC, I assume there would not be many graduate-level courses to take, lack of research oppurtunities and/or research opportunities. compared to larger universities.</p>

<p>Basically, I want a degree that combines my interests with good employ-ability options at the bachelor level, while still keeping doors open for interesting pursuits in graduate school. I love math & science.</p>

<p>Would I be able to do what I am looking for at Grinnell? I haven't visited the campus yet - so I'm not even 100% sure if I like how it would feel. I am also not 100% sure if we can afford the school, I'll have to run the NPC. However, I am aware Grinnell meets 100% of supposed need.</p>

<p>Also on a quick question about merit aid - how high must your stats be to be considered for any significant merit aid at Grinnell? I have 32 ACT (33 superscore, if it matters) and 3.67 UW gpa.</p>

<p>CS at LAC’s generally is weak on the engineering/hardware side but better on the mathematical side. If you are contemplating entering a CS Ph.D. program, you’ll need a stronger background than what is offered at an LAC. Consider a combined program at an LAC. Grinnell has 3-2 engineering at WashU, Columbia and Caltech. Reed has the same at RPI, Columbia and Caltech. However, CS is a popular major at Caltech, and it is virtually impossible to be admitted as a 3-2 transfer at Caltech for CS even with a top 10% GPA and outstanding recommendations. In addition, Reed has a special 3-2 CS program with UWash for its math majors. (UWash has the #6th nationally ranked CS department.) Haverford also has 3-2 with Caltech. Recently, Haverford introduced a 4+1 masters program with Penn Engineering where Haverford students start grad school courses at Penn as Haverford seniors. Since it’s a new program, it remains unclear whether all requirements can be completed in 5 years. Usually an MS (or MSE) is considered 4-2 engineering.</p>

<p>Thank you for your answer. Unfortunately, I do not want to do a 3-2 program because I want to save as much money as I can for grad school, and I have heard of the low completion rates of the 3-2 programs. </p>

<p>I know nothing about the fields you’re interested in, but I do know that for an LAC, Grinnell is considered to have a strong CS department. Have you looked at the website to see what they offer? </p>

<p>I would like to disabuse you of the notion that undergraduate does not provide research opportunities. Not true. Maybe not as varied as a university, but you are guaranteed close collaboration with faculty – no competition for research with grad students and no working with TAs. Grinnell also offers this program:
<a href=“http://www.grinnell.edu/academics/arc/academic-affairs/map”>http://www.grinnell.edu/academics/arc/academic-affairs/map&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And, here’s the link to CS department research:
<a href=“http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/curriculum/student-faculty-research”>http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/curriculum/student-faculty-research&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Grinnell is needs-blind and meets full demonstrated need. In terms of merit aid, just looking at the results from people who post on CC, it seems to me that it is driven as much by Grinnell’s own institutional needs about who it’s trying to attract as by the stats themselves. </p>

<p>I would really encourage you to contact the CS department directly with your questions about what you might be able to do after graduation – but first look closely at the website so that you are not asking questions that are already answered there. </p>

<p>As a prospective student, don’t be afraid to ask questions directly of a school, particularly a place like Grinnell which offers such a personalized experience. Remember: it’s in the college’s best interests to have students who are happy with the college they attend, so they want to be sure it’s a good fit on both ends! </p>

<p>Are you female, by the way? If so, Grinnell has an award-winning program designed to mentor and promote advancement by underrepresented populations in the sciences (of which being female is one).</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.grinnell.edu/academics/divisions/science/gsp”>http://www.grinnell.edu/academics/divisions/science/gsp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>also, if you can’t visit before applying, please be sure to request an alumni interview. FWIW, my son did not visit the campus before applying, but it was the visit (after admittance) that sealed the deal for him. He also was not able to get an alumni interview, but i think the fact that he asked for one demonstrated his interest. </p>

<p>I also wanted to add that while Grinnell does not offer pre-professional majors, it is well aware of students’ needs to be employed after college, and does alot to help students make “real world” connections, whether through subsidies for internships, bringing alumni on campus for short courses or other programs to marry the “Ivory Tower” with life thereafter…</p>

<p>This is probably not unique to Grinnell, but just to help prospective students recognize that LACs understand that students will be moving on and need to put their education to work. </p>

<p>Might I also suggest that you contact the Physics Department to learn more about post-grad engineering opportunities if you do want to pursue that but don’t want the 3-2 program? I can’t imagine that there haven’t been Grinnellians who’ve gone on to Engineering programs with a BA, so they can advise you on what your options might be if you did attend. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.grinnell.edu/academics/areas/physics-astronomy/3-2-engineering?group=9314”>3-2 Engineering Program | Grinnell College;