<p>I have a young friend that just got excited about Grinnell after she wanted to know where my daughter applied and I was able to tell her what I remember. I'm not sure if she would be attractive enough to have a chance at a fly in. A friend of my daughter's was invited in after he applied (Asian male), but she wasn't (was accepted, though). Do they still do this?</p>
<p>She has automatic admit to a UC, so her safety is set. She is putting in a couple of reaches she doesn't expect to get. The more I think about it, it seems to be a good choice, with a reasonable chance of acceptance. She is undecided major so looking to explore. Interested in checking out science research. This might be a really good community for her with the faculty mentors that would be so helpful for a young woman who will be on her own in the world. I think a visit would be important but I don't think she can swing it on her own (she is a ward of the court in foster care).</p>
<p>Asian female
California
IB Diploma 4.75/5.0
Rank 8 out of pretty good sized class, I think- public
1440 M+CR
EC: are average, I guess. Mock trial, Band, tennis, volunteering, summer intern for nonprofit</p>
<p>I see EC are a considered very important. Any encouragement?</p>
<p>BrownParent, Grinnell did offer fly-ins to early writes in 2013 - I think there were a number of posts about this back in February. Grinnell hasn’t done this every year, though, so I don’t know if they’ll be doing it in 2014 or not.</p>
<p>Sorry, I didn’t realize your young friend is a senior and applying now. Too bad she didn’t know about the fly-in a few months ago! She certainly does seem a perfect candidate for Grinnell - and vice versa. I’ve read the Grinnell threads here on CC and like the sound of the school, and also the ‘voices’ of the families who attend, it seems to be a very warm, friendly, almost familial environment, which seems perfect for the student in question.
I was reading about Grinnell because I am just now starting to look seriously for my junior D (senior was just accepted early to Williams - whew! - three down, one to go…) and am liking Grinnell for her. Can you share why your D chose not to attend and what you all thought of Grinnell? I assume she chose Brown unless that was a different kid…</p>
<p>Thank you Lucie! D applied early through Questbridge, but she received a letter that she was accepted as Tyng scholar which the letter said is not the same as being ‘matched’. The Tyng scholarship is not a 4 year full ride like a QB match - it is dependent on family need and is re-evaluated every year, so we may have an EFC, but hopefully no loans. However, the Tyng also includes no work study component, generous summer stipends to fund independent research for 3 summers, and 180K for grad school wherever she wants to go. That funding for grad school is an amazing gift and will certainly offer her extraordinary possibilities. The fact that she absolutely adored Williams during a 3 day fly-in makes the whole thing a kind of dream come true :)! 7 students were accepted through QB so the Williams class of 2018 is already begun :).</p>
<p>My student friend applied and now wait and see! It looks like she will likely be able to swing a visit if accepted (oops I feel like I posted too much identifying info about her without thinking, sorry sweetie if I outed you, I was just excited to get info). Now she told some people at school about it and they may have a little flurry of apps from this HS where likely no one has ever applied before and wonder what’s up with that. I will stamp my feet if someone else gets in and not her.</p>
<p>My daughter graduated Brown in '09 so all the little details of the hunt escape me. But the main thing was we could only visit one OOS school where we had a relative to stay with. She didn’t go there either. She was quiet about Brown because she didn’t expect an admit, but she pretty much was dead set on it, it seemed. She had a set of schools that included UC’s of course because we are instate and I insisted, a couple reach smaller uni’s and a couple LAC’s. So there was still some leaving options open and learning going on while she was waiting on results. Grinnell would have benefited from a visit and really we should have tried to swing it. I think she liked it because she felt she could do everything she wanted there. She didn’t have an hesitation to go to Brown sight unseen so there just wasn’t a lot of discussion after the admits. She did say she wanted the somewhat larger size. I guess I thought she would be better off at a smaller place where someone might care if she continued her over scheduling ways and got into trouble and I was thinking to recreate the boarding school atmosphere where she had such close mentors.</p>
<p>Both she and one of her very close friends were both interested and admitted and they are both very interesting kids and great academics. But in the end he decided to commit to Engineering and went to Olin. He passed on Brown too.</p>
<p>WOW honeybee63 I just read your last post and that is an amazing scholarship I never heard of, sick!</p>
<p>BrownParent, thanks for feedback on Grinnell. I am now looking at a group of new colleges (incl Grinnell) for D4 who is a different animal from my first 3 kids. It’s also a sudden shift after the early and astonishing Williams news for D3. Truth be told I was looking forward to going into RD season with D3 – who is really an amazing student and all around person – and I knew she would have a bunch of very nice acceptances to choose from. But Williams as a Tyng scholar really trumps every other scenario I could have dreamed up.
I finally got all the details on the Tyng package today and turns out there is no EFC, no loans, as well as no student contribution, no work study, and 4K summer stipends to engage in whatever floats her boat. Plus that $180K for grad/med/law school. In fact the finaid person I talked to today explained that even if D decides to do a PhD program with funding, she can still take the 180K for living expenses, or summers, or travel, or to write a book…
yep, it is extreme validation of all her hard work, and also means she is on her own now financially, which has changed our relationship in subtle (positive) ways already. So, anyway, if you continue to encounter very talented students, do recommend Williams and the Tyng scholarship. The only caveat is you have to need some financial aid - if you are full pay you don’t qualify - but once a student needs any finaid at all, s/he is eligible. I’m waxing on here but I do think this is like the best kept secret in college scholarships - even the Morehouse doesn’t include grad school funding! But the Tyng is hard to get I guess…~7/7000 applicants is about .1% of each Williams class. </p>
<p>But back on topic - good luck to your little friend!!! Maybe she will even attend Grinnell along with a buddy from her HS. Let us know her result when decisions come out!</p>
<p>So my friend was waitlisted with two other students from her class being offered admission. So much for blabbing to your friends. She was happy for them, however. One is offered a fly in and is going. She does have an admission to another very good LAC. Grinnell should thank me for helping to find students for them, lol.</p>
<p>Oh, Brown, that’s such a bummer! I, too, am wondering if all my boostering in these parts of Grinnell and another college my son was really interested inadvertently bumped him out of the running. I hope it works out for your young friend. She’ll be just fine in life with friends like you!</p>
<p>Well, my son got into Grinnell w/ great financial aid but says he’s not going. I hope that opens up space for a more excited student on the waitlist. I think Grinnell would be amazing! </p>
<p>Unfortunately, it’s not a one-for-one exchange where a waitlisted student gets in when an admit turns it down. All colleges overadmit because they know not everyone accepts. The percentage of students who accept offers is known as the “yield” and generally a school operates within a range of that from year to year. But because it is not an exact science, schools do turn to waitlists in years when fewer accept than is needed to fill the class, but in other years, they are fully or oversubscribed and don’t use the waitlist at all.</p>