<p>Currently I'm choosing between Amherst, Grinnell, Colby, Carleton, Whitman, and the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>I CAN'T CHOOSE!! (As you can see because I have to choose in about two weeks and I've only narrowed it down to six.)</p>
<p>I've visited, or am visiting in the next week, all of them, and I've liked the ones I've visited so far. Does anyone have any insight into how these schools compare academically, socially, etc.?</p>
<p>Any and all help would be appreciated.</p>
<p>About Grinnell -
Academics:</p>
<p><a href=“http://■■■■■■■.com/6659rtw[/url]”>http://■■■■■■■.com/6659rtw</a></p>
<p>It’s all up to you. Can you tell us anything you prefer from a college? Like, weather, urban/rural, specialties, prettiness of campus, etc? Financial aid plays no part? And what do you want to get out of college? And what will you study?</p>
<p>These are all great colleges. Of these on your list, my son was accepted to Carleton and Grinnell (as well as 8 others). He chose Grinnell and has been very happy there. In comparison with Carleton, he thought Grinnell student were more unconventional than Carleton students. He didn’t consider UChicago because of size. He also liked Grinnell’s open curriculum. He didn’t look at Amherst because of its reputation for preppiness. Not a preppy bone in his body. The town of Grinnell is very small and rural. The student body is highly diverse and the college brings in tons of concerts, speakers, etc. Lots to do out in the middle of nowhere. He was looking for intellectual and unpretentious. That’s what he found at Grinnell. Incredible facilities and lots of clubs and student organizations.</p>
<p>S looked at Colby, Carleton and Grinnell. Same assessment of Carleton as BethieVT’s son. Colby was too preppy, not as strong in the sciences and had a town/gown problem associated with student drinking at least according to the student newpapers available at the time. The lack of access to the town without a car also felt limiting (not that Grinnell has a lot of ‘downtown’ - but it is walking distance). Decided to ED at Grinnell for lots of reasons (see the ‘why grinnell’ thread) and loves the place. UChicago didn’t make the list because he didn’t want an urban campus and he did want a LAC.</p>
<p>The good news is that you likely can’t go wrong. Those are great options!</p>
<p>My son did not go through the college search with a number one school; alot seemed equal to him on the first go-round. He figured he’d get a good education and make friends anywhere he went. When it came time to deciding, he revisited (or visited for the first time, as he did with Grinnell). He tried to do a spreadsheet, but that didn’t really solve anything! For him, it really was a matter of feeling the best personal fit, that at Grinnell he felt like he’d belong to a community and not need to find his “niche.” I was very struck by how the same words he used to describe how he felt, were the ones another mother at Accepted Student Day cited to me in her son’s decision to pick Grinnell over an Ivy> they both said the students seemed like “my kind of people.”</p>
<p>I guess if I had to characterize what they meant by that, i would do it as bethievt said: intellectual and unpretentious. </p>
<p>I guess this is my way of saying that YOU really have to decide what’s most important to you.</p>
<p>Distinctive qualities about Grinnell: self-governance, social justice emphasis (and gaining even greater institutional support under new president), amazing brand new facilities (science center, student center, athletic complex), individual advising, specialized study options (Mentored Advanced Project for example). Diverse student body; one of highest percentages of international students among all LACs. A small town where people look a stranger in the eye and smile. (here’s a description of “self-gov” if you’re not familiar with it: [Self</a> Governance - Student Affairs | Grinnell College](<a href=“http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/studentaffairs/selfgovernance]Self”>http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/studentaffairs/selfgovernance). While students don’t “run” the school – the administration still does that! – the students do have a seat on administrative committees at all levels, including the hiring of faculty and the setting of the college’s annual budget)</p>
<p>Think about whether you prefer semester or trimester (or quarter, i think Chicago is on?); Chicago is only urban and university; Amherst is in the five college town; Colby is very outdoorsy. Amherst and Grinnell are top five LAC endowments. </p>
<p>While Grinnell may seem like it’s in the middle of nowhere to the rest of the world, I think its location contributes to its sense of community. The students are there because they want to be at that school. </p>
<p>good luck! it seems like a nice place to be in, with all those choices, but it is stressful nonetheless. It’s not just a matter of deciding where to go, but where to say no to!</p>
<p>Only cross-application on my S’s list was Carleton, where he was WL. In his case, the Thanksgiving to New Year break, rather than five weeks through end of January, would probably have knocked Carleton out of the running, as it was not compatible with his siblings’ breaks, which meshed better with Grinnell’s. </p>
<p>The trimester means more courses per year (an idea my son liked), but it also means a much faster pace to the semester, not necessarily in amount of work, but in how many weeks between start of semester and the coming of exams.</p>
<p>Dice have six sides.</p>
<p>These are all going to be great academically. Only you, OP, can determine what feels best for you. If they all feel like good fits, you can go by financial aid packages. The high percentage of international students at Grinnell was a draw for my son too. It really enriches classroom discussions and my son loves having friends to visit all over the country and the world.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to imply that Carleton or any of your other schools aren’t intellectual and unpretentious. Carleton is certainly both of these things. The others I don’t know from first hand experience. It was the unconventional thinking of Grinnell students that put it on top for my son. He did feel he had found his people. The facilities and resources are amazing too. Like if you find an unpaid internship, the college will often fund it. The student center is one of my favorite buildings anywhere.</p>
<p>Hahaha spdf! I read the book How We Decide, dealing with brain research on decision making and the author suggested that if there are more than a few variables involved, the logical part of the brain can’t process it and you have to go with the part of the brain that is informed by “gut reactions”.</p>
<p>Whitman is an exceptional school; were it in the NE, I think it would be a top 10 school. I think it is a more well balanced social environment than Grinnell. I am not sure it beats Carleton. Amherst is a fine school; I actually think Colby is over rated-just a continuation of NE prep school mentality.</p>
<p>U of Chicago is the odd duck in your list, which is otherwise LAC heavy.</p>
<p>Grinnell has its own version of the Peace Corps, where it funds one-year post-graduate service programs for six of its students every year. It’s a competitive process to get it, but it’s an amazing opportunity for the Grinnellians who receive it. </p>
<p>[Grinnell</a> Corps - Social Commitment | Grinnell College](<a href=“http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/socialcommitment/grinnellcorps]Grinnell”>http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/socialcommitment/grinnellcorps)</p>
<p>Both Chicago and Carleton’s year ends in June, rather than mid-May. This may be important if you need to find a summer job. I would lay out all the schools’ calendars and see how this fits for your needs. That’s just one consideration that might help you eliminate some (or it may not affect you at all).</p>
<p>I just wrote a detailed reply on “What are Grinnell’s strengths” that lays out my take (as a parent of a student) on some of the college’s defining attributes. Hope this is useful to you as well.</p>
<p>Have you visited the campus, btw? If not, you really should to make your decision. If you have, but can’t return, then perhaps you could contact these students directly:
[Meet</a> Grinnell Students - Admission | Grinnell College](<a href=“http://www.grinnell.edu/admission/voices/students]Meet”>http://www.grinnell.edu/admission/voices/students)</p>
<p>As I noted in other thread here, while the college has picked these students to represent them, I have to believe they’d be honest, by virtue of the fact that Grinnellians are known to speak their minds, the school asked them to list “the worst thing about Grinnell” on the website, and it’s a small school so fit is important!</p>
<p>why don’t you also go online and read through several issues of each college’s student newspaper? Grinnell also has an alternative satirical newspaper, the B & S.</p>
<p>So what did you choose?</p>
<p>^Carleton, according to her most recent post.</p>