I am going to give you some back story before I ask my question. I definitely want to play basketball in college. I have been presented with the opportunity to play at Grinnell College. I received a 29 on my ACT and they said they would be able to get me into the school, however, only through early admit. This being said I have to decide by November 1st on whether or not I will be attending Grinnell. I want to major in business. Now given all of this I was wondering if it would be worth committing this early. If I graduated Grinnell with a business degree would this really be worth 60,000 a year? Also some downsides are that it is in the middle of nowhere and the basketball conference does not travel. Plus I have other schools such as Case Western contacting me and their school is larger, they travel by plane to their games, and the school is very close to a city. I understand this is kind of all over the place but I would really appreciate it if someone would help me!!!
Like nearly all of its peers, Grinnell doesn’t offer a business major. You should carefully consider how the school would suit your stated academic goals.
Grinnell is a terrific school, but it doesn’t sound as if it meets enough of your other needs to push you to commit so early. (I’d feel differently if you had different goals or they were also offering you a substantial aid package.)
I meant to say economics major I apologize.
Yes this is what I am grappling with. I appreciate the feed back!!
LACs can be really strong for economics. You have a little time. You can continue to review various programs:
Grinnell plays a rather unique style of basketball, and from what we gather, there is tremendous school support for the program. Case Western plays in the UAA, which involves a lot of long distance travel. My kid plays D3 soccer, and as the season has progressed, he has been grateful that his conference involves about 3 hours for travel. After a while, missing class, getting back late, make up work – it is not so satisfying. Sounds like Grinnell basketball has more flexibility in bringing in recruits for admissions than my kid’s sport, because that is definitely not the score my kid was told he needed for Grinnell ED, even though he was a a “top” recruit. If you enjoy Grinnell, that is an enviable position to be in.
Sounds like a bit of “bird in the hand, vs. two in the bush” problem – if you are a recruit at Grinnell, a top LAC, and had a positive pre-read etc. vs. just “contact” from Case – with the ED deadline looming in a few weeks – only you can make the decision whether walking away from ED recruited status at a top LAC is worth the flexibility of continuing to evaluate other possibilities.
Grinnell’s basketball approach is hilarious and awesome and you should go there and play that crazy way.
Grinnell does not seem remote once you are there and get involved in things on campus. People stay on campus over the weekends, and make their own fun - or go to movies and concerts that the school provides. They know people are stuck there. I absolutely loved the place. Both of my daughters were accepted, but got lured away by schools on the coasts. One of them said that the more she found out about Grinnell, the more she thought it was a good place - just not as exciting as Yale.
Grinnell has a good reputation for offering financial aid. The financial aid office would talk to you about a ballpark aid package, if you have your parents and your own 2015 tax documents on hand. If financial aid isn’t a possibility, I still think LACs are good value. You get more small class instruction and quality interaction with some very bright peers. Grinnell has never been very business oriented, but lots of us wind up going into business. Grinnell has a very international attitude, and will encourage you to go abroad, which is very good for a future business person.
Did you visit? If so, did you feel like you would be happy there with or without basketball?
My S did not apply ED at a LAC where he was a sports recruit because he hadn’t visited. He took his chances with RD and I have to say it worked out—he ended up liking a different school better.
I did visit there and I liked it a lot! I just always saw myself going to a college with more of a city atmosphere. Thank you everyone for your comments! I will definitely use this info when making my decision.
If you visited it and liked it a lot, that’s an excellent sign. I’m personally a huge fan of the place. They keep the campus pretty hopping with activities, so don’t worry about the city vs. rural part unless you are truly committed to city life, or need specific city-based opportunities (which you might, if business is your goal) as part of your education.
It sounds like an excellent opportunity IF it checks other boxes for you and IF it’s affordable, and only you can decide that. Research as much as you can between now and go from there.
For the more direct study of business, Grinnell students can enroll in a recently created Harvard Business School program:
“HBS says it has reached agreements with five elite liberal arts colleges [Hamilton, Williams, Wellesley, Grinnell and Carleton]. The business school had previously formed a partnership with Amherst College, and the online program is already available to Harvard undergraduates.”
The above-referenced Harvard Business School program would appear to be an exceptional opportunity for you, @MikeV1132.
Would this Harvard Business School program, if I in fact completed it, make me stand out while applying for jobs? I feel as if just having Harvard on your resume at all would definitely do so. It definitely sounds like a great opportunity!!
The HBS program, much like the rest of your education, would reward you to the extent of your own efforts. That said, a Grinnell education combined with an HBS certificate could definitely help you stand out when applying for jobs @MikeV1132.
What are your parents saying about paying $60k per year?
What about Babson??
Have you looked at Carroll College in WI (near Milwaukee)? They play in the same football conference as Grinnell. My nephew had an athletic scholarship at Carroll, and finished his business degree on time. Carroll provided academic tutoring and nephew said he actually had better grades during football season (I guess between the focus and maybe taking a different class load). Nephew also stayed on campus in the summer to work (building maintenance type of stuff, painting etc). Carroll had a job fair and he got a job on the spot - a very good sales job.
You have to look if Grinnell is a fit for you. Uber something going on there. Family live in Grinnell, and between what is said in college circles and knowing students that have attended - one may have difficulty ‘fitting in’.
I suspect Carroll is a better fit for many.
You also need to look at the economics, and what will work for your family.
Grinnell is an outstanding school with a very strong rep. If you are concerned about being in a small town, be aware that Des Moines and Iowa City are fairly close. Both offer plenty of things to do if you’re in need of spending a day or an evening in the city.