It will be dorms for our daughter too.
to all those coming tomorrow (or if you arrived today, hello!), make sure to dress verrry warmly! the high tomorrow is 4°, and the wind(chill) will knock your socks off. i hope you and your S’s and D’s (and everyone in between, of course) enjoy the heck out of grinnell. we’re really excited you’re coming. 
(p.s. don’t let this extreme cold fool you… i’ve been told this is the coldest winter we’ve had in years. it’s usually not this tribulous.)
This has been an unusually cold winter for Grinnell, so here is a quick story about what makes the school so special even in the bitter cold.
I was constantly texting my son when the wind chill went down to negative 50 (like many schools they cancelled classes, very very rare). He had 2 responses . First he timed his walk to the dining wall, 2 minutes 31 seconds walking somewhat slowly. Dining hall.also sent food back to the dorms with students so they would not have to go out at all. Second, his boss from his on campus job bought him a face mask so he would be prepared. He wouldn’t listen to Mom, but listened to her and we were both very thankful. He is probably back to wearing a hoodie, no gloves or coat now.
I hope you all have a great time.
For those of you who are at the admitted student event today and tomorrow, let us know how it is : ) I was bummed that D19 couldn’t make this due to a sports conflict, but with the high at only 4 degrees, I think going in early April might be better–at least I hope so!! Brrrr…
S19 and my husband heading out shortly. I’m trying to figure out what he should be looking for that he didn’t focus on during his first visit back early junior year. I told him to chat up the other admitted students. It would be good to get a feel for his possible classmates. He’s a little more focused in on a major so he’ll be asking questions about that and trying to get into those classes tomorrow. I told him to go to the activities fair and find things that interest him. Our two concerns are (1) career services and (2) location. I follow all of his schools’ career centers on social media and Grinnell does seem to be lacking a bit in companies who recruit for internships and jobs. And I know the school brings in lots of entertainment for the kids but there’s nothing the school can do about its rural location. S19 has other rural schools but they either have better towns or more interesting environments with ski slopes and arboretums. Of course we are still waiting on decisions so we can’t rule anything out yet and the academics at Grinnell are top notch and the merit is enticing.
Yes, it’s definitely out there. If someone had told us 5 years ago that D19 might end up in Iowa for college we woudl not have believed it ; ) D19 loves the academics and sports team that she’d join, but being such a small school and so far away from home she really, really wants to be sure (as sure as she can) that it’s a social fit. She’s kind of nerdy and super academic and sporty, not a partier, but she’s not quirky/weird/odd nerdy (if this makes sense). For example, when she visited Oberlin she immediately knew it wasn’t for her people wise. She’s been to Grinnell twice to visit and really liked the people she met, but I think she’s really interested in April to meet potential classmates for this incoming class. @homerdog I hope your S19 and husband have a great time and stay warm!
@crknwk2000 your D sounds just like our S. He ran screaming from Oberlin. He’s a bright, sporty kid. He’s very academic too and curious about a lot of subjects. But a social activist he is not. We didn’t pick up on a Oberlin-like vibe when we went to Grinnell to visit in 2017 but I keep reading that it’s there. It’s one of the things he will be very tuned into this weekend. I’ll report back!
Amazingly, my D’s host also had her other top choice (Reed, in Portland). I guess birds of a feather do flock together.
@RunningDoc that’s interesting! I cannot figure out the vibe at Grinnell! Our S19 is the farthest thing from alternative and would really not like Reed. I really hope he’s figuring this out and will be able to tell if he fits there.
My D loves the Iowa-nice, science-strong, community and academic intensity that is available at Grinnell. Another friend said that Grinnell party scene is primarily “beer”, which makes sense to me. Reed is something else entirely, but overlaps with science-strong and academic intensity. Otherwise, they are very different.
S19 just texted me and said he’s with a bunch of prospectives at trivia and they are having a blast. None of them know where their hosts are. LOL. He said a few are William and Mary Monroe Scholars and the kids he’s with have very similar LAC lists to his. He’s really enjoying the kids and looking forward to tomorrow’s classes. He’s grabbed everyone’s Snapchats so they can keep in touch over the next six weeks while they all decide!
Nice @homerdog !! Sounds super fun. Thanks for the update : )
Now how is that 0 degree temperature?!?!
@crknwk2000 it doesn’t bother him. He’s a XC/track runner and they run miles and miles in this weather! No joke. If it’s above ten degrees they work out outside. Ran 12 miles yesterday and it was 20. I do feel bad for the prospectives from warm weather!
And we think we’re tough swimming outdoors year round in Nor Cal :))
Running in 20 degree weather is AMAZING. #RESPECT
@RunningDoc What science is your D interested in? S19 is thinking about physics or math. Got into a linear algebra class this morning but might have to ask if there’s a physics class he can go to. He didn’t see one offered this morning. Let us know when you get feedback from her!
@microbial40 Let us know your impressions as well! I’ve been concerned about career services there. My husband found out that the dept has gone from six people to 23 in the last three years. Apparently, alumni funded the increase. I find that very interesting. The alums felt the dept needed to be better. The school didn’t fund it but they did. Hm. And he also got the stat that 30 % go right to grad school. Not sure how that compares to other LACs on S19’s list. I’ll have to do some searching.
@homerdog Hope your son has a good visit to Grinnell. Here is the most recent outcomes report…looks like 22.1% went to grad school (pages 2, 5). This is one of the most thorough outcomes reports I have seen…
Thanks @Mwfan1921 ! I’ll check it out. I guess when the career services dept goes from six to 23 people, there’s people power to make such a detailed report.
Amazing. My D also went to linear algebra. She is thinking physical chemistry. Feedback is happening by phone around 2pm
@homerdog D19 had fun at Grinnell. She’s a city kid who attends a big Chicago Public high school, takes the train everywhere, likes going to concerts, et cetera. She has expressed concerns about feeling isolated in rural Iowa. Her overnight host also went to a CPS high school (in a different part of the city). It was a great pairing. She really liked her host. They spent time swapping CPS and CTA stories; she alleviated a lot of concerns about the location.
I liked the career services presentation. The grads seem to end up in interesting places. D19 will likely enter a graduate program after college, which is one reason why Grinnell is on her list. The Grinnell grads I’ve worked with at the graduate level have a great foundation, and are very creative. Highlights for D19: 1) the new MLab maker space and the students she met there, 2) hanging out with students and eating pancakes on Sunday night, 3) exciting teachers in the classes she visited. We’ll see where she ends up. It remains very high on her list.