I hope its earlier, this wait is killing!
Waiting patiently here too. Exciting that the RDs from various schools are starting to come in.
Any idea when it will be released? @lexluthor5
@snow30 from what I’ve read, Grinnell RD was Friday, March 20, 2015 and Saturday, March 18, 2014, so we are hoping they come out this coming Friday or Saturday. I think merit/financial packages are included in the portal notification.
@lexluthor5 Thanks. Anyone mind calling the admissions to find out. Im not that bold, lol. 
Has anyone visited Grinnell? Would anyone who has mind posting about their recent visit?
Hi! I went on a visit a couple weeks ago 
everyone I met was really friendly and it has a wonderful pseudo -hipster vibe. I also looked a lot into the lgbt aspect of campus and thats really strong if you’re into that. If you have any other questions feel free to ask me!
Hey guys, I just want to pitch in a couple things about Grinnell. I’ve lived in Iowa, and the location of Grinnell is definitely something to talk about for a couple reasons. Also, I have visited campus a few years ago. It was nice. The first thing to know about Grinnell is that everyone is super friendly in Iowa. If you’re driving down a street, many strangers will wave at you as you pass cars. This is what I love about Iowa. There aren’t many angry people, and life is pretty easy. I had a friend who moved to Florida (right by the coast in a touristy area), and she moved back to Iowa because the people were so much nicer here.
BUT…Iowa, respectfully, has flaws. The winters are awful. Going to Grinnell, it is just something you will have to live with. I love to run, and the winters in Iowa really limit me for a few months because I really don’t like treadmills. Also, I have grown so bored with Iowa because there is not a lot of new things that happen. Where I live, recreational activities are limited. For me, 18 years is way too much time to live in Iowa. I am happy that I grew up in Iowa with the Iowan values, but I will soon be leaving. I think Iowa is a great place to settle down and have a family.
Luckily, Grinnell is near Des Moines which is a nice mix of small town Iowa and the city life.
On another note, Grinnell is extremely academically challenging. My teacher’s son and daughter went there, and the daughter ended up dropping out. The son is now in China teaching English. Grinnell’s FA is great, and both of the students had very little debt.
A good suggestion, if you just want to see what the surrounding town and area looks like, do a tour on google maps using street view.
I have a good friend who’s daughter graduated from Grinnell. One of the things that she has stressed to me many times is the extremely intense academic environment, the type of school where many kids spend the entire weekend studying. We certainly aren’t against academic rigor, but we are also weighing the pros and cons of four years in a place with a grinding academic workload and stress as it can take a toll on one’s mental health. There a certsin student who simply craves a workload with that type of academic intensity, a cv others who simply choose not to spend their entire time studying. Be very sure it’s the right campus for what you are looking for. There is really not anything around the town, and certainly the drive there is simply hours and hours of nothing but corn.
That being said, we did on our own visit during discover weekend back last fall, and the one thing to note is that it is what my daughter describes as a very hipster type of campus. There is a certain look to the students as a whole, which is very different from what we saw on other campuses. I’ll leave it at that.
^What do you mean by a “certain look”? Just curious. My D has not visited but very interested in the school. It got on our radar after hearing really good things about the academics and social enviornment.
My son is a clean cut polo wearing freshman as is his roommate, but what I think @TytoAlba means is a very alternative look (boys with make-up, lots of piercing, etc). What I noticed at Grinnell is a student body that is accepting of all types of kids no matter where they fall on whatever spectrum. Diversity was very important to my son in his college search and even though he is very liberal he ruled out some other very liberal schools because he felt only very liberal views would be accepted.
As far as academics, DS has been challenged and works hard, but in addition to an on-campus job he has more time for socializing and activities then he did in HS. Not to say he does not do school work over the weekends, just that he does not do school work non-stop.
I strongly recommend visiting Grinnell if possible before making any decisions. It is a special place full of kindness, integrity and intensity.
Yes, I know colleges are everything goes, but it was the only school we visited where there were boys wearing dresses (purple satin as I recall) in the cafeteria and every imaginable piercing and hair color. I know this is not unusual for colleges, and I am not judging but it sort of stood out in a way we noticed more here than other small LACs we saw. It’s just the thing you notice as a parent.
So does anyone know a for sure date for when the decisions come out?
Online on Saturday, letters sent Friday.
@philosophie Can I ask what your information is based on? Any idea around what time it’ll be posted on Saturday?
Hey Everyone Could anyone be willing to give my essays a read? My scores werent that great (31 ACT and 3.92 GPA) but I believe my essay was pretty good. Just want a point of view of someone other than my counselor
OK, since you are asking on multiple threads, I will go ahead and provide some honest feedback if you like.
Our S fell in love with Grinnell after his overnight visit, and is very happy to have been admitted EDII. He is about as average a looking and dressing guy as you’d ever see in a H.S. Tall, blond, former athlete, (who should probably exercise more) but really likes his robotics and academic bowl teams! He wears t-shirts and button downs, when he’s feeling like dressing up a bit. Not at all a hipster or alt type kid. We are from a upper middle class neighborhood, outside a large Midwestern city, and he had an amazing time with his overnight host, who was a lower-income young man of color from a city in the Southwest. S is rather shy, but he said that he really came out of his shell at Grinnell, and felt comfortable talking to the very wide variety of students he met during his stay. He really liked the campus and the classes he sat in on, but it was the kids he met during his stay that really sealed the deal for him!
Good luck to everyone, on their admissions decisions! Keep an eye on the Grinnell Twitter account. That is how we found out EDII decisions were coming for sure. I don’t have any specific info about RD, but S got info on his portal the same day as the letters went in the mail. So maybe Friday late afternoon/early evening?!