<p>I have been accepted to Grinnell and Carleton. I'm interested in pursuing science, particularly biology. I would like to visit both schools but I don't know if that will happen. If I can't swing a visit, what are your thoughts about deciding between the two?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/grinnell-college/570938-carleton-grinnell.html?highlight=carleton[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/grinnell-college/570938-carleton-grinnell.html?highlight=carleton</a></p>
<p>I think this thread sums it up. Both great schools, more alike than different. It’s finally a matter of personal preference.</p>
<p>I wanted to add that S is a sciences guy too. He says the faculty are outstanding in bio and chem-his favorite subjects. He’s connected socially with several of them and after only 3 semesters. As mentioned elsewhere, faculty advising and mentoring is one of Grinnell’s great strengths. It probably helps to explain the unusually high number of Phd candidates the school produces.</p>
<p>One thing that turned him off re Carleton was their writing requirement. The freshman tutorial, Grinnell’s only required class (and you can pick which of the many you want including a lot of science topics) is writing intensive but after that, it’s up to you. He loves that Grinnell has no distribution requirements, so he can really dive into his sciences (although, to be fair, he has taken some a few humanities courses too-there’s a lot of interesting classes even for science afficionados).</p>
<p>The science facilities at Grinnell (in fact, most of the facilities) are new and state-of-the-art: Better than a Carleton which he also visited and liked. And that endowment means there is a lot of money for student research and paid internships. We attended some of the poster sessions during Family Weekend and were impressed by the quality and range of research being done. </p>
<p>We also really like that there is an observatory on campus, so if you are into astronomy, that’s pretty unique. One of the advantages of being in a very rural location is the absence of light pollution.</p>
<p>My son chose Grinnell over Carleton and 8 other wonderful schools, but many students choose Carleton over Grinnell. M’s Mom sums things up nicely. Grinnell’s larger endowment does mean better facilities and money to fund unpaid internships. I also get the feeling that Grinnell brings more speakers and entertainment options to the campus. They are both incredible schools and both great in sciences. My son felt that the students at Grinnell were more unconventional in their thinking than Carleton students and he liked that. I think the student body is a bit more diverse at Grinnell. We did get to visit both campuses twice and we loved them both. In the end, you can only choose one. You can not go wrong with either choice.</p>
<p>I agree that both are great schools, although I thought Grinnell’s facilities were superior. </p>
<p>Maybe this does not apply to you, MilesD92, but if you are not eligible for need-based aid look carefully at the cost. Carleton has cost $5,000 more per year than Grinnell over the past several years. (I couldn’t find Carleton’s COA for next year on its website, but it cost $50,250 in 09-10 vs. $45,000 for Grinnell.) Factor in the merit aid that many of Grinnell’s students receive and a middle-class kid could attend Grinnell for $10,000-$20,000 less per year than Carleton. </p>
<p>While I think Northfield, Minnesota’s location is better than Grinnell, Iowa’s, it’s not THAT much better.</p>
<p>Both are top notch and you can’t go wrong. I would agree with what dairy state K8 said in that the overall cost of attending Carleton is 5k more per year(20k) and Grinnell offers a lot more in the way of merit aid, which really adds up if you get it. </p>
<p>Regardless, congrats to you and good luck!</p>
<p>So MilesD92, which did you pick? I know someone who went to Carleton and she has two sisters who went to Grinnell. She talks all the time about how much worse the weather is in Northfield (which doesn’t matter to me at all really). Her Carleton roommate was from Brazil and she claims she didn’t go outside at all during the winter term except to get to classes and meals.</p>
<p>The winters in Grinnell are not exactly a picnic either!</p>