After being wait listed at all four of my top schools (Bates, Kenyon, Skidmore, and Carleton), I am deciding between Grinnell and Connecticut College for where I will go next year.
I have yet to visit Grinnell—but am planning on attending an admitted students day in a few weeks—and have a few concerns about the school. From what I’ve read, its seems like an awesome place, but I’m worried that it might be too isolated. Though I live in rural upstate New York, I am used to being able to escape to NYC as often as I like. Is there enough to do on campus so that the students don’t get bored? Also, are the students all really nerdy/quirky? I lean more towards the artsy/crunchy side, but want to go to a school that has a good balanced mix of people (hipster, preppy, mainstream, etc.)
In terms of Conn, I visited last spring but only have a vague memory of it. It too seems like a good school, but I am worried that it might be too preppy. Do most students come from New England boarding schools? I am worried that it may not be diverse enough for me, and maybe a bit too sports oriented. Also, what is Conn’s reputation in terms of academics? Is Grinnell really an academically superior school? This is something that is important to me.
All in all, I would be happy to go to either of these schools, and these are only minor concerns. Since I don’t know what I want to study in college, I am not looking for any specific programs, but hope to go to a school that has strong visual arts classes—I believe this is true of both Grinnell and Conn. Lastly, what is the party scene like at each of these schools?
We have visited Grinnell probably 5 times with two kids, and Conn once. Grinnell kids are all over the map, there is no “typical” Grinnell student – there are preppy, nerdy, social justice, athlete, artistic types. Academics are excellent, class size capped at 25 roughly, no gen ed requirements, no greek life, gorgeous facilities, and a town which has its charms-- an excellent organic grocery blocks from campus, a great bike shop, doughnuts, pizza etc. Take our perspective on Conn with a grain of salt since we were only there once, but it seemed more binary – either preppy or artsy, but not a lot of other types of students. The fine arts/visual arts programs at Conn are very impressive, and New London is a whole lot more central than Iowa.
Congrats on your acceptances, and enjoy your visits – take notes so you can remember your observations when you are back home!
This was super, super helpful thank you so much! Will definitely take notes when I visit.
I do not know Grinnell but Conn. College has a beautiful Arboretum right across the street where we sometimes walk.
If you can make time during your visit, check it out.
We’ve been to both. I think Grinnell may be a touch more selective. Nice campus and surrounding environment. Conn to us was the nicer campus overall in terms of aesthetics, not necessarily facilities. As an 18 to 21 year old I’d much prefer Conns location to Grinnell’s in terms of access to other environments, both urban and quaint (NYC vs. Mystic).
There’s an old but sill relevant thread in the Grinnell section that can give you a really solid picture of Grinnell. Yes, it’s an hour away from any metropolitan area but Grinnell has lots of resources and my impression is that Grinnell kids live rich, full lives on campus and do not miss big city life. And it’s a real mix. Unlike other schools we visited, there was a broad range and no one type that stood out. Grinnell has the edge in test scores, selectivity and diversity, if any of those matter. (Check collegedata.com.) Other factors are less measurable, so good thing you’re visiting. (And yes, Grinnell’s more of a pain to get to from upstate NY than Conn College, but other than that, lots of good stuff to consider.)
Enjoy your visit!
Old thread, still relevant.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/grinnell-college/438138-why-grinnell-p1.html