<p>I thought that grinnell was my first choice, but then i got accepted to the university of chicago.
the things i'm having trouble deciding are:
a) liberal arts vs national university
b) small town feel vs cultural diversity(chicago the city is supposedly fantastic)
c) family connection(i have relatives extremely close to grinnell) vs "seeing the world" and getting out and away from the little box i live in</p>
<p>i come from a tiny town in colorado with 5,000 people and my high school has just over 600 students. the colorado thing makes weather a non-issue, and i'm used to living in a place without a lot of activity like grinnell.
so, is it better to go with the smaller school that would be more familiar to me, or better to go get a real life shock at a really great school completely out of my comfort zone?</p>
<p>anyone else coming from a small place and regret going some where bigger? or regret staying within their comforts?</p>
<p>Have you visited both? My son was very interested in UChicago, but he fell in love with Grinnell and is now going to be attending. What are you looking for? Do you like large class sizes or small? What do you want to major in? Big school/small school are only some issues. Which school feels right to you???</p>
<p>I think they’re SO different the only way you can really judge is to visit both and just see which you like best. Congratulations on your acceptance!</p>
<p>A major city like Chicago has its pluses, but it also has some minuses you are unlikely to encounter in and around Grinnell like street crime. Stumble into the wrong neighborhood and you’re in trouble. I lived in a Chicago suburb and commuted into the city. My brother still lives there. And sometimes a big cosmopolitan city can be lonely as hell. It sounds almost counterintuitive, but it’s like a huge college campus. I went to grad school at U of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Giant campus. Tens of thousands of students. I was never lonelier. What happens is there are so many people that you wind up forming cliques just to make sure you have someone you recognize to talk to. </p>
<p>I realize U of Chicago isn’t the size of Michigan, but it’s a lot bigger than Grinnell. Moreover, going to school in a city to me isn’t as much fun as being “stuck” on a college campus in a small town. You assume it will be more fun because there are more things to do. I went to undergrad in NYC. To this day I regret my decision and wish I had gone to a small school in the midwest. Who has money to go to Broadway shows when you’re a college student with loans up the wazoo? And if you’re wealthy and have the money, how many of your classmates can afford to go with you? It’s pointless. Not to mention terrible parking issues IF you have a car, worrying about street crime while taking mass transit if you don’t have a car, homeless people and panhandlers on the corners. I grew up in an urban environment and now hate urban environments. They are a major pain in the keyster.</p>
<p>I know, you grew up in a small town so the grass looks greener in a different environment. Trust me, it isn’t. Go to Grinnell. Or, at least don’t pick Chicago because of location. Pick it because the university has what you want and need. Visit. I’m sure the campus cultures are different. Figure out which one fits you better.</p>
<p>when I got in college and decided on the college to attend, people were saying, “why are you going to that college, it doesn’t prepare you for the real world, it is not in a city environment”</p>
<p>My response:</p>
<p>“I would not mind going to college for four years in an environment that is like paradise. I will have plenty of time to live in a big city once I graduate”</p>
<p>Plainsman–holy crud. fantastic advice. i’m actually visiting next week so that’s good. safety is huge for me and i HATE feeling paranoid and scared so i’m definitely going to be thinking hard about that before i choose. maybe urban environments should just stick to being vacation places for me…</p>
<p>JohnAdams12–yeah i was kind of thinking the same thing. since i can only go to grinnell for undergrad, why not do that and then go to some big university for graduate school? you can’t switch the order to be the other way around!</p>
<p>My son picked Grinnell over some other big schools including Chicago because it felt right to him. He could envision himself making lots of friends and they do bring in a lot of stuff that is FREE, FREE, FREE!!! The emphasis at a school like Grinnell is one of a close knit community. You will never have TA’s teaching you and your class sizes will be some of the smallest in the country. You will develop deep relationships with your professors. You will not have to worry about crime and or having enough money to do things. The facilities in my opinion are much nicer at Grinnell. Of course they are on a smaller scale due to the fact that it’s a smaller school, but what they have is top notch. Grinnells endowment is par second to none. They have money, but don’t flaunt it in a snooty way. We loved the people we met while visiting and doing an overnight in a dorm. The people seem to genuinely care about you. My son made friends that he already keeps in close contact with. The jocks there are as smart as everyone else in the school and are respected. They have self governance and the students are very involved in the culture of the school. The grounds are beautiful and the air is clean. They have great research opportunities as well. Grinnell ranks in the top 1% of all schools for future PHD’s… I could go on and on. We are very excited for our son to start in the fall. GRINNELL IS GREAT!!!</p>
<p>Next week most students will be off campus as they are on spring break. Otherwise I’d suggest that you talk to my son. Grinnell and Chicago are both great schools. One major difference that hasn’t been mentioned yet is core curriculum. Grinnell only requires the first year tutorial (and then whatever you need for your major). I believe Chicago has 15 required courses. Which you prefer, OP, is up to you. My son has loved the freedom of taking exactly the classes he wanted to take. Students are closely advised there and he has taken a wide variety of courses because he wanted to. The free activities that are brought to campus are unbelievable. I wish you could visit when the students are on campus. What the two schools have in common is academic excellence. You just need to decide your “best fit” environment.</p>
<p>I think you should go where you think you’d be happiest and not pick your college because getting out of your comfort zone is something you “should” do. I agree that you will have plenty of time to live in a city, but only once to enjoy the liberal arts college environment.</p>
<p>I have nothing against Grinnell–believe me. From what I know, it’s a great school, and it’s on my own child’s list. I just need to step in and say something in defense of Chicago.</p>
<p>I live and work in the Chicago area, and grew up here. I have raised a child here (we live in a close-in suburb, but we have traipsed ALL over the city and often enough have found ourselves in what might be considered “bad” neighborhoods). Truthfully, I have never, ever, ever felt threatened, even when I was regularly hanging out with a boyfriend who lived in a not-so-great neighborhood. Okay, I’ve had my car windows broken a couple of times. Whatev. My point is that Chicago IS big–but it’s not scary. In the normal course of getting around the city, it would take some doing to accidentally find yourself in a sketchy neighborhood. Sure, it would take some getting used to if you’re from a small town–but people really are nice here (it’s still the Midwest). And what’s great about Chicago, if you’re willing to go off the beaten path a bit, is that there are dozens of great neighborhoods to explore, all with their own, distinct feel.</p>
<p>As for U. of C. itself: The University, and Hyde Park, are sort of worlds unto themselves. I was just on the campus a couple of weeks ago for a theatre performance. The campus is simply beautiful, in a “I’m an old distinguished institution of higher education” sort of way. It feels like college. I know several wonderful people who have gone there (my current boyfriend is one), and they’re all among the funniest, smartest, most interesting people I know.</p>
<p>My son is in his third year at Grinnell. He was accepted to U of Michigan and would have been list there. He was also accepted to Kalamazoo which is similar in size to Grinnell but not in facilities. The Grinnell lunch room reminds me of a buffet at the Ritz Carlton.</p>
<p>The staff and support systems are a parent’s dream come true. They care about the students and my son has developed close friendships that I know will be life long relationships. The financial aid staff is also great and they are very flexible and truly try to accommodate the students and their families.</p>
<p>I do not know U of Chicago. From a surrounding town perspective, Chicago is an awesome town to be young and single in. I would personally go nuts living in Grinnell because the sidewalks roll up at 9PM, but that is just me.</p>
<p>Another thing you need to consider is travel costs. You have to fly out of Cedar Rapids or Des Moines when leaving Grinnell and there are never deals on the air fare.</p>
<p>If you can take a small town atmosphere, you can’t beat Grinnell as a school in my opinion. The freedom of class selection is unique. Finding this hidden gem was a blessing to my son. The school is truly shaping his life.</p>
<p>Visit both–I don’t think you can go wrong at either school.</p>
<p>I’d like to back up claims about the many free activities. My D is in her second year at Grinnell and loves being there. Right now she is doing a service project for her spring break. She had to only come up with $100.00 for the ten days at the project. Grinnell covered the rest. She is returning to campus early from the project for “A Just Grinnell” training several days before the break ends. All of the food, break lodging, etc is covered by the college. This past fall, she attended a second year student retreat at no cost. The retreat was held in a very nice hotel in downtown Des Moines.</p>
<p>My husband and I laugh that she is probably the only college kid in our community that always comes home with more money than she began a semester with (she lifeguards at Grinnell for $).</p>
<p>My daughter feels that the small town keeps her from being distracted by the callings a big city would offer. She does, however, plan to attend graduate school in a big city!</p>
<p>I would love to get appected to both of these schools!!
I live in Chicago, and you can find a lot to do with your time!!
On the other hand, I visited Iowa this sumer, and I loved how peaceful it was?</p>
<p>Do you mind sharing stats on what it takes to get into both of these schools?</p>
<p>whAT EC WERE YOU INVOLVED IN?</p>
<p>I am a sohomore but I would love to hear from someone who already got accepted to both of these schools!</p>
<p>My sense is that fit is important, not just stats, particularly for a small, isolated college like Grinnell. Do what ECs YOU are interested in, and let your passion show through. They’ll want to be sure that kids are going to contribute to the campus community, even if it’s a unique activity.</p>
<p>I agree with SDonCC, fit is in my opinion the very most important thing. Who wants to go to a school if they don’t feel like they fit in. What EC’s are you involved in? What do you want to do in college outside of going to class each day?</p>
<p>Fit is very important and after accepted students day (her 3rd visit) at U Chicago my D felt it was not a great fit. Prospective biology classmates were extremely competitive, the head of music was dismissive of jazz. By contrast, Grinnell was perfect fit. Location was not an issue: she was comfortable in big cities and small towns. She’s very happy she chose Grinnell for undergraduate work, and expects to apply to UC for law. D loved her 4 years in Grinnell where the main attraction is the other students. Friendly, Kind, quirky. Never bored. Music everywhere. We love that her good friends include several faculty and floor mates from her first year. It seems many of her friends had sibs who also chose Grinnell. Her brother will start his Grinnell adventure in August. I don’t recall any discussion of facilities but she did have some interesting internships. Bottom line: it was the people that made it such a memorable experience which is why a visit is important.</p>