<p>where would you go? why? </p>
<p>pros/cons of each?</p>
<p>anyone? </p>
<p>10char</p>
<p>if finances were equal, i’d pick wesleyan because of the location.</p>
<p>hmmm.</p>
<p>anyone else?</p>
<p>Are you currently trying to decide between the two. I suppose there are few things to consider.</p>
<p>How important is name recognition/prestige? Both schools are great. Also, both schools are smaller and not as well-known as bigger schools (Brown, Cornell, etc) internationally. That being said, I think Wesleyan may have the edge when it comes to prestige.</p>
<p>Location: Neither is in an urban location, though G is more secluded and rural I believe.</p>
<p>And what about the student body? While both student bodies are liberal-minded, I think Wesleyan has a rep for being very liberal, activist, and quirky.</p>
<p>More people have heard of Wesleyan than Grinnell, if you care about name recognition.</p>
<p>It’s nice to be able to drive to college, intead of having to fly there all the time.</p>
<p>
People who have heard of Wesleyan also know about Grinnell.</p>
<p>Also doesn’t Grinnell have a lot fewer students? And maybe, consequently, fewer courses offered? Based on my D1s experience, I would personally lean towards the bigger (of these both small) school, both socially and course-wise; especially if you’re coming in with lots of AP credits.</p>
<p>Both are outstanding schools, evenly matched in almost every way. I don’t buy the argument that Wesleyan has a “prestige” advantage; that may be true in the Northeast but it’s not true nationally. Wesleyan is definitely better known in the Northeast, but Grinnell is probably better known in the Midwest (including Chicago) where it’s extremely well-respected, roughly on a par with Carleton for top Midwestern LAC. When my Midwestern daughter tells her Midwestern friends she’s considering Wesleyan, they assume it’s a small religious college in the middle of nowhere; many have heard of Illinois Wesleyan or Iowa Wesleyan, very few have heard of plain vanilla “Wesleyan” which they assume is in the same category as the Wesleyans they do know, but they all know about Grinnell. Outside the Northeast and Midwest, I frankly don’t think either school is particularly well known, except in academic circles.</p>
<p>You can get a great education at either school. Here are some relevant differences. With 2,800 students, Wesleyan is almost twice the size of Grinnell. Size has advantages and disadvantages. Wes fans claim it’s small enough to be intimate like other LACs (even though it’s pushing the outer limits of what counts as a LAC), yet big enough to offer a richer curriculum than smaller LACs like Grinnell. Others prefer smaller and more intimate.</p>
<p>Grinnell offers merit scholarships. Wesleyan doesn’t. Both claim to meet 100% of financial need, and their need-based FA stats appear to be extremely similar; but for some students, the merit aid at Grinnell is a big draw. More generally, Grinnell has one of the highest endowments-per-student of any LAC which generally translates into generous support for academic programs, study abroad, and so on. Wesleyan isn’t poor, but it probably can’t match Grinnell’s capacity to spend.</p>
<p>Then there’s location. Grinnell is in a tiny town surrounded by cornfields. That’s probably its biggest disadvantage in the eyes of many prospective students, and the single biggest factor keeping it out of the top 10 LACs. Some people don’t mind; some even like the relatively isolated location, and the way it keeps students focused on campus life. Wesleyan is in a small, somewhat dumpy old New England industrial city. Lots of Wes students think Middletown has a certain gritty charm; others just don’t see it. Location is in some ways Wesleyan’s biggest disadvantage, too, though my East Coast-oriented D would say the bigger town and East Coast location give Wes a locational advantage over Grinnell. Wesleyan is certainly much closer to major urban centers like NY and Boston, though transportation connections to those places are surprisingly bad (no train service, and I believe no direct bus service) and my impression is most Wes students stay on campus most of the time, rarely venturing to NY or Boston, so exactly what that proximity buys you is an open question.</p>
<p>But overall, I’m a huge fan of both schools.</p>
<p>One of these days, Grinnell is going to hire me to do their PR. In the meantime, here’s the pitch I make whenever someone asks ‘Why Grinnell’:</p>
<p>"We visited 10 (yes, 10!) small liberal arts schools, including Middlebury, Pomona, Carleton, and Oberlin. Grinnell was low on my list because Iowa seemed so…foreign, if you are from a major metropolitan area on the east or west coast. I’m not going to tout the stuff that all these schools can tout: smart kids, engaging faculty, lots of research and overseas study opportunities, etc…These are the things that set Grinnell apart in our minds (in no particular order):</p>
<p>1) The smallest class sizes or any LAC, which means more faculty contact. Even the intro classes, which are generally 50-70 students at the other schools, are only 25-30 at Grinnell.
2) No distribution requirements, not because they are being slack, but because the advising is personalized. There’s no ‘pick one from column A and two from column B’ because a faculty advisor works with you to figure out what makes the most sense.
3) Amazing facilities compared to the other LACs: Everyone knows they have an extraordinary endowment (Thank you Warren Buffet!), but what that translates into is VERY nice facilities.
4) ‘Hands on’ approach to science: Emphasis on lab and field work-not just lectures and problems sets. And they have the facilities to support it.
5) Walk on sports teams: My son is a good all-round athlete but, at his large public high school, never quite good enough to make the team. At Grinnell, he’s playing all kinds of sports.
6) Financial Aid including Merit Aid: They were very generous with our son. We are appreciative.
7) The culture: Not preppy, not jock, not self-consciously ‘artsy.’ No frats. No intellectual posturing. It’s didn’t feel as slick and self-promoting as some schools. A strong work ethic. We found the ‘Ivy wannabe’ vibe at some LACs in the northeast off-putting.
8) Rabidly loyal and enthusiastic alums. We spoke to eight of them: Every single one of them raved about the experience. Every single one of them offered to be a resource and offered to put him in touch with other alums in his areas of interest.
9) Sheer un-ironic niceness. Coming from the suburbs of a large metropolitan area, it’s noteworthy.
10) Incredibly accessible faculty. He often ends up engaged in conversations with his profs outside of class. You can tell they like to teach undergrads.
11) After talking to his friends at other schools, we really like the way Grinnell handles registration for classes. At so many schools, freshmen get whatever is left over after the upperclassmen register. At Grinnell, they have rounds, so everyone gets their first or second pick, even if the classes are small.
12) He’s also glad to be on the semester system. Friends on the trimester system report that they are always studying for either mid-terms or finals…</p>
<p>Are there drawbacks? Sure. It’s rural. Yes, Des Moine and Iowa City are only an hour away. Yes, they bring so many activities onto campus that you can’t do them all. But it’s still rural. If you need a bustling town, if shopping is your sport, Grinnell isn’t it. There are LACs with prettier, and/or more exciting towns. There’s better skiing/hiking elsewhere. The weather will never rival Pomona’s. Every school has assets and resources that distinguish it. You know what you care about." </p>
<p>Pitch over. Why didn’t we look at Wesleyan? Same reason he nixed Macalester. Too urban. S is very into athletics (participating rather than watching) and he wanted a cohesive campus where everyone lived on campus and the social focus would be campus activities.</p>
<p>FWIW, my impression when we visited Wesleyan was actually people do stay on campus, and they have lots of stuff to do there. To be honest, it isn’t real close to anyplace else, to draw people away. Its location is no huge selling point either, IMO. I would hardly call it “urban”. Middletown and Minneapolis/ St. Paul would not be confused by many people.</p>
<p>D1 didn’t like it anyway, but that’s just her. She wouldn’t even look at Grinnell, we’d driven by it on the highway on our way to U Iowa, and that told her all she wanted to know, location-wise. Her loss, quite possibly.</p>
<p>But in the end she wouldn’t have been happy at a school that small, in that location. She even had issues with a larger school, closer to a major city. In terms of course selecion and stuff to do.</p>
<p>On the other hand, where our impressions might be more in accordance are:</p>
<p>“The culture:…No intellectual posturing. …We found the ‘Ivy wannabe’ vibe at some LACs in the northeast off-putting.”</p>
<p>D1 did get a smattering of the vibe you don’t like during her Wesleyan visit, a certain pretentiousness, smug satisfaction with themselves, and this is precisely why she didn’t like it. </p>
<p>But this was a quick impression based on speaking briefly to a mere handful of people there. Quite probably a wrong impression.</p>
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<p>Wesleyan too urban? Wow. </p>
<p>I’ve always liked Wesleyan and the people who go there… kids who are smart enough for Ivys but want something a little quirkier and don’t feel the need to go super name-brand. It’s an excellent school, and a nice campus. But, I can see why some people would get the impression that there’s a level of pretentiosness there.</p>
<p>Tough choice. I’d probably pick Grinnell.</p>
<p>But, I think it depends on the type of person you are… What feels comfortable for you. My sense is that the environment at the two would feel different. M’s Mom has said it all.</p>
<p>Wow. I never thought of looking at Grinnell. I want to go away, but I don’t want to be so far in the middle of nowhere that it’s really tough to get home. How accessible is Grinnell to a major airport or Amtrak? Do they get a lot of students from the East coast? (I’m near Philly)</p>
<p>25-30% of the students come from the east coast (check the website for latest info). S comes from major eastern metro area: There are direct flights from DC (our hometown) and from Philly as well. Grinnell runs a shuttle to and from the airport for students. Note that Grinnell is only an hour from Des Moines and from Iowa City. Middlebury, Colby and Williams are longer drives to urban centers. Bowdoin and Bates are about 45min-l hr to Portland, Maine. Carleton and Oberlin are about an hour from Minneapolis and Cleveland respectively. In short, lots of LACs are about an hour from metro areas.</p>
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<p>True, but the metro areas that Middlebury, Colby, and Williams are close to include Boston, New York City, and Montreal.</p>
<p>Having a son who attends Grinnell, the school should hire M’s Mom to do their PR. Her post says it all perfectly. A first rate and challenging education in a wonderful learning and social environment for those who choose to attend.</p>
<p>Oberlin and Carleton are less than hour from their respective cities, about 40 minutes IIRC.</p>