Wait what? Free music lessons? Tell me more, @listener76 Also, everything @lexluthor5 said.
Free weekly instrument or vocal lessons for all students (don’t have to be a major- new next fall- they had a sign on the music faculty’s booth. Faculty was generous in there encouragement to S and gave him contact information for the vocal music director and he will be following up tomorrow. @Otterma, thanks for the input on the music department from your son . Thank you as well for clarification on the honors program. It sounds very nice ( I like it when everyone’s on the same footing!)
Grinnell Admitted Student Day was exceptinally well run. Really got a sense of community, it was really nice. For anyone in the future debating going to Admitted Student Day, you really must. We had attended Colby Admitted Student Day on Friday and it sure was useful to go back,to,back. The difference,between the two admit days was fairly stark.
I was blown away by Grinnell’s emphasis on advising, it is so clear that they care about the individual.
Our son looked at 5 Ivy League schools, 5 NESCAC schools (Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin etc.), Swarthmore, Haverford, Davidson, Elon, Kenyon and Dickinson.
He ended up applying to 7 schools…with Amherst and Grinnell his top choices. He was accepted at several schools and wait listed at Amherst and Harvard.
Today he told me he wants to be a Grinellian and that he was going to take his name off the Amherst and Harvard wait lists.
Thanks to all four your insights and advice, I am so glad I found this thread.
Awesome @boerboer!! Welcome to the Grinnellian family!! :-bd
Congratulations @boerboer! As the parent of a very happy Grinnellian, I can tell you that if a kid knows it’s the right choice, it’s really the right choice. (And my I felt the same way about Admitted Students day … and every single other interaction I’ve ever had with the school since.) The only serious downside so far, nearly a year into our experience, is the travel from our location, but eventually you get into the groove. (Can’t recall if you mentioned your location, but you’ll figure it out.)
@boerboer Congrats to your son! I had started a post the other day and then didn’t finish it, about the Men’s Soccer program. My kid loved Coach “Jaws” (Jaworski), as did we, his parents. He is a warm, caring man, and the guys on the team are down-to-earth, non-pretentious – just like any other Grinnell student! Grinnell doesn’t seem to do a lot of the traditional recruiting camp process, at least Jaws didn’t the year my kid was on the market, so I suspect that he looks to expand his roster with RD and walk-ons. If your student is interested in playing, he should email Coach Jaws to start that conversation. Walk ons may be invited to preseason training, which usually means move-in about 7 days before the rest of the freshman, and is great for bonding etc. Grinnell is an amazing place, I only wish one of my kids had wound up there!
@Midwestmomofboys thx for the soccer advice. So glad to hear your impression of the coach as a person. Indeed our son contacted the coach and is now on the soccer distribution list so that he can keep up with summer conditioning prior to arriving on the scene for the first time.
@porcupine98 thx porcupine for all of your comments. Yes. The travel from Boston is a royal pain. But, on the way home yesterday we connected through Detroit which sped things up a bit
Congrats to the Grinnell class of 2021!
@boerboer Coach Jaws was one of the kindest, most decent coaches we met with, out of 15 or so soccer programs. His affection for his players was obvious, and the discipline and expectations of decency for his team were clear.
@Midwestmomofboys - my son (class of 2022) from NYC is likely getting recruited by Coach Jaws. My son has applied ED already.
Can someone please advise how it works with a new freshman? When are they expected to arrive to Grinnell for pre-season? Does the student go themselves, and then the parent(s) follow a few days later for orientation day?
You will get all of the details about when and where to arrive in the late spring. I think most parents with first year students in early programs go to the early move-in but it’s no big deal either way. Do what works best for your family. The school runs shuttles from the Des Moines airport to pick up students arriving early for jobs and official activities.
My son attended a program that started a few days before his first year move-in. I wasn’t able to go out early so he went by himself and I came for the regular move-in events. It was fine.