Congrats! Great outcome!
Now that your student is set, maybe you’ll have some insight for the high need LGBT student posting about Dartmouth, Duke or Grinnell … The OP seems to have gone missing in the face of relentless, heated discussion about NC law impact
@citymama9: All I have to go on is two days of visiting, and I’d say I saw relatively few kids I’d characterize as preppy (though there were certainly some), definitely a fair contingent of hipsterish/artsy, but really most just “relaxed.” They looked like college kids, no particular style one way or another, just comfortable. Also generally speaking very friendly and open.
@Midwestmomofboys I’m not familiar with the thread, but if I had (or were) an LGBT kid, my vote would go to Grinnell. Just seemed like a very accepting open place. My impressions of Duke and Dartmouth are pretty dated, but it’s hard to imagine that they’d be more accepting than Grinnell.
Congrats @lexluthor5 we loved Grinnell although my D decided it was too small for her
@porcupine98 That sounds perfect actually. Did it seem like it has a “midwestern vibe”? I think the perfect campus has a mixture of students with the majority being friendly and down to earth.
Congratulations. I am sure she will have a fantastic academic career at Grinnell.
Good luck to her!
I think @porcupine98 's assessment is right on. They all just looked like regular kids. Maybe a few preppy, but very few, certainly some colored hair and piercings, but mostly everyone was just comfortable in their own skin and not worried about impressing anyone else. Lots of leggings, jeans and even sweatpants. Interesting, I got that same vibe from the alumni we met at the event last week in NYC. And yes, everyone was incredibly nice. We happened to be sitting with an international student working on her computer at breakfast. When my D was in the bathroom, she asked if she was a prospect and said if she had any questions at all, please ask and she’d be happy to answer.
@lexluthor5 Very excited for your daughter! As you know I’m a big fan of the school and am grateful that my D can spend her college years there. She is too. Just making the offer again to answer any questions via pm – my D could help too.
@citymama9 I’d say @lexluthor5 is spot on with his interpretation of the student body. And yes, very Midwestern.
@porcupine98 - So what did your son think of Grinnell? Sounds like he has several great schools from which to choose. Good luck to him!
@uncommondad - My S and I will be at the Accepted Students event next weekend too. Will you be traveling far? We are within driving distance. Since it involves a Monday, and our S17 has the ACT on Tuesday, along with a speech team banquet, my other son and H can’t come with us. Hoping to meet other parents who are attending on their own, otherwise I’ll be in the library getting my own work done!
Maybe @lexluthor5 or @porcupine98 could advise how busy they keep the parents. And when does the Monday schedule generally wrap up?
Good luck on your Ds decision @Booajo! As I recall from the Parents of 2016 thread, she is attending a much larger but awesome school! Maybe closer to home, as well? It is great that she considered such a wide variety of options. S16 was total set on small LAC, but S17 is open to nearly all size schools (which will make coming up with “the list” more difficult!)
Thanks!
Oh, and BIG congratulations to @lexluthor5’s D for making her decision! What a process you and she have been through. Thanks for sharing your journey!
@lexluthor5 - We may have seen you this weekend. S and I just got back from the accepted students event at Grinnell. On the drive home from the airport he asked me if it was too late to cancel our other accepted school visits. So I’m thinking it’s settled.
We got in late afternoon on Sunday. S and I separated as soon as we got there and he went off for the overnight. I caught glimpses of him over the next day and he was always smiling, chatting, and embedded in a happy group of kids. I knew this was significant because S can be a loner and introvert. It takes him years to make friends but last night he was referring the students and admitted students he met as “my friends”.
The class visits are what sealed the deal for him though.
@morningside95 - I arrived (just me) on Sunday night for the parents reception. Met the nicest group of parents I’ve yet met on any visit and hung out with several of them on and off over the next day. I think that more parents attended on their own than not. I stayed pretty busy with tours and panel discussions on Monday but I also had time for coffee and nice chats with other parents. We had to leave a bit after 2pm but they were keeping really well to the published schedule so I expect things finished up around 3 or 4.
What @otterma said. Nicest group of parents I’ve encountered in any college context (and I’m an introvert and don’t usually mingle that readily) and my kid (similar) seemed happy too.
Registration started at 3:30 on Sunday, and there was a tour opportunity (first of several) at 4:15), then a parents’ reception from 5:30-6:30 (with a parallel thing for kids), and then parents were free to go.
Monday they kept us busy rrom 8:20 to 3 (with lunch and option of a 7am breakfast). Everything was worthwhile.
Fantastic news for your S @Otterma! Glad to hear he had such a wonderful visit to Grinnell, and hopefully it will be his choice of a future home, at least for 4 years.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Unlike my (also introverted) son, I am more of an extrovert, so it’s good to hear that it was easy for you to meet other parents. My S already committed to Grinnell, but we are still participating in the A.S. program and a meet & greet here in MN, to meet other prospective students & parents. I suggested to my S that he consider connecting with any student who may be a good match as a roommate. I hear that the students are pretty active on the Grinnell 2020 FB page too, so your S should consider joining, if he has not already. Whatever way it goes, my S is very low key, and will do fine with anyone, as long at they don’t like to get up at the crack of dawn! (
Welcome all future Grinnellians! =D>
@citymama9 - Will your student be attending Accepted Students program this weekend? Have they joined the 2020 FB page?
@morningside95 LOL. I think you have me confused with someone else. My daughter still has a way to go, before applying, but I am learning so much here. Grinnell is sounding like a real gem.
I think @porcupine98 covered the program pretty well. They kept us busy. Figure you can make dinner at 6:30 and the last session Monday from was a set up with teachers from all different majors. You can figure you can get out of there quickly if you need. My D really enjoyed the 2 classes she sat on and seem like she met and talked to lots of kids, but prospects and students. The dining hall was very nice as well and food was pretty good. I did notice people constantly cleaning the areas. Bookstore didn’t have the greatest selection, but I figured that would be the case. We found lots of stuff to buy nonetheless.
D posted the official commit on facebook today, so she was very excited as are her friends for her.
I’ve signed up for the Grinnell parents listserv, not that I know what that is.
Also, I’m a bit of a crazy planner, so I’ve already booked travel plans for August, September and for D for back home October. Direct flights will probably never be feasible, but for all 3 times, Southwest was the best option, so I guess that makes it a little easier. Rental cars out of Des Moines are relatively cheap, so that’s good too.
Congrats to other Grinnell families and we look forward to meeting some of you in August.
Congrats to people who choose other great school and good luck to people yet to choose.
Happy to answer any other questions.
We have a decision. We are joining in the GRINNELL crowd. DD announced her decision today. After 25 college visits to 15 different colleges, 10 applications, 8 acceptances, 6 scholarship offers and 6 overnight visits, she has chosen Grinnell. My husband and I are both Grinnell alumni, so we are very pleased and of course proud. Of course she couldn’t accept Grinnell as a good option based on her parents’ experience. She had to check everything out on her own. This school is also our most expensive option. Sigh.
Congrats to everyone whose student has chosen Grinnell. Glad to hear everyone enjoyed their campus visit. As an alum, I can tell you that Grinnell is a very special place!
Congratulations, momtodd, to you and yours!
Happy Grinnell Day to everybody whose D or S has chosen to attend this lovely school, or who are still considering it! How fun for you and your H, @momtodd!
A lot of alums married from my college too! It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on how things have changed, or not changed at Grinnell, since you were both students.
Thank you for the information about the schedule during the Accepted Students program.sounds like I won’t be the only parent there on my own. Unfortunately the forecast is currently for rain on Sunday and Monday, but things change quickly here on the plains of the upper Midwest!
Sorry about my confusion, @citymama9! Do you have a 2017, or 2018 future graduate? Thanks to @lexluthor5 and others, this is turned into a very good thread about several great schools in the Midwest and, what I would call the western half of the East Coast. Good luck to you and your student through this process! I’m on to helping my S17 now, while we are settling things for S16 at Grinnell.
Hope to stay in touch through this thread, and gather a group of CC parents during move-in time in August! You are so organized @lexluthor5, it’s amazing! My H hardly knows what’s going on during this whole college search process. He knows I take over anyway, and just goes with the flow!! :)>-
I actually changed the plans for August. We are going to drive to Chicago after the D goes on her way to students only things. We’ll spend 2 nights there and then fly home Monday night from Chicago. I’ve been to Chicago once, but only on business so didn’t see much and my wife and D15 have never been there at all. We’ll probably do a trip to St. Louis one of the other years as I went to Wash U there and haven’t been back in some time and none of the rest of the family has ever been there.
Feeling a bit jealous of all you folks participating in the Grinnell love-fest. I was super impressed with the place when I visited with my son, but he couldn’t get past the middle-of-Iowa thing, which is a shame. Best of luck to all the kids attending this outstanding LAC!