<p>If any first years have questions about Grinnell or move-in, feel free to ask them here! Welcome to the Grinnell family!</p>
<p>Yes, I have a question: My son is an incoming freshman. He is concerned about the work load because he was told by some authority that to expect to only get 3 hours of sleep, and if he is ill that you can only miss two days without getting kicked of the class. I would love to hear from others about the legitimacy of these claims that sound outrageously severe to me.</p>
<p>The workload at Grinnell is intense, but with good time management you should rarely, if ever, need to sleep so little. I have friends who get eight hours of sleep a night, and and some who get less than five hours of sleep a night.</p>
<p>Illness is handled differently by all professors but there is no school-wide policy that I am aware of. Students get sick and professors are aware of this.</p>
<p>You mention “good time management.” What if a student has both work study, plays on a team, and is a biology major. Is it reasonable to think a student could still do well in his or her classes and not get less than 8 hours of rest each night? </p>
<p>I just want to prevent a melt-down if my son is being unrealistic–especially since he has asthma.</p>
<p>If you’re only getting three hours of sleep a night, it’s probably because you’re partying, not because you’re studying too much. You do have to work hard, but still, you have 16 waking hours in a day and class is only going to take up two or three of those hours on a typical day. Manage your time well and you can easily find a few hours of leisure time every day even at a college like Grinnell. Hell week is the only time you might have a really absurd workload.</p>
<p>Also, I’ve never had a class where you could get kicked out for missing class twice. Maybe if you didn’t show up for the first two classes of the semester, but other than that I really doubt it. Of course, it’s going to vary a lot depending on the professor, the size of the class, and how often the class meets, but missing class isn’t the end of the world.</p>
<p>This is very assuring.</p>
<p>There are so many support systems at Grinnell if kids will use them. Students will have time to eat and sleep if they do any planning at all. Yes, it is rigorous, but not impossible. They don’t admit students who can’t do the work, but, again, students need to get the available help if they need it.</p>
<p>West Coach Momo we should talk - my d is in the same situation! Hopefully she won’t need to work as many hours while in season. She’s trying to do a slightly lighter load in the fall but with bio, what is a light load! Feel free to contact me privately.</p>
<p>Thank you Bethievt! I’ve been reading your posts for sometime now and I really appreciate your generosity in sharing your knowledge.</p>
<p>Will do. It’s good to know others have the same issues.</p>
<p>Grinnell is known for its close advising. Your student will choose a tutorial and that prof will be advising him/her for the first 2 years. I think my son met with his advisor 3 times before registering for his first semester of classes. At some point, his advisor “encouraged” , maybe pressured him into taking one science with lab course and I realized in his senior year that he may not have qualified for Phi Beta Kappa without that. My son had never heard of Phi Beta Kappa until then.</p>
<p>Yes, my son will meet with his adviser for the first time tomorrow. How nice that your son got into that prestigious organization Phi Beta Kappa. I just learned about that recently because my friend’s daughter was invited in her last year at UC Berkeley. I am curious if that is a good thing to work towards and whether it worked out as a beneficial/fun organization for your son. Because my first impression on those things are that they are a bit stuffy and pretentious. But what do I know? I’ve never been anywhere near able to qualify to even consider what on earth they are. You have me curious, but only answer if you have time.</p>
<p>My impression is that Phi Beta Kappa is a good thing to have on a resume, especially in the early years post-graduation. There is no need to participate in anything at all and I expect my son won’t. It’s like an honor society, indicating consistent high quality work.</p>
<p>And it’s nice to learn it isn’t a typical fraternal organization, but instead it is an honorary society. I am so thrilled about Grinnell and its social values, and I am certain my son, who is already very socially conscious, will come out of these 4 years a well-rounded world citizen. Fun to witness!</p>
<p>There are no frats or sororities at Grinnell. The PBK initiation happens the week of graduation.</p>