<p>I've been looking through the threads on Grinnell and it seems like a really great school. </p>
<p>But then there's the location.... I'm not bothered at all by the weather. But I'm not sure about it being so rural. I guess this problem could apply to a lot of the other rural LACs I'm looking at. Basically, I've only ever lived in a city. I'm open to a rural environment but how on earth am I supposed to know whether I could tolerate it being rural without having ever lived in a rural environment? It's kind of frustrating. How do I know whether I would like an environment if I've never experienced it? Any suggestions or comments are appreciated!</p>
<p>One way to think about it is how much do you use your urban amenities right now? If you spend a lot of time in the city and socialize there now, thrive on change and variety (you want to be able to choose from 10 theater productions and 50 restaurants, not just two), or would feel stifled if you couldn’t get away regularly from your classmates, then rural is probably not a great idea. </p>
<p>I think that kids who do best at rural LACs tend to be very flexible and people-focused: They don’t care which theater production they see so long as their friends are in it, they can eat at the same restaurant in town 10 times in a year because the company matters more than the food, and even if they weren’t originally interested in an activity, they will give it shot because their friends are doing it.</p>
<p>Grinnell will keep you very busy: They have the money to bring interesting people to campus. They run trips to other cities. Des Moines and Iowa City are only an hour away. And the student body is selected because they are demonstrably not by-standers: They participate in sports, music, arts…all the things at contribute to a vibrant community. But ultimately, this is a very personal choice and understandably feels risky to those of us from urban areas who are used to having lots of options.</p>
<p>when we visited on Accepted Students Day, we spoke to a student who was from New York City, who had the same apprehensions, but enjoyed it very much. When I went to college oh so many years ago, I went to a rural LAC and found that life gets so focused on the campus community that it is like living in a bubble – which is the way many students do describe life at an LAC. </p>
<p>I think that you can look at from the perspective that you will have your whole life to live in a city, but may never again have the opportunity to live among such a tight-knit community.</p>
<p>Only you can say. Many Grinnell students are from cities and/or international. It is such an intersting mix of people! Lots of activities, but not so many restaurant choices. Academically. you could not do better.</p>
<p>Alright thanks for the input! Right now I DO go to different restaurants and different movie theaters. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be able to deal with fewer choices… It’s just so hard to know when you’ve never lived in a rural location!</p>
<p>If you keep an eye on the Grinnell website, you will see how many speakers, art exhibits and performers pass through. It is certainly rural, but what the guidebooks say about the cosmopolitan feel on campus seems to be true.</p>
<p>Your college years are a great time to try something new. It’s easy enough to change your locale if you don’t like rural and midwestern, because of course you will be moving on in four years anyway. As a native of the upper midwest, I attended college in the deep south. While I opted to head north again after graduation, it was a great experience. It also made me appreciate all the good things about my home state. </p>
<p>I hope you can visit campus because I think you will find that what the others have said is very true–there is always a ton of stuff happening on campus.</p>