<p>I'm mostly looking to apply to big city schools like NEU and GW, but also a few really small LAC's like Grinnell. I definitely like the busy, active life of a city school, but I know that Grinnell has a ton to do on campus. After four years of living there, would someone like me get bored at Grinnell? Are there regular opportunities to travel to cities at Grinnell? How popular is study abroad? My essential question is whether or not Grinnell is right for me in terms of location; is this an experience that is as good as I make it, or one that is a lost cause? Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Hi–I had to create a new account and rejoin CC to reply, but here I am, atm28vacations. My son did attend Grinnell, loved it, graduated 3 years ago. There is, indeed, so much to do on campus, that he rarely felt the need to leave. Lots of the kids have cars and they do take road trips. They also do alt-break activities, working in other places during breaks. My son did construction work in New Orleans post-Katrina and worked on an urban organic farm in Milwaukee. He studied in Morocco for his semester abroad. LOTS of students study abroad. There is also a large international community on campus, well integrated. Academics are rigorous, but there are lots of parties and traditions too. My son lives in Kansas City now and visits Grinnell often with other grads, just for fun. There are Grinnellians all over the world and they love to host fellow Grinnellians. it’s a tight community.</p>
<p>Thanks! How about internship opportunities–are they mostly done during the summer? Are there medical facilities nearby that students can work/volunteer at?</p>
<p>Grinnell has a regional medical center, so I imagine students do volunteer/work there, but I don’t know for sure. If you find an unpaid internship you can apply to the college for funding. My son found an internship in Serbia one summer and could have applied for funding but didn’t. That’s all I know about internships there.</p>
<p>Lots of students stay on campus in the summer to do research with profs.</p>