<p>I was accepted. I'm excited, but I'm also conflicted.</p>
<p>My college search has been largely dominated by schools with nationally ranked game design programs, but I applied to two LACs - Middlebury and Grinnell - because I thought they were both amazing schools, and also because I have high financial need for college. In fact, I applied to many schools in the hopes that I'd luck out on financial aid.</p>
<p>Well, Grinnell answered my hopes and then some. They've covered almost all the cost I'd need to pay for attending their institution; a ~$5,000 scholarship would pay for the rest. I'm incredibly honored and excited, and not just about the generous offer. Grinnell is a great school. It's small, the students seem intelligent and motivated, the community is tight-knit, it's relatively quiet, I wouldn't be stuck in a huge auditorium in my introductory classes, the diversity wouldn't make me feel like a single chocolate chip in a big sugar cookie - it's amazing. It hits a lot of my checkpoints.</p>
<p>The thing is, I wouldn't be able to pursue game design there. There isn't a program. That's not necessarily an issue - I know a good chunk of game developers who just majored in computer science and made their way from there, and I might even be able to get an internship or a summer program to help me in that area - but it was still the guiding principle of my college search. In addition to that, I wanted an entrepreneurship program or minor - something to help me in starting my own business. Grinnell doesn't seem to have that either. Those are my only two concerns.</p>
<p>What do you think I should do? Do I seem like I would fit in at Grinnell? Should I just go for it and pursue game design and entrepreneurship on my own? Or does Grinnell have a program/organization that could help me in those areas? Is it worth putting those concerns to rest? I think you would say yes to that last question, but I wanted to see it for myself.</p>
<p>You didn’t talk about the schools that you applied to that have the game design program – any good choices there? On a personal level, yes…Grinnell seems to be a great fit for you as a person. Also, have you spoken with anyone at Grinnell in the Computer Science area? If so, were they able to reassure you about how you could pursue your dreams there?</p>
<p>There are a couple I’ve been accepted to and am interested in - UC Santa Cruz, RIT, Georgia Tech, WPI, the University of Rochester (their digital media studies features some aspects of game design, and so does their computer science major, but it’s by no means comprehensive), UC Irvine, and Case Western Reserve (they only have a game design minor, but an option is an option). I was waitlisted at Northeastern. Decisions from USC are being released tomorrow, but I doubt I have a shot.</p>
<p>I haven’t spoken to anyone, no - but that’s a good idea. I’ll shoot off an email. Thank you for responding!</p>
<p>Pepperjinks, so glad you are going to contact the department. Remember, these schools want students to be happy and successful on their campus, so they should be straight with you. </p>
<p>That having been said, I did want to let you know that Grinnell offers a number of opportunities to learn about the business world. For example, they have a “Learning from Alumni” program where alumni come on campus to teach short course (for credit). I know my son took something about organizational leadership(I can’t remember exactly what it was). Grinnell offers stipends for summer internships and great research opportunities. It also has a “Mentored Advanced Project” where students work one one one with a professor as a mentor on a project of the student’s devising. Students present research at conferences and get funding to attend conferences where leading scholars gather.</p>
<p>Grinnell also has an award-winning program (White House honors!) to boost underrepresented minorities in the sciences, and from looking at your other posts, I see that you would benefit from that as well.</p>
<p>If you want to be an entrepreneur, you will be among a student body that really promotes and supports individual passions, and a school that provides the resources for individuals to make their own mark on the world. In fact, the school has the “Wilson program for Enterprise and Leadership” and on the website there is a link to entreprenurship (I’m having computer issues, so can’t link it now, but go to “Academics” and then click on “Programs and Centers” on the right and this will bring you to the Wilson Program.</p>
<p>Right now you are focused on gaming, but going to a school like Grinnell will open you up to a new world of possibilities that you may never even have known existed. It has a diverse student body and its emphasis on the liberal arts rather than a strictly pre-professional focus will train you to learn and think and be adaptable to ever changing life circumstances. (i am an LAC fan born and bred!)</p>
<p>btw: did you read the thread lower down about “Physics and Computer Science at Grinnell?” A current student talks about the CS department. </p>
<p>another thought is this: there may be summer opportunities to attend programs on developing gaming, and Grinnell may either offer a stipend or help you find scholarships to attend such a program. I know that there is a summer program related to a course my son is taking now (in another department, not CS) and the professor sent an email to the students with the information on the course and available scholarship.</p>
<p>I’m flattered and touched by your interest, SDonCC! I contacted an alumni the other day, and she offered to get me in touch with her own network of Grinnellians. I’m continually impressed by the people who associate themselves with Grinnell. And you don’t even seem to be a student or an alumni, but an interested parent! I feel humbled.</p>
<p>I didn’t know about the Wilson program at all. That on top of what I’ve heard about the CS department - not just the strong academics, but that the professors actively keep gender biases out of the classroom - is even more exciting. So few professors even think about that kind of thing, in my limited experience. The only thing missing would be the game design, a base I more than likely could cover on my own, and music technology (something similar to the electronic music minor at UCSC, for example; I’m not sure what else to call it).</p>
<p>I’m not completely sold, but I’m getting closer, I think. I think I need to do some more research.</p>
<p>I’m flattered and touched by your interest, SDonCC! I contacted an alumni the other day, and she offered to get me in touch with her own network of Grinnellians. I’m continually impressed by the people who associate themselves with Grinnell. And you don’t even seem to be a student or an alumni, but an interested parent! I feel humbled.</p>
<p>I didn’t know about the Wilson program at all. That on top of what I’ve heard about the CS department - not just the strong academics, but that the professors actively keep gender biases out of the classroom - is even more exciting. So few professors even think about that kind of thing, in my limited experience. The only thing missing would be the game design, a base I more than likely could cover on my own, and music technology (something similar to the electronic music minor at UCSC, for example; I’m not sure what else to call it).</p>
<p>I’m not completely sold, but I’m getting closer, I think. I think I need to do some more research.</p>
<p>Pepperjinks, that is so exciting! Grinnell does offer a course in electronic music, and I’d be surprised if there weren’t students involved in it somehow on campus. That’s another thing I would ask of the computer science or music departments. Also, at Grinnell (as is the case at many LACs, if a student has an idea, the school will often find ways for the student to work in that area on some level; and this might be a case where you could do an interdisciplinary independent study) I’m always curious about these things, so I did look on the music department at Grinnell, and saw that an alum said he did the music for a DS game… so there’s hope even for an LAC graduate! Clearly, there won’t be as much academic courses for you at Grinnell in these areas, but that’s not to say you can’t get some exposure and learn and experiment. </p>
<p>I will say that the Grinnell website is not always the greatest at giving a full picture of different things that are available. So, for you, or anyone who has an interest in any particular subject or extracurricular, please ask questions either here or of someone at the school. </p>
<p>You’ve got fabulous choices, and just speaking from my son’s experience, it can be very stressful not just figuring out what to say yes to, but where to say no to as well! Whatever you decide, just go with a full heart and don’t second guess yourself! </p>
<p>Hey Pepperjacks–I’m not that great with College Confidential but I’m a current student at Grinnell and an intended CS major here. One of my best friends here is super interested in game design and I think has done some stuff with it on the side and I also know of a second year who got funding this semester to work on game design for this game where the movements you make in real life create shapes and objects that you can use to fight battles in a gaming environment. There’s definitely a culture for that in the CS environment here. I just sent you a private message with my email if you have any questions regarding Grinnell or CS or anything that you’d like to ask not on a public forum or anything just in case really! I can also get you in touch with those other two that I just mentioned if you’d like as well. </p>