<p>I'm creating my list of possible transfer schools and Grinnell seems like a good option. However, I've never been there or anywhere else in the midwest so I was wondering what campus and students are like...any input/opinion is helpful!</p>
<p>First of all, why are you considering transfer? What are you looking for in a school? According to my son, Grinnell students are intellectually curious, unpretentious and unconventional thinkers. The campus is wonderful and bursting with activity. The town is rural, tiny and isolated. Classes are small and professors are good. They over-yielded last year, so it will be harder to gain acceptance this year.</p>
<p>well im transferring because my school is pretentious, uraban, and huge/impersonal. I don't see much in it for me beyond the brand name. I'm looking for a top liberal arts type college that isn't in the northeast (which eliminates a lot).</p>
<p>Well, Grinnell sounds like it would be right up your alley. It is an absolutely great place. Others my son applied to were Oberlin, Carleton and Macalester in the non-NE. Plus Pomona, Reed and Lewis & Clark out west. They all looked great, but in the end, he felt Grinnell would be his best fit. The unpretentiousness was a huge factor. He also wanted no hint of preppiness and no big sports obsession. Grinnell has plenty of sports and I've heard about 40% of students play at some level, but there's not a ton of focus on it. If you have other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer. Good luck!</p>
<p>thats great. i definately want to keep playing soccer. Pomona is at the top of my list right now as well so what are the differences between Pomona and Grinnell? (besides the fact that Iowa is freezing cold) Also, do students tend to live on campus all 4 years?</p>
<p>i think 65% of America spells 'DEFINITELY' wrong. I wish the president would would address the entire nation and simply say, "THERE IS NO 'A' IN DEFINITELY!!!!"</p>
<p>Sorry for the pointless comment.</p>
<p>sorry...im hopeless without spell-check.</p>
<p>hahah.. On a different note, why Grinnell? What is the allure of a LAC? I am curious as I am looking for a transfer school as well. I didn't even know LAC's existed until recently lol</p>
<p>my filter for schools goes like this: not on the east coast (my idea of the east coast starts at Illinois), not urban, LAC in the top 25. So pretty much that leaves me with CMC, Pomona, and Grinnell...LACs are good if you want a more rounded education, they're typically less centered on pre-professionalism and more on intellectual growth.</p>
<p>I personally went to a small LAC and 2 huge Universities and had a good experience everywhere, but I was glad I started at a small LAC. It was very personal, our profs really knew us and I think they would have picked up if anyone was in trouble. It was a very supportive environment. I'm an introvert, so I think that helped me in the beginning.</p>
<p>Grinnell is a great combination of a small school with a big endowment. The class sizes are kept very small, even in sciences. The facilities are amazing and there are all kinds of resources. For instance, if a student finds an unpaid internship, the school will often fund it. Anyone can get a job on campus even if s/he is not on work-study. The endowment also means they can offer significant merit scholarships to people they really want to attract. This is rare in top schools.</p>
<p>....interesting...What do you think about attending a LAC as a means of preparing for law school?</p>
<p>I looked up the PhD #s: percentage-wise, compared to other US undergrad schools, Grinnell is #10 in PhD production, ahead of Yale (#11), Princeton (#12), Amherst (#16), Harvard (#17) and Williams (#19). Grinnell is #1 nationwide (percentage-wise) in production of Foreign Languages PhDs, #2 in Economics PhDs and #3 in Anthropology PhDs, for example.</p>
<p>It provides a great education that can lead you anywhere.</p>
<p>Why isn't Carleton on your list?</p>
<h1>19, bethievt's right, Carleton should be on your list. Also Macalester, Oberlin and Reed. I know Oberlin is East of Illinois, but I think it's more a midwest school than an East Coast school. Reed may not show up as top 25 on USNWR, but it is.</h1>
<p>Between Carleton and Grinnell, sites like student review give a slight edge to Carleton (A- and 89% would rtn vs B+ and 79% at Grinnell). IMO - Northfield's a better town than Grinnell and Mpls/StP better than Des Moines. Grinnell has a bigger endowment. Carleton has higher alumni giving. Grinnell's a bit easier to get in to, at least as a frosh.</p>
<p>reed is too close to home. my parents would visit every weekend. im not even kidding theyve found me twice in philadelphia already. but where is carleton?</p>
<p>Northfield MN. It's a wonderful school too, Very high on PhD production also. I agree with bingle about Mac and Oberlin. As you probably know, Pomona and CMC only accept about 15%. You might get in, but they are reaches for anyone.</p>
<p>Carleton is about 40 miles south of Minneapolis.</p>
<p>bethievt -
this is a bit off topic, but just curious: what made your son choose Grinnell over Carleton? Was it purely a gut "fit" kind of thing?</p>
<p>Yes--purely fit. They are both magnificent schools.</p>
<p>S, at Grinnell, also visited and liked Carleton, but preferred Grinnell for the following reasons:</p>
<p>a) Amazing science (and other) facilities. There is no LAC with better facilities, especially in the sciences. And the smallest classes as well, including the intro classes.</p>
<p>b) Better advising at Grinnell: There are no distribution requirements so the advising is very personalized. Your freshman tutorial prof is also your advisor until you declare your major, so they get to know you academically and personally.</p>
<p>c) A heavy emphasis on writing at Carleton-I recall something about developing a writing portfolio. S is a science guy and although he wants to write well, the writing requirement didn't appeal to him.</p>
<p>d) Carleton is on the trimester system and Grinnell on the semester system. This has the obviously pros and cons which you can weigh for yourself.</p>
<p>d) The generous merit aid at Grinnell didn't hurt either.</p>
<p>Carleton had Minneapolis in its favor but he isn't a city kid.</p>
<p>Of course, if the fit had been better at Carleton, he'd have chosen it-but it wasn't.</p>
<p>are the athletic teams d3, d2, or NAIA?</p>