<p>What is it that makes you want to go to Grinnell? Why does it stand out from other colleges you researched or are applying to? What initially drew you to it, and, if you go there, what ultimately led you to choose Grinnell over other schools you were accepted to?</p>
<p>Basically, what makes it so special?</p>
<p>I posted this a year ago re S’s decision. He’s been there almost year now and loves it:</p>
<p>"We visited 10 (yes, 10!) small liberal arts schools, including Middlebury, Pomona, Carleton, and Oberlin. Grinnell was low on my list because Iowa seemed so…foreign, if you are from a major metropolitan area on the east or west coast. I’m not going to tout the stuff that all these schools can tout: smart kids, engaging faculty, lots of research and overseas study opportunities, etc…These are the things that set Grinnell apart in our minds (in no particular order):</p>
<p>1) The smallest class sizes or any LAC, which means more faculty contact. Even the intro classes, which are generally 50-70 students at the other schools, are only 25-30 at Grinnell.
2) No distribution requirements, not because they are being slack, but because the advising is personalized. There’s no ‘pick one from column A and two from column B’ because a faculty advisor works with you to figure out what makes the most sense.<br>
3) Amazing facilities compared to the other LACs: Everyone knows they have an extraordinary endowment (Thank you Warren Buffet!), but what that translates into is VERY nice facilities.
4) ‘Hands on’ approach to science: Emphasis on lab and field work-not just lectures and problems sets. And they have the facilities to support it.
5) Walk on sports teams: My son is a good all-round athlete but, at his large public high school, never quite good enough to make the team. At Grinnell, he’s playing all kinds of sports.
6) Financial Aid including Merit Aid: They were very generous with our son. We are appreciative.
7) The culture: Not preppy, not jock, not self-consciously ‘artsy.’ No frats. No intellectual posturing. It’s didn’t feel as slick and self-promoting as some schools. A strong work ethic. We found the ‘Ivy wannabe’ vibe at some LACs in the northeast off-putting.
8) Rabidly loyal and enthusiastic alums. We spoke to eight of them: Every single one of them raved about the experience. Every single one of them offered to be a resource and offered to put him in touch with other alums in his areas of interest.
9) Sheer un-ironic niceness. Coming from the suburbs of a large metropolitan area, it’s noteworthy.
10) New addition to the list: Incredibly accessible faculty. We’re amazed at how often he ends up engaged in conversations with his profs outside of class. You can tell they like to teach undergrads.
11) Also, after talking to his friends at other schools, we really like the way Grinnell handles registration for classes. At so many schools, freshmen get whatever is left over after the upperclassmen register. At Grinnell, they have rounds, so everyone gets their first or second pick, even if the classes are small.
12) He’s also glad to be on the semester system. Friends on the trimester system report that they are always studying for either mid-terms or finals, or registering for the next round of classes…</p>
<p>Are there drawbacks? Sure. It’s rural. Yes, Des Moine and Iowa City are only an hour away. Yes, they bring so many activities onto campus that you can’t do them all. But it’s still rural. If you need a bustling town, if shopping is your sport, Grinnell isn’t it. (My son could care less.) There are LACs with prettier, and/or more exciting towns. There’s better skiing/hiking elsewhere. The weather will never rivel Pomona’s. Every school has assets and resources that distinguish it. You know what you care about.</p>
<p>Don’t interpret the lack of responses here as anything negative–it’s just that M’s Mom really hit the nail on the head. We looked at eleven LACs including Kenyon, Carleton, Macalester, Denison, St Olaf & Lawrence, in addition to state schools. We have found everything M’s Mom says to be true (except we don’t have first hand experience with the sports teams). </p>
<p>And the activities the college provides are amazing-- son got to MEET world-renowned trumpeter Wynton Marsalis when he was at Grinnell this month for a free concert. </p>
<p>I have read comments about Grinnell being in the middle of a cornfield. Well, yes, it’s Iowa and there is a lot of corn surrounding the town of Grinnell. But the campus and the surrounding neighborhoods have big, old, beautiful trees. So what if there’s corn a mile away? It’s not like you can see it from the campus!</p>
<p>M’s mom covered it all.
All our fingers and toes are crossed that we get an admission acceptance there
I would add one more drawback - cost - but it is not out of line for a well-respected LAC</p>
<p>M’sMom – thank you for listing so many positive aspects of Grinnell. It has come onto S’s radar lately, especially after he enjoyed an article in their newsletter about kids jumping and sliding on huge sheets of bubble wrap. :)</p>
<p>Is there anything about Grinnell that your S. doesn’t like? Or wishes were different?</p>
<p>theorymom, We are paying a lot to send s to Grinnell–a lot more than some of the other LACs because he got less merit aid at Grinnell than at some of his other options. I am pretty thrifty, but I think the money is well spent. </p>
<p>Also, keep in mind if you are not eligible for financial aid, Grinnell costs significantly less than some other top LACs-- Carleton’s COA will be over $50K this year; Grinnell will be $5K less at $45,000. In addition, Grinnell gives out way more merit aid than Carleton–it gives merit aid to many more students and gives way more per student.</p>
<p>Couldn’t have said it better than M’s Mom. That and the graduate school level of learning really helps to prepare kids for learning after college, which is why their PhD production rate is so high. Grinnell is a school that I feel someone is able to do ANYTHING after graduation.</p>
<p>Does anyone know which of the following school would be most similar to an education at Grinnell? I have been accepted to all and am leaning toward Beloit if Grinnell doesn’t work out, but am unsure;</p>
<p>The Schools:</p>
<p>Knox
Beloit (First choice after Grinnell)
St Olaf
Luther
Cornell College</p>
<p>I love them all individually, but am wondering which other posters would consider to provide the strongest education in an environment similar to that of Grinnell.</p>
<p>BengalMom, there are a few things that keep him from confusing Grinnell with Paradise:</p>
<p>1) No matter how good the food is on campus-and it’s very good-you do get tired of it, and there are only a handful of good restaurants in a town of 9,000 people. More choices would require a car, which he doesn’t have, though some friends do.<br>
2) He’s too far away to easily visit for a weekend-I know he misses us. But this would be true anywhere not within commuting distance.
3) He knew it would be cold-but mid-western cold takes getting used to. There weren’t a lot of days when you would want to be outside from mid-Jan (end of winter break) to mid-March (start of spring break).<br>
4) He works hard. Sometimes-before exams-very hard. But he always has time for his ECs, so we figure it can’t be that bad.</p>
<p>My son graduated from Grinnell last year. I agree with all the wonderful things written above and won’t bother to repeat them, but since BengalMom asked, I’ll mention the two drawbacks for my son:</p>
<p>1) The list of majors is not extensive compared to larger schools—or in fact, compared to other LACS, such as Carleton (where our daughter attended). Our son had a strong interest in film, and although he never planned to major in it, he did wish more than once that Grinnell had a film department.</p>
<p>2) Maybe it was just the luck of the draw, but he did not always get the classes he wanted, which was sometimes a source of frustration.</p>
<p>Those are minor complaints, however. On the whole, it was a terrific four years. And here’s another positive that wasn’t on M’s Mom’s list: The study abroad program he participated in junior year was a fantastic experience. Oh, and he never complained about the food in the dining hall. In fact, I think he missed it when he was home. But then, I’m a lousy cook. ;)</p>
<p>M’s Mom and Mary13 – thanks for your insight. I’m not sure I could convince S to seriously consider going to college in Iowa. But he is such a western kid that he thought Ohio would be provincial. 
Guess we need to travel more through the states between New England and Missouri.</p>
<p>I agree with everything that’s been said here. Just got back from 2 weeks in Kenya with H and S, a Grinnell sophomore. His growth as a person has been incredible at Grinnell. We visited 20 campuses and S applied to 10. In the end Grinnell was his first choice and for him it is a great fit. He doesn’t get every class he wants either, but I guess that’s ok.</p>
<p>SmallColleges</p>
<p>I know the least about Luther from your list. These are all great schools. My nephew spent 3 years at Knox before moving on to UIUC for a 3-2 degree in engineering. I’m not sure he could have gotten a better education anywhere.</p>
<p>We love Grinnell; daughter is very happy there, and I agree with everything that’s been said here. One other plus: she’s met people from all over the country and the world. She recently visited a friend at another LAC and commented that everyone seemed to be from up and down the East coast. Only minus – and it could be a big one, depending on the family – is that the location makes travel difficult and expensive. I’d love to see my kid more often, and getting home and back to school after breaks can be harrowing. Still, for my child and for her parents it’s been fantastic. Oh, one more plus: very responisve administration. They answer parents’ calls and deal with stuff right away.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for all the amazing replies! This thread is really very helpful.</p>
<p>I agree that the travel piece has been noticable and we travel all the time, so I had discounted it as an issue. Getting in and out of IA in the winter can be a royal pain. I would also second the diversity comment. My son now has friends from all over the country and all over the world. Grinnell works really hard (and spends a lot of $$) to get a very diverse group of kids to this tiny IA campus. Because my son’s roommate this year is in the Posse Program, he has benefitted from getting to know an incredible group of young people. Coming from our region of VT, he had gone to school with a very homogeneous bunch of kids, both ethnically and socio-economically.</p>
<p>As to the administration, when the president spoke to parents during orientation, he said that if we had a problem, we should feel free to call him! I never have, but it sure was a nice thing to hear.</p>
<p>I agree with raelah, thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts, this has been incredibly helpful!</p>
<p>I want to reactivate this thread for all the juniors who are searching for a great undergraduate experience and top quality education, but don’t have Grinnell on their radar screens. </p>
<p>Picked S up at the airport in May after his freshman year. His first words were, “I missed you, but I really can’t wait to get back to school.”</p>
<p>S graduated from Grinnell a couple years back, and I still love the school. Lots of reasons - the people, students and faculty, the location, facilities (who wouldn’t love an undulating wall of glass - the new student center)? I’m always trying to get kids in our area (east coast) to consider it. It’s not for everyone, but what an incredible place if it tickles your fancy. I think if a student wants a small LAC, they should apply and see what their choices are come spring.</p>
<p>I am from L.A., I’m a white male, and I’m a little on the close minded side. Would I like this school?</p>
<p>jupton10, why are you close minded at such a young age?? do you enjoy being surprised? good academic experiences tend to open one’s eyes, as the saying goes ‘a mind is like a parachute, it only works when it’s open.’ good schools like grinnell will try to stretch your mind, open your eyes, and encourage rigorous thinking. . . .plus, i think there is a fair amount of fun and comaraderie involved.</p>
<p>Jupton–If you are, in fact, on the “close minded side,” then you need a school like Grinnell. :)</p>