| I agree with everything M's Mom said. My son chose Grinnell over Carleton, Vassar, Pomona and several other schools. It is special in every way M's Mom mentioned. The town is TINY and sleepy and rural. It is all about the campus and that is bursting with activities and lots of funny sounding clubs and organizations. My son felt the Grinnellians took themselves less seriously than students he saw anywhere else and thought about things most unconventionally.
Colgate would have been too conservative for him. Wes is an absolutely GREAT school. I know many people who have gone there and people who are there now. They all love it. It is quite a bit bigger than Grinnell and classes are larger, therefore relationships with profs tend to not be as close. It has a slight frat presence and a slight jock presence. Some people would love that--my son didn't.
Carleton is wonderful. I loved the campus, but certainly the facilities, especially the student center, are not as nice as Grinnell's. I got the impression that the main floor of the library was sort of a de facto student center for group studying and socializing. The students who choose it are very happy there, I think. It is as loved by alums as Grinnell. My son felt it was a little more conservative than Grinnell. You can't go wrong with these schools--they are all great!
In what part of the country do you live? Some students want to stay close to home. My son wanted a change of scenery. |