M's Mom

For those of you who haven’t seen the school and are thinking about applying, I want to share a few things with you about Grinnell that they don’t promote very well. 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):

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 at Grinnell.
2) No distribution requirements, not because they are being slack, but because the advising is personalizeed. 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. (And I always though language requirements were a waste of time: You’ve had four years of a foreign language already, or you wouldn’t have been admitted. Taking more should depend on what you are planning to do.)
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. And although the building process has been a nuisance for prior classes, they are taking a break now, so the next few years should be construction free, or very limited.
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 (if you didn’t take up a sport by age 8 and get professional coaching by 12, you weren’t going to make the school team). At Grinnell, he can practice with the team and possibly even play for them.
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) Rapidly 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.

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.

Hope this helps those of you who are on the fence about applying.

Daniel12

10) The athletic facility is a palace. Kind of redundant with (3), but that building really stands out from the rest.
11) No shortage of corn.

When I went there everyone would complain about the food, but I didn't think it was so bad. Taco salad was... something new.

bethievt

The food is massively improved with the opening of the incredible new student center. Yes, it's beautiful, but the best thing about it is the way the space fosters a sense of community. It feels good just to walk around the building.

We visited 20 small LAC's including those listed above. What set Grinnell apart for my son was the unselfconscious, unpretentious genuineness of everyone, from the president on down.

Pgillon8908

I agree for the most part with what you said about what makes Grinnell distinct among LAC's. The school does actually have distribution requirements it's just that they aren't called that and it is true that the guidelines are less stringent. In the freshman year, for example, a student is required to take the 1st year tutorial and an English course.
They are also required to take either a math course or a foreign language course. Also, a student is supposed to take courses in each of the 3 MAIN DIVISIONS, humanities, science, and social studies. One can not take more than two courses in one division per semester.
There are also rules about how many credits you can have per department and per division. The point is just that there are rules on which courses you can take and in what areas but it's never discussed during the admissions process.
The information about first year requirements are on page 16 of the academic catalog. I'm not sure where the departmental and divisional rules are in the handbook but I know they are in there.

pianomom

Ditto to all of the above. We made visits to many of the same schools as mentioned and our experiences were similar. Our son ultimately chose to apply to Pomona EDI and was accepted. The tipping point was that we live in a midwestern city the exact same size as Grinnell and our son wanted a different cultural experience. Everything about Grinnell felt familiar, comfortable, and laid back, but just a little too much like home. He was prepared to apply EDII to Grinnell because no other schools came close to offering the same outstanding facilities and feel. The coach and team members corresponded with him for over twelve months and he had a very difficult time telling them he was not coming. He also felt that the helpfullness and organization of the admissions department far exceeded all other schools, even the one he will be attending.

One thing no one has mentioned that our son was very pleased to discover, is that they have a fine orchestra with an excellent conductor. For those good musicians who want to continue, but who are more interested in great academics than a conservatory environment, the orchestra will provide a satisfying experience.

Best of luck to all who are applying to or attending Grinnell. This is an amazing school.

mythmom

Grinnell always sounds like paradise but just a bit too nice for my sardonic, slyly sarcastic son. Too much niceness would probably put him into a coma, but I would really like it.

I am sorry we never visited, but honestly, I couldn't get my kid out of the northeast. Kudos to bethie and her S!

bethievt

Well, my son is slyly sarcastic too, but nice underneath it all, as I'm sure your son is too, mythmom. And your son found a gem of a school closer to home. You didn't have to fly through O'Hare last night to get him home!

bethievt

Pgillon

That's new info to me about the "hidden" requirements. I noticed that last semester, my son managed to take 4 courses that were essentially history courses in 4 different departments--clever!

sw717

The open curriculum means there's no required class except for the first year tutorial and what's required by the major. There is no required English class. They don't require you to take a math or a foreign language. They strongly recommend it, but it's not required. I think what you might be talking about is that a lot of social science majors require a stats class and some require a foreign language. That's part of the major requirement not school requirement. There is a minimum of 12 credits that students need to take in each division (natural sci, social sci, and humanities) and a max that students can take in one division is 92 credits.

Pgillon8908

Look at the academic catalog. What I'm talking about is within the first 20 pages or so.

BanjoDad

I spent two days on the Grinnell campus in October 2007. While my son (then a high school senior) was interacting with students and sitting in on classes, I spent a fair amount of time talking to teachers, students, and administrators. What a great place! The students are very bright without being pretentious, and the faculty and administration are clearly committed to teaching and to supporting the student body. The facilities are also exceptional.

I say this both as a parent and as someone who has had years of first-hand experience with Oberlin and Swarthmore. Grinnell seems to be free of some of the 'junior grad school' baggage that is so prevalent at some of its competitors.

My son was accepted by Grinnell but ended up going to Carleton. However, this was not because of any dislike of Grinnell. Rather, Carleton was just a better "fit" for him. Both places are far from home. When my daughter starts looking into college in a few years, I'll try to put Grinnell on her 'radar screen.'

DefyingGravity04

Grinnell seems like a great place, as I think about transfering I have been checking it out, but I do not think I could get in as my grades are not high enough, but it seems like a great little school.

bethievt

BanjoDad

My son was also accepted at most of the schools we've mentioned and liked them all, but felt Grinnell was the best fit for him. He couldn't have gone wrong with any of them, but I do believe he did pick his own perfect match. I must say, I totally fell in love with Carleton and might choose to go there in the next life, but Grinnell has been everything I could ever have dreamed of for my son. Seamless transition and a happy and successful first semester--straight A's!!

Father of the Boarder

The school does actually have distribution requirements it's just that they aren't called that and it is true that the guidelines are less stringent.

Be careful about what you say about distribution requirements at Grinnell.

It does not have any -- unless you seek "special opportunities" -- such as off campus study. Core curriculum died in 1970 -- this makes Grinnell unique. In the age old days of 1978 I fought to keep this at Grinnell. I requested all of the transcripts of the graduating class -- and they obliged with appropriate redaction [my first subpoena]. I showed that about 97% of the students had achieved core curriculum without Grinnell's requirement. Based upon this, I asked if their students would be happier and more attentive voluntarily taking a core curriculum, or would they be better if commanded to take the curriculum. Core and "distribution requirements" did not become mandatory and remain basically nonexistent, even today.

bethievt

Well that's what I thought too FotB. Thanks for the clarification.