Current Grinnell student answering questions

SgtDonut
Sun, 10 Nov 2013 19:45:01 +0000

Drinking is fairly popular on campus, as is marijuana. There is no pressure at all to partake, and there are three “substance-free” dorms where no alcohol or drugs are permitted. The entire student body respects the policy of these dorms, and they’re usually pretty tightly-knit communities. That said, if you do want to drink, people are very generous, especially towards first-years, and there are usually fun off-campus house parties on the weekend (and smaller ones in dorms). Regardless of whether or not you choose to drink, there are tons of things to do on campus. Just last night there was a play, an orchestra concert, and Drag Show (which was incredibly fun), and on Friday there was a concert (all free). Drugs and alcohol definitely have a noticeable presence here, but almost everyone prioritizes academics before having fun. It is very common for people to do homework on Friday and Saturday afternoons before going out (myself included). But if you’re at all concerned about the presence of drugs and alcohol, I would advise you to request a sub-free dorm. I ultimately think it’s slightly more of a party school than I expected, but certainly no different from any other top liberal arts college.

NSO (New Student Orientation) is basically a week of meeting new people and having a lot of fun. I met a ton of people mostly by talking to everyone that I could, which was necessary because my roommates and I are the only first-years on our floor. Other floors are almost entirely first-years, so those people were able to make friends a bit more easily. After three months, I feel like I have a solid group of friends, but I’m a bit of an anomaly, and I feel like most people are still finding their niche and adjusting to college life. I don’t know what it will be like next semester, but most people here are really cool and interesting. You just have to talk to them and see who you click with.