Current Grinnell student answering questions

GCPRIDE
Tue, 10 Dec 2013 23:29:36 +0000

Main Aspects:
The school, based on self-governance, prides itself in treating students like adults. This means that every action a student makes them responsible. The effects of that are the student body (IMHO) seems more mature than the impression I get from other schools. Another aspect of life the school prides itself in is the acceptance of others and promotion of social justice. This means, among other things, that there is strong acceptance of the LGBTQ community.
Social Life:
For the most part, the social life is contained on campus and the nearby student/ sports team owned houses. Sometimes at the school, the social scene is referred to as the “Grinnell Bubble” because all social life occurs pretty much only on campus. To be honest, I thought the small town atmosphere would get boring but between the school work, friends and college events, it is really hard to get bored (unless you want to be).
Work Study:
There are plenty of jobs on campus. You are guaranteed a job in the dining hall. Other jobs are available but require you to find them by talking to professors or administration. Depending on the job, hours can be flexible.
Study Abroad:
The main study abroad programs the school offers are similar to other schools through the country. Most are one semester, but some last the entire year. One of the year long programs is the Grinnell in London for economics. I, honestly, don’t know very much about study abroad because I do not think I will be able to fit it into my schedule. Disclaimer: Most are able to fit it into their schedule.
Sport Scene:
Well, we have Jack Taylor if that counts for anything.
The sports culture at Grinnell is quite minimal. I have gone to only a few sporting events over the course of the fall. All sports teams are no cut, but that does not mean you will necessarily have very much play time. For the most part, the college offers a great deal of sports and clubs. If there is not a club that you are interested in, I think it takes like 3 or 4 people to form a club.
Academics:
The professors here are here to teach and tenure is determined heavily on the teaching performance of the professor. The average GPA at the school is a 3.3 out of 4.0. This means that in most classes As have to be earned. There is a good chance that most will find the school to be “adequately rigorous”.
Side notes:
The school has lots of money that is spent on facilities, clubs, professors, entertainment and research. It shows. Grinnell’s endowment is #10 in the country for amount per student. I recently hear that paying full tuition (~$50,000) only covers 2/3 of the full cost per student. (But who knows how reliable that information was. If it is true, it does not surprise me at all.) Also, everyone here is a little bit “nerdy.” (I put it in quotes because I think it is all relative and everyone is “nerdy” about their own things). And I mean this in the best of ways. My philosophy on this is that the accepting and academic nature of Grinnell breeds a beautifully intelligent and passionate student body that can come across as “nerdy”.
I love it here.