If you were to choose between Grinnell and Vassar, which one would you choose? Why?
I know college selection is highly subjective and it depends on personal preferences — a college that is fit for one, might not be fit for another.
Still, I would like to have a detailed comparison between these two colleges on the basis of academics, college culture, financial aid, location, reputation, internship and job opportunities, international admissions etc.
Like everyone else, you need to do the research to get the detailed information you want. Both my children applied to Vassar and were accepted (one attends). It’s a great school. One applied to Grinnell and was accepted. It’s a great school. The downside for us and for many people is the location. Not only is it supposedly pretty much in the middle of cornfields, but for us (in the mid-Atlantic region) it would be expensive and fairly difficult to get there. It is also quite a small school, which can be a positive or negative depending on one’s perspective.
I would choose Vassar due to its location which offers easy access to a major city as well as to gorgeous outdoor locations. But I am not you. And much of your decision may depend upon COA at each school.
If your question simply centers on which we would choose, I’d look to Vassar for their offerings in earth science and astronomy.
Visited both, though visited Grinnell with 2 kids so know it better.
I’d go to Grinnell in a heartbeat. Down-to-earth, diverse student body, a “midwest nice” sensibility. Everything from tattoos and multi-colored hair to polo t shirts and boat shoes. As a recruited athlete, my kid spent a lot of time on campus and saw how open and tolerant a community it is. Amazing facilities, great professors, great food, dining hall has fireplace. Town has the basics for a college student -organic grocery, great bike shop, pizza, doughnuts. Tradition of self-gov, plus flexible curriculum (no distribution requirements, though there are limits to how many credits a student can take from a single department). Ridiculously large endowment allows the college to invest in programs and opportunities beyond what one would expect at a school its size.
Vassar is great too, gorgeous campus. But if I had the chance to do it again, I’d go to Grinnell.
Following… haven’t visited either. Vassar is on our list for our current junior and I’ve been on the fence about suggesting Grinnell (hesitating mostly because of location but partially because of size).
To the original poster - do you have an intended major yet? Or likely one?
Okay, I’m an international applicant. I don’t get it why everyone is so concerned about the location of Grinnell. I think students spend most of their free times on campus; so why access to major cities be valued as a major determinant? Is there any other thing connected?
Yes, I intend to major in Psychology @washugrad.
Grinnell has a total of about 1650 students, while Vassar has about 2300 students. Is Grinnell’s size too small for you in comparison to that of Vassar?
@BD2023 To answer your question, beyond what’s available on campus, you have to get to campus. As an international applicant, you should be able to get a direct flight to NYC from most places in the world and then Vassar is accessible through public transportation. For Grinnell, you’ll have to deal with a connecting flight from some US major gateway city into relatively smaller regional airports with fewer flight options. Encounter weather delays in the winter (possible in both locations but Iowa will have harsher winters) and it may take longer to leave or arrive from Grinnell if you have to reschedule a cancelled flight. Then you have a shuttle to campus from the airport.
Depending on your origination point, this could mean a very long trip to Grinnell as opposed to Vassar. But if you like the school better, this is something you’d have to do maybe 2-3 times per year so not a deal breaker.
What I thought about first, though, was cost. Grinnell offers merit scholarships; Vassar does not. Run the numbers for both places with your parents’ financial information to see which might be more affordable if you haven’t done so already. Depending on their finances, both might cost the same. If they are full pay, however, the possibility of a merit scholarship at Grinnell (probably around 20-25K max per annum) may make a meaningful difference.
Internships - I can’t speak to Grinnell (which I did not visit but researched as an option) but Vassar’s proximity to Manhattan is a plus. It’s a good 1.5+ hours by public transport into the city, so don’t overestimate the ease of access. However, the connections are there and we heard it was possible to do a 1day per week internship during the school year with judicious class scheduling.
I have no doubt that Grinnell also has fine career services but probably most applicable to summer opportunities.
As a foreign student, there may be visa limits on what kinds of work you can pursue here, especially paid work.
As for student vibe - my impression is that both have a diverse, eclectic student population and that on campus you’d find congenial fellow travelers. Academics will be rigorous at both. Grinnell prides itself on its large international population, given its size.
The town of Poughkeepsie is larger than Grinnell and the Culinary Institute and Marist College are located not far from Vassar. Some of the city is a bit rundown but there are nice areas as well. There are nice areas for hiking and other forms of outdoor recreation not far away. Again, I can’t speak personally to how the town of Grinnell might compare.
Finally, I believe that Vassar’s student body is larger than Grinnell’s.
Conclusion: they are both great choices and I believe that a student who would be happy at one would be happy at the other. I would dig deeper into majors of interest, qualifications of the faculty, what courses are offered, clubs on campus, etc. If you are thinking about applying ED to one or another and don’t have a clear favorite, I advise you to apply RD.
My concern with location has to do with what @mamaedefamilia mentions… the transportation availability more than the accessibility to a big city. As an international it might not matter so much, especially if you are only planning to return home in the summer. I just had a look, even though Iowa is closer to California than New York, I don’t think there are any nonstop flights to Des Moines from SFO, while there are many daily to NYC, so the total travel time to Vassar is lower and the chance of some sort of weather-related disruption also is lower with fewer cities in the mix in winter.
Also for me personally (and I am not my kid (or you), so her choice might be different) the ideal undergrad school is more like 4000-5000 students, so Vassar is closer to that than Grinnell. I will say I’ve been looking at Grinnell a little more today and aside from the (slightly too small for me personally) size and location it looks like a wonderful school. Although location-wise… can’t beat it for a front-row seat for the Democratic presidential candidacy race for 2020. That should be fascinating. Perhaps more insight into the US political system than you want.
Having to switch planes adds maybe an hour and a half or two hours to total commute time in good weather. It can add a bit of extra stress in bad weather should such arise at the start or end of winter break, or possibly over Thanksgiving or spring breaks. There can be delays, unexpected layovers, the need to rework the plan on rare occasions. Those bad-weather woes also afflict people taking only one flight to or from schools in snowy climes, but without the stress of connecting flights. Most people will tell you it’s not a big deal for Grinnell students, not a source of regret, more than worth being able to attend the school.
Most of the discussion here has been on location. Your focus at virtually any school will be the campus. The Grinnell campus is very diverse, very international. Tons of events and activities. I attended Grinnell and enjoyed the rural location. The students that seemed to enjoy its location the most were from large cities. Most people grow up in cities and will likely need to live in cities for their careers. For many, one of the few opportunities to experience a rural location for any length of time is during the undergraduate years. Luckily, there are many excellent schools in rural locations. Grinnell, Carleton, Middlebury, Colby, Kenyon, Williams, etc.
If you need an urban location, Grinnell is not a good fit. If you’d enjoy living outside a large city for a while, Grinnell would be perfect.
Even if problems with air transportation exist, I think I can bear with those as I don’t have to face them more than 2-3 times a year being an international applicant.
What’s about the academics? I think Grinnell is more liberal in this case, right?
Also, I have found this in another post on this site — “class availability is somewhat difficult as a freshman and sophomore at Vassar College.” Can anyone please elaborate on this?
Both Grinnell & Vassar are considered to be liberal schools. Both have beautiful campuses.
Iowa is flat, so if your passion is mountain climbing, best to look elsewhere.
Both are great schools, but, depending upon your current location, travel to & from Grinnell should be a consideration.
As other posters have said, both are excellent schools. FWIW, my son (who grew up in a big East Coast city) liked Vassar a lot when he visited but fell in love with Grinnell and applied ED. He is now a senior there and doesn’t regret his choice for a second. He is definitely ready to move back to a city after 3 and a half years in the cornfields, but he appreciated the change of pace and scenery, and there is so much going on on campus. Travel to and from home was a pain once or twice because of weather, but just this year (just our luck that they would do it in his last year!) American Airlines started up a bunch of non-stop flights to Des Moines so travel got easier. My biased opinion is that is is a truly special place.