<p>I think there may actually be two students who are pursuing an independent major at Grinnell. I know for so of one. I don’t know her personally but she is generally very involved in Campus life. I am also not personally aware of how difficult it was for her to plan an independent major in International Relations but I know of other students. It takes a lot more work, to plan an independent major, as you need two, instead of one adviser (I’m guessing for IR, an economics and poli sci adviser could make sense). Planning the major of course takes time, especially if you want to incorporate off-campus study. After the planning state I feel the only annoying thing about it, would be getting the signatures for course registration. From what I’ve gathered though, people who have pursued independent majors seem to be really satisfied with having done so because it gave them the opportunity to pursue their interests.
If you feel Grinnell is otherwise a great fit for you, I think designing your own independent major might be an option for you and generally many, sadly not all, professors will help you a great deal with pursuing your own interests.</p>