Why Do You Love Grinnell?

M_s_Mom
Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:12:36 +0000

I posted this a year ago re S’s decision. He’s been there almost year now and loves it:

"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 25-30 at Grinnell.
2) No distribution requirements, not because they are being slack, but because the advising is personalized. 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.
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.
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. At Grinnell, he’s playing all kinds of sports.
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) Rabidly 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.
10) New addition to the list: Incredibly accessible faculty. We’re amazed at how often he ends up engaged in conversations with his profs outside of class. You can tell they like to teach undergrads.
11) Also, after talking to his friends at other schools, we really like the way Grinnell handles registration for classes. At so many schools, freshmen get whatever is left over after the upperclassmen register. At Grinnell, they have rounds, so everyone gets their first or second pick, even if the classes are small.
12) He’s also glad to be on the semester system. Friends on the trimester system report that they are always studying for either mid-terms or finals, or registering for the next round of classes…

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.