Grinnell - what is it really like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grinnell ended up being my Arlington kid's second choice in 2020. A few things that were very attractive: (1) they seem to have a very pro-active career center, which reaches out to students and (tries to) make(s) sure that they are doing what's necessary for summer and post-grad employment. My kid would have benefited from that kind of system; (2) they have a ton of money, and offer significant merit aid (I think my kid was offered $28K per year). This is very, very rare at top notch institutions like Grinnell; (3) the campus is very nice, and has a very human scale.

The biggest downside, of course, is that its not easy to get there. As someone mentioned above, its about a 5 hour drive to Chicago, and 4 hour drive from Minneapolis, and while Des Moines is (relatively) close (maybe an hour or so by car), flying to Des Moines from the DMV isn't easy or convenient.

A great option, in my opinion, for the right student, but a bad one for someone who wants much (anything?) in the way of off-campus activities and/or entertainment.

Can someone name some schools with similar traits but closer and where someone with a not-so-stellar academics can get in?

College of Wooster
Gustavaus Adolphus College
Kalamazoo College
Knox College
Lawrence University

I don’t think these are really Grinnell’s peers. Grinnell’s peers at schools like Middlebury.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a prospective parent, is this concerning?

https://thesandb.com/43065/article/47-of-students-have-considered-withdrawal-from-grinnell-college/

Interesting! Thanks for sharing. The same writer had said similar things in an opinion piece:

https://thesandb.com/42693/article/shouldnt-student-happiness-be-the-simplest-reflection-of-whether-a-college-is-good-or-not/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grinnell ended up being my Arlington kid's second choice in 2020. A few things that were very attractive: (1) they seem to have a very pro-active career center, which reaches out to students and (tries to) make(s) sure that they are doing what's necessary for summer and post-grad employment. My kid would have benefited from that kind of system; (2) they have a ton of money, and offer significant merit aid (I think my kid was offered $28K per year). This is very, very rare at top notch institutions like Grinnell; (3) the campus is very nice, and has a very human scale.

The biggest downside, of course, is that its not easy to get there. As someone mentioned above, its about a 5 hour drive to Chicago, and 4 hour drive from Minneapolis, and while Des Moines is (relatively) close (maybe an hour or so by car), flying to Des Moines from the DMV isn't easy or convenient.

A great option, in my opinion, for the right student, but a bad one for someone who wants much (anything?) in the way of off-campus activities and/or entertainment.

Can someone name some schools with similar traits but closer and where someone with a not-so-stellar academics can get in?

College of Wooster
Gustavaus Adolphus College
Kalamazoo College
Knox College
Lawrence University

I don’t think these are really Grinnell’s peers. Grinnell’s peers at schools like Middlebury.

This wasn't a listing of Grinnell's peers. It was a listing of schools with, as a pp asked, "similar traits but closer and where someone with a not-so-stellar academics can get in?" (I kind of ignored the request for closer to DC and focused on the other two categories.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a prospective parent, is this concerning?

https://thesandb.com/43065/article/47-of-students-have-considered-withdrawal-from-grinnell-college/

Kudos to Grinnell for making this sort of information public. Most schools are loath to share sensitive data (I work at a university). Unclear whether Grinnell is unusual. I don't think it's unusual for students to think about transferring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a prospective parent, is this concerning?

https://thesandb.com/43065/article/47-of-students-have-considered-withdrawal-from-grinnell-college/

Kudos to Grinnell for making this sort of information public. Most schools are loath to share sensitive data (I work at a university). Unclear whether Grinnell is unusual. I don't think it's unusual for students to think about transferring.

A very rigorous but tiny, isolated college that gets all its “diversity” from rich internationals sounds like a terrible place for a questbridge type student. I would’ve transferred, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grinnell ended up being my Arlington kid's second choice in 2020. A few things that were very attractive: (1) they seem to have a very pro-active career center, which reaches out to students and (tries to) make(s) sure that they are doing what's necessary for summer and post-grad employment. My kid would have benefited from that kind of system; (2) they have a ton of money, and offer significant merit aid (I think my kid was offered $28K per year). This is very, very rare at top notch institutions like Grinnell; (3) the campus is very nice, and has a very human scale.

The biggest downside, of course, is that its not easy to get there. As someone mentioned above, its about a 5 hour drive to Chicago, and 4 hour drive from Minneapolis, and while Des Moines is (relatively) close (maybe an hour or so by car), flying to Des Moines from the DMV isn't easy or convenient.

A great option, in my opinion, for the right student, but a bad one for someone who wants much (anything?) in the way of off-campus activities and/or entertainment.

Can someone name some schools with similar traits but closer and where someone with a not-so-stellar academics can get in?

College of Wooster
Gustavaus Adolphus College
Kalamazoo College
Knox College
Lawrence University

Allegheny
Juniata
Gettysburg
Muhlenberg

Thank you both for this info.!

[Anonymous]

My child is having a great experience at Grinnell. He takes American to DCA nonstop from Des Moines and the college has shuttles to the airport. It is a great fit for him. He doesn’t mind that it’s remote- that is a plus. He loves the open curriculum and has had bo trouble getting all of the classes he wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very town and gown
Bikes everywhere
Ditchweed
Everyone goes off to grad school so it feels a bit high-schoolish, albeit an alternative high school

Seems like an accurate description.

LACs tend to feel like a continuation of high school nationwide; this is not a peculiarity of Grinnell College. This is not necessarily a negative as many students who did well academically in high school prefer to continue their studies in college and on to grad school. For many, it is a nice, comfortable way to delay entry into the real world while sharpening their abilities as students.

[Anonymous]

Continuing on:

Grinnell College is an outstanding & wealthy school. Academics are demanding. The primary concerns for many are its isolated location and the small number of students.

If retention is a concern--and it appears to be--then increased enrollment, lower net cost of attendance, and better food should be among the first steps taken.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a prospective parent, is this concerning?

https://thesandb.com/43065/article/47-of-students-have-considered-withdrawal-from-grinnell-college/

Kudos to Grinnell for making this sort of information public. Most schools are loath to share sensitive data (I work at a university). Unclear whether Grinnell is unusual. I don't think it's unusual for students to think about transferring.

A very rigorous but tiny, isolated college that gets all its “diversity” from rich internationals sounds like a terrible place for a questbridge type student. I would’ve transferred, too.

"Rich" internationals ????

Grinnell's claim to fame is that it offers generous financial aid to international students.

[Anonymous]

DH sits in on hiring of college grads to be paralegals at DOJ. A disproportionately large number of Grinnell grads seem to be there - according to him they are excellent writers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very town and gown
Bikes everywhere
Ditchweed
Everyone goes off to grad school so it feels a bit high-schoolish, albeit an alternative high school

Seems like an accurate description.

LACs tend to feel like a continuation of high school nationwide; this is not a peculiarity of Grinnell College. This is not necessarily a negative as many students who did well academically in high school prefer to continue their studies in college and on to grad school. For many, it is a nice, comfortable way to delay entry into the real world while sharpening their abilities as students.

Totally agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very town and gown
Bikes everywhere
Ditchweed
Everyone goes off to grad school so it feels a bit high-schoolish, albeit an alternative high school

I have no connection to Grinnell whatsoever, but that's a weird take. You're suggesting that students who are going on to grad school from college are less mature? Because they know what they want to study and are ready to make a commitment to that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very town and gown
Bikes everywhere
Ditchweed
Everyone goes off to grad school so it feels a bit high-schoolish, albeit an alternative high school

I have no connection to Grinnell whatsoever, but that's a weird take. You're suggesting that students who are going on to grad school from college are less mature? Because they know what they want to study and are ready to make a commitment to that?

Not pp but it means they’re delaying entry into the real world & job market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's like Williams or Bowdoin, but with a lot shorter winter.

No -- Williams and Bowdoin are much more classic east coast preppy with a granola topping. Grinnell is super-crunchy.