Reply to Why apply to an Oberlin/Kenyon/Grinnell

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Grinnell is frickin loaded. They support kids with a lot of opportunities during their 4 years.[/quote]

Sure, but all that money can’t change the location. Our DC visited and concluded, despite our efforts, it would be depressing to go there based on the tiny town, isolated location, difficulty with flights (so fewer friends would visit and easier to get stuck in a random connecting airport during a storm, which almost happened during visit), Trump signs on the drive in, multiple gun shops in town (stands out more when there’s so little else), and small/boring (in their view) campus. The academics are, however, first rate, and they are known for their merit aid. Facilities are very good. An alum we know was very positive on their experience from decades ago. Would recommend visiting if possible cause not everyone will react the same way.  Some athletes might prefer schools with shorter commutes for league games, as only one other school is in the same state. Did not visit Oberlin or Kenyon. [/quote]

Yea, well, with a 9 percent acceptance rate and one of the most geographically diverse student bodies of any college in the country, it attracts plenty of applicants who aren’t discouraged by such trivial stuff.  Grinnell is doing just fine without your kid. [/quote]

Wow, a personal dig. Well, my kid is doing fine without Grinnell too, but neither is the point. The point I thought was to help people who haven’t visited understand both the pros and cons so they can decide whether applying or visiting is worth their time. If you re-read my post, I listed both the pros and cons we saw. Your purpose seems different. But I find your immediate reference to admit rate very telling. It’s as if you think legitimate concerns regarding mental health can be overlooked if admit rate is something parents can brag about on anonymous forums.

Since you brought up admit rates, tell  me, what do you think Grinnell’s admit rate would be if they required a supplemental essay like most schools?  LACs are supposed to be about fit, and this ultra endowed LAC dropped the one part of the application that asks students to explain why they see the college as a fit.  Between no supplement and no application fee, I’m honestly surprised they don’t have a much lower acceptance rate than their class of 2027 rate of 13% (not 9% as you say).  It costs nothing, time or money, to apply. When they had a supplement their admit rate was in the mid 30s. They dropped it in 2014 and, big surprise, as word got around it costs no money or work to apply to Grinnell, applications went up. Admit rate going down doesn’t fundamentally change the experience.  It still has the lowest retention rate of any of the top 15 LACs; in fact students are *twice* as likely not to return after their first year as at the others averaged.  If the aforementioned concerns were “trivial” as you dismissively claim, first year transfers out wouldn’t be double its peers.

Grinnell will absolutely be a good fit for some and, as already mentioned in the post you replied to, has a lot of positives.  But I think honesty will help not hurt those matches occur. Grinnell’s retention and grad rates have actually dropped as their admit rates have gone down, because no supplemental essay means weaker fits. There’s a reason why USNWR counts retention and graduation rates and not admit rates; practices that drive low admit rates are at best irrelevant to the experience but at worst negatively impacting it. If families want to be spared the difficulty of a transfer or a health crisis, they should learn what they can about both the pros and cons early in the process. Personal attacks because someone shares both positive and negatives doesn’t signal institutional (or for that matter personal) strength.  [/quote]
NP. if I ever reach a point in my life where I can rattle off these sorts of details and opinions about a random college in Iowa that my child does not attend...please just make the call[/quote]

If a family visited a rural Iowa town it means the interest in the college was more than passing, right?  If you are on this site but don't want to know about things like retention rates, or admit rates, or supplements, or campus visits, well, I guess there's some other motivation for you.[/quote]

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