Grinnell College Admission
Grinnell College Undergraduate Program
Grinnell College Application

The Facts

Grinnell is a small private institution that is located in Grinnell, Iowa.  It houses approximately 1,475 undergraduate students, and is made up of many various programs and offers students many various majors, with a definite emphasis on the sciences.  Some of the most popular majors are biology, English, economics, history and anthropology.  Students are actually able to design their own academic programs, and students are really in charge of their own collegiate careers.  There actually is no set core curriculum for students, but they must cover three broad area-- humanities, science and social studies.  The school also offers mandatory first-year tutorials in which students gather in small groups to study a common interest together, with one professor who acts as their tutor and advisor for their entire time at Grinnell.

Admission to the college is somewhat competitive; last year, 2,284 students applied to the school and 1,443 were accepted; of those, about 405 matriculated.  The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1240 to 1450 and an average ACT comprehensive score ranging from 25 to 32.  Over 88% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class. 

Grinell boasts a low student to teacher ratio of 10:1, and most classes have no more than 20 students.  Students report almost unanimously that all of their professors truly care about their progress in class and beyond, and make themselves readily available to students so they can help those who may need some assistance.

The Social Scene

Grinnell is a very small, sleepy, rural town, but on the upside, it has a virtually nonexistent crime rate.  The city of Des Moines isn't terribly far away, but even Des Moines isn't really the most exciting city for college students.  The campus is quite beautiful and well-funded, with neo-gothic buildings and plenty of nature surrounding them.  Students even say the dining hall reminds them of the one at Hogwarts in Harry Potter!

Students are very active in the community, a tradition that was started with Grinnell being a key stop on the Underground Railroad.  There is even a division of the Peace Corps that is housed at Grinnell. Students find things to do on campus; there are no fraternities or sororities, but students throw parties in dorms and in various campus facilities to make their weekends quite entertaining.  Sports are virtually nonexistent at Grinnell, but students love to play Frisbee and go bike riding whenever they get the chance.

The dating scene is fabulous if you are a socially active, politically aware hippie; all jocks and cheerleaders, beware!

What’s Good

“The school really feels like a family, but when it comes time to work, people know how to focus.”

“The campus is like a utopia; there are never really any problems here.”

“The teachers truly care about you.  It's really nice that they all know your name.”

What’s Bad

“The town is totally dead, and there is nothing to do.”

“You feel really isolated here; I rarely ever leave campus, which gets to me after awhile.”

“The party scene really sucks.”

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