Guys is Grinnell a good choice?

Im Canadian but 100% want to go to med school in the US so im choosing an American undergrad. Grinnell wasn't on my radar until I got recruited, but now i'm having some second thoughts about how unknown the school is.

Guys idk if im just crashing out just cuz it's not name brand school or if this is valid. I don't care that it's in the middle of nowhere I just wanna make sure it's not a bum school choice.

Hi! I'm an international student and I got into Grinnell College. I'm really considering going to it because it gives me the biggest aid package of all the schools I was admitted to and because it is the one with the best reputation and stats. I know that doesn't matter much in terms of learning but I think it would be helpful in finding a job. I talked to my counselor and they said that in terms of getting the most bang for my buck, Grinnell was my best option.

However, I don't know much about Grinnell and I've been looking through posts and they are mixed, with some people saying it's a horrible school and others saying it's great. I know a big problem for people if the campus, I don't really mind that it's in Iowa and that's not my main concern. I'm thinking more in terms of academics. I'd really appreciate it if people shared anything, no matter how small!

I'm thinking about majoring in Sociology, but I'd also love something in STEM, specifically mathematics, as I'd like being an actuary.

I feel I must warn many of you that if the food matters to you, Grinnell College is not the way to go as you decide where to apply/attend. I've attached a few photos, some things are hard to photograph unfortunately. But the following issues have been present at our dining hall:

Only Having 1 or 2 Dining Stations Open (we supposedly have a stir fry station, it hasn't opened since Covid sent everyone home)

No Breakfast on Sunday:

https://www.grinnell.edu/about/offices-services/dining

Running out of the Primary Entrée 1 hour into dinner

Using Disposable Dish Wear:

https://imgur.com/a/0MuJMcw

Suggesting we use Trays as Plates:

https://imgur.com/a/UraPzu9

Closing Off the Majority of the Dining Hall because there isn't staff to clean it

Running Out of condiments like ketchup for days at a time

Running Out of Water:

https://imgur.com/a/b0CBLWj

Grinnell is great in a lot of ways, but the dining hall is a complete disaster. You are required to have a large meal plan if you live in a dorm, which most people do for 4 years. So this is something you will deal with. Food was a large concern for me when I applied to college, and I feel like I was lied to by Grinnell. Grinnell college has a lot of upside, but transparency in issues like this is important for future applicants to make an informed decision.

Update: For all those who come to this post well after it was made, this has changed substantially!

Whenever the trustees came on campus, students hounded them over the quality of the meals. Over the next summer, they made major improvements and now this was no longer an issue. I’m not on campus this school year, but for 2022-2023 the dining hall ran smoothly. Food options were better, only the most popular dishes ran out after an hour and a half of dinner, and the lines were no longer taking 30-45 minutes.

Could it have reverted for 2023-2024? Sure. Like I said, I’m off campus this school year. But they fixed this, bringing it more in line with comparable colleges.

After applying to 17 schools as an international seeking need-based aid, Grinnell was the only decent college I got accepted to, and with substantial financial aid. I got waitlisted at williams, but other than that, I only got accepted to grinnell in RD. I am pretty devastated with the results, and especially today after opening my ivy results. How is grinnell, reputation and social wise? It is pretty rural, so that is my biggest worry right now.

We hiked it today and here are my tips:

- we drove from West Glacier and it took us a little over 2.5 hours, due to construction so check your route ahead of time

- parking in Many Glaciers lodge lot was only about 75% full at 8am

- get on the trail early

- the sun is STRONG AF on the trail. No, really. It's brutal. Wear more sunscreen than you think, bring more water than you think, and wear a hat. Or better yet, wear an SPF hooded shirt. I saw so many people heading up the trail at peak heat time (on our way down) with one small single water bottle and no hat. My husband and I brought 4 huge water bottles (over 200oz) and 2 cans of coconut water. Everything was gone by the last 2 miles.

- the ferry isn't as convenient as you think it's going to be at the end. We thought it was going to be literally off the trail, but it looked to be about another 30+ min walk to the dock. We had tickets, but by the time we got to the fork in the trail and had to decide, the ferry was already leaving and we'd have to wait another 30+ min until it came back. So we just hoofed it the last 2 miles.

- bring a small towel and dip your tired feet in the frigid glacier water. It's fucking freezing but so awesome

100/10 views, absolutely unreal. Now I'm going to eat my weight in pizza

For one, I went alone, and I saw a handful of other people alone. I was desperately praying for people to be around, but today I went in the afternoon so most people were coming down rather than going up.

The part where you have to hike up the side..:I felt like I was going to pass out and it was so freaking hard. Not to mention, it’s narrow enough where if you trip pretty hard and fall, which I did lolol, you can easily fall down the side. For all the mention of goats, bears, and moose, I did NOT expect to see snakes, which I saw twice. I talked to myself the last hour of the hike to keep bears away and also to just hype myself up. Was praying profusely as I saw less and less people on the trail going back. I know people here probably hike a lot and do harder hikes, much less the full blown 10 miles that is Grinnell glacier but holy $&@: just three miles was ENOUGH for me.

I did avalanche lake and there were tons more people and just all around much easier. I genuinely don’t know how yall do it.

If there’s any consolation, I teared up when I got out bc I was so thankful. I also felt like I was stronger mentally and physically bc of it..

To note: I drove from west glacier to many glacier for this. Drove around the park - not through GTSR as it’s closed. There is a gravel road you have to take to get into many glacier hotel area which is where I began the hike. It’s open til 3.5 miles in as of now!

Hi everyone, I apologize if this isn’t the right place to post. I’ve been trying to find more recent information about Grinnell College, but I noticed that this subreddit has been inactive for a few years. The last posts and comments seem to be from around two or three years ago. Is there a more active subreddit where current students or alumni hang out?

I'm an international high school student now. After a discussion with my family, I decided to apply to Grinnell College to major in psychology/education/Physical Education(PE). The problem is that most of my extracurricular activities focus on PE and athletics, but most of my academic activities are related to psychology. So, I'm not sure about which major I should apply... Can Anyone who is studying at Grinnell College majoring in psychology/education/Physical Education(PE) give me some advice? with my infinite gratitude

some information about majors

some information about the campus

some suggestions about the college application

Any suggestion will do!

Demographics

• Gender: Male
• Race/Ethnicity: White/European
• Residence: Southern California
• Income Bracket: 200k+
• Type of School: Large Public School
• Hooks: None

Intended Major(s): Econ (you do not apply for majors at Grinnell but I said this was my #1 area of interest)

Academics

• GPA (UW/W): 3.5UW, 4.1W (Moderate Upward trend)
• Rank (or percentile): 99/527
• # of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: 8 Honors, 1 AP (not counting senior year)
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Macro, AP Micro, AP Calc BC, AP Physics C:M, AP Gov, English 12

Standardized Testing

• SAT I: 1540 (740RW, 800M)
• AP/IB: APUSH (4)

Extracurriculars/Activities

1. Tutor at my HS, 2 hours per day, grades 10 & 12.
2. JV Track grades 9, 10, 12
3. JV Cross-Country grade 10
4. Guitar: 5+ years of experience, specializing in improvisational blues and rock. Lead guitarist in several rock bands over the years (public performances).
5. Piano: I have been playing piano for over 10 years and have taken lessons for most of that time. I enjoy playing advanced variations of popular movie themes.
6. YMCA Youth and Government program, grade 9: Developed a bill regarding teacher tenure. Attended 3 day organized gatherings of Y&G in Fresno and Sacramento.
7. Black Belt in TaeKwonDo (Discontinued in 9th grade due to move from Virginia to CA)
8. Sailing every summer for a few weeks.
9. Competitive Gaming ($1000 earned)
10. Hiking (During school breaks. I have hiked mountains up to 12000 feet)

Awards/Honors

1. National Merit Commended

Letters of Recommendation

1. Math Teacher: Had him for two years, he liked me a lot. 7/10
2. English Teacher: She spoke very well of me but the letter wasn't very exciting. 6/10
3. Counselor Rec: He said he knew me better than any other student at my school. I'm pretty sure he wrote me an amazing letter. 9/10

Interviews

Interviewed in person, went well but was not spectacular.

Essays

I wrote my essay about how I became more extroverted after a difficult move from Virginia to California. I think it was not outstanding, but it was very well written and told an accurate and engaging story that demonstrated how I would adapt well to college. 8/10

Decisions

Acceptances:

• Grinnell College (Early Decision)

Deferrals:

UW-Madison (Early Action)

This was taken around 1pm… we were heading down the trail after someone was attacked about 3.5 miles up the trail and we ended up in a bit of a bear sandwich.

As the title implies, this is probably my favorite hike. Our friend here hopped right in front of me while descending down the trail. Took about 5-10 min for him to move enough to let pass by. Snapped this photo as I walked past him.

I'm 17 y/o and was accepted to Grinnell College through the Questbridge scholarship program.
I'm originally from a small town in North Carolina, and my friends and I frequently joke that there's "nothing to do around here". But looking at Iowa, there seems like there's ACTUALLY nothing.
It's landlocked!! How do you go to the beach? Are there any lakes? Waterfalls?

I went to visit the school and it's really nice, but the drive to and from Des Moines airport was...dry. Dry and flat and empty. A lot of open tilled land. It reminds me of Grant Wood's painting, "American Gothic". Is it really like this throughout the entire state?
Not dissing Iowa!!

Grinnell lake hike from the south side of Josephine lake. The snow pack in the upper Grinnell lake basin looks like it could be hike-able in 2-3 weeks but that is NPS’ decision