Grinnell College Top Questions

The student body is very diverse, with about 14{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} being international students. Students come from all 50 states and many countries (not sure the exact number). We have been named the #1 Hipster school in America, and for good reason. There are plenty of hipsters here and that's the predominant fashion trend. Economically, there is a wide spectrum. Grinnell gives great financial aid so even very poor students can come here. I'd say most students are politically aware and a slightly smaller portion are politically active. Almost all are liberal. I'd say the overarching character trait in students here is free-thinking.

I work with a few people incredibly motivated to go particular places, a lot of people working hard, and a few who could care less. The majority is certainly pulling their weight and then some, working part-time and keeping a full load of classes, and most participate in extracurriculars. People make close friends and follow each other in classes because it's such a small campus, but there's hardly any exclusion. There's a large population of international students in particular, most of which you can't tell are international because everyone is different (ethnically and otherwise) already.

Grinnellians are smart, driven, quirky geeks with strong opinions on social justice and equality.

I'm pretty dissatisfied. People bond via liberal ideology, drinking, and drugs. IF your gay, transexual, a minority, a sociology major, or political....your cool. If you do not at least openly express those ideals....your gonna have to figure something else out. Making friends will be hard. People are on the whole pretty weird and hard to connect with (I'm from New York). Very immature.

The administration has placed a premium on maximizing racial, ethnic and geographic diversity on campus which is quite a feat for a school in rural Iowa. Students generally mix well among one another, with genuine friendships crossing many traditional boundaries though the biggest division you'd probably find is between the more "artsy" students and "classic Midwestern stock." From personal experience, I can say that being gay on campus (or "queer" being the ubiquitous term) can be challenging if you're not part of the far-left, norm-pushing crowd. Off campus the politics are generally what you'd expect to find in a small town and it can be hard to find a comfortable niche.

friendly , interesting,socially concerned

all kinds, in terms of race, nationality, political background, cultural background, with a definite emphasis on more liberal ideas, who like to play hard, and work hard, with two groups dominant: the nerds and the crazies.

Grinnell is populated mainly by socially aware, overachieving hipsters whose goals are more of the world-saving variety than the job-getting one; you do occasionally encounter a conservative, but these are mostly former liberals who enjoy being the devil's advocate.

A bunch of people who might not have fit in while in high school--the weird kids--who are really unique and enjoyable to be around and make everyone feel welcome.

Seven Grinnell students talk about whether they have ever considered transfering from Grinnell.

Grinnell is a liberal place, and that's great for me, however, it is just as easy to be close minded as a liberal as it is to a conservative, and that is something we have to keep in check here. Groups that have religious/race/LGBT/etc affiliation are always open and welcoming to not only students who fit the category of the group but also those who do not. Students don't dress up, per se for class, but also don't wear sweatpants to class every day. Most students are from Chicago, bay area, Pacific NW, or Eastern seaboard, esp. Boston and NY. People don't really discuss how much they'll make one day. They talk more about the difference they want to make in the world.

I am a vocal member of the queer community on campus. I found that Transgender voice and representation was lacking throughout the Grinnell community and decided to start a student group to support these individuals. This happens throughout all aspects of the Grinnell community, where on club or organization is lacking another is created or rekindled to fill the gaps. Many organizations are working on communication cross cultural, orientation, and racial gaps. The Multicultural Leadership council (which I am also a part of) was created in response to this communication. All sorts of groups come together monthly to support each other and be reminded how to support their own groups.

I love my friends at school, but I pretty much love everyone. Even though there are definite friend groups, none of them are obsessively exclusive or rude. Students do not judge other students. I think there is a feeling that if they chose Grinnell, they are automatically a decent person. This may sound corny, but there is no one on campus that I know who I actually dislike. I am not friends with everyone (I am always meeting new people, despite the fact that we are such a small school) but of the people I know, acquaintances from class or gym buddies, no one has a bad bone in their body.

My classmates at Grinnell are brilliant, hardworking, unique individuals who bring together their different strengths to form a network of support and love that inspires me to make a positive inpact in this world both through my own work and by becomming an integral part of this network between current students and alumni.

Grinnellians are open-minded, highly intelligent, motivated free-thinkers who don't like dogma or preconceived notions and question everything. They also like to drink and smoke pot, and some are too interested in seeming like a hip intellectual to develop an actual personality.

My classmates are very intelligent and engaging in class. They love to think outside the box and to contribute in class discussions. It is also very easy to get a study group going for a test.

Hard working students that also know how to have fun.

My classmates were inquisitive, hard-working, hard-partying, extremely social, intelligent, adventurous, collaborative, and welcoming.

They're caring, engaging, liberal, incredibly socially-active and enthusiastic about learning.

The school is very diverse, its difficult to pigeonhole the student body. The majority of the school is very academic, liberal, and social. The students tend to believe they should "study hard, change the world, party".