Grinnell College Top Questions

Grinnell is rigorous. Yes, I did the whole "International Baccalaureate/Honors" thing in high school, and it might have prepared me a little--but high school is still no comparison to this college. The good news is the professors are very interesting and approachable, and if you need help it is VERY available: all professors have long office hours outside of class, and the college pays for mentors and tutors in every subject. Sometimes, you will need that support.

The academics are, of course, very strong here. Popular majors are biology, English, economics, and political science. Classes are usually discussion-based, except for basic sciences which tend to be lectures. The largest class I've had has about 34 people in it, and it's one of the most popular classes here (Intro to Anthropology). There is a very collaborative environment here; students don't compete with each other, and most students study and go over homework in groups. Professors care deeply about their subjects and students in the vast majority of cases. There are a few bad professors, but that's bound to happen at any school. There aren't required classes, just divisional requirements, which means that students take classes because they really want to learn the subjects. I would recommend to every student to take Acting or Performance Studies sometime during their career, here or at any college. It's absolutely the best experience here I've had.

I feel good about the philosophy of its curriculum, free and open and stuff, never have to take a math class. However, I have severe issues with its implementation. Several teachers publically REFUSE to give As. Non-liberal students can get punished by liberal faculty. Classes are hard to get into unless your a darling of the school. I have heard stories of several teachers who are notoriously stingy graders. I used to get no less than A-s on my English papers, and now my average paper grade is around a B-. Students are often punished for voicing dissent in liberal curriculums (I got a D in sociology and know several others who had similar experiences). The work load is pretty intense, but not as much for non science folk. For the other departments, it's acceptable. Despite discouraging results, most professors know what they're talking about and care. Students love talking academics at all times

Grinnell students are usually laid-back and non-competitive, but unafraid to share an opinion and take it well outside of class.

Profs definitely know your name. I've taken wonderful classes in the anthropology department. The faculty is just amazing. Class participation is IMPERATIVE. Most are discussion based classes and you are definitely held responsible for having prepared the material before class. Grinnell students have intellectual convos outside of class for sure, but they also have goofy ones as well. Students are competitive against themselves, not against other students. Sabotage or things like that don't happen here. Grinnell's policy of open curriculum is great! Students are encouraged to explore disciplines and go outside their major/s. Education here is more for grad school than anything else, though there are a ton of students who join the Peace Corps or TFA after graduation.

I love the academic life at Grinnell. Classes are normally small and professors take the time to know your name and to make sure you know everyone else's name's. The focus on community starting in the classroom makes it much easier to continue the discussions outside of the classroom. I declared an Independent major, and the professors I declared with are partly the only reason I am able to study an obscure field such as Social Epidemiology. They are also a support system for me to bounce ideas off of, and get advise from when trying to shape and create my major. The professors at Grinnell constantly impress me, and I think the students help to mold and better the faculty that comes into the institution. Community and understanding is build throughout the system and I am very happy with how it functions in my academic life.

Academically, Grinnell is an excellent fit for students who are interested in full time learning. Students complain about the amount of homework, but since everyone has the same amount, there are lots of fun study breaks (organized by our SAs, who volunteer to community build on the floor they live on.) I’ve done all sorts of fun activities, like coloring and s’mores, board games and ginger bread houses, and one time my SA arranged for an international student to put henna on our hands! Another factor that balances out the amount of homework is the fact that it is very easy to get the classes you want, and the classes are always really interesting. I like to say, they have a “twist.” We don’t offer general courses, like American History 101. Instead, there is a “twist.” American history told through the eyes of the Native populations, American history in regards to our international policies, etc. Each class has the Grinnell “twist.” Homework is a lot easier to do when it is a class that is not only interesting, but a class you signed up for specifically. Grinnell is also known for having extremely intelligent professors, who are really there to teach. Although some may be working on other projects, every professor at Grinnell is dedicated to education. Professors will often meet one on one with students to check progress, approve essay topics, or to simply chat about topics that are relevant to the class and that interest the student. Professors invite students out for pizza or to their homes for a (much appreciated) home cooked meal. I have a friend who has developed a friendship with a professor that isn’t even for a course she is taking! They just found they had a lot in common, and wanted to talk about their interests.

Academics at Grinnell are v v demanding. Most of the students here are highly concerned about really doing well in class. Most are future PHDs

Make no mistake, the professors here are amazing. I never had a problem meeting with a professor; they made themselves very accessible and approachable, although they are simultaneously intimidating because of the superb intelligence that seems to cloak them like an aura. Class participation is generally required; no giant lecture halls here. The biggest class I enrolled in had 30 students. Grinnell students tend to love discussions and engage in them everywhere, all the time. Some of them are extremely entertaining.

Academics are challenging, rewarding, and fulfilling than I ever would have expected. Most everyone would say that it is tough, but I left the school having grown academically and having formed bonds with my professors that I will never forget. In my experience, I never heard or saw evidence of students competing with each other. In fact, I would not have made it through certain science classes had it not been for the generosity of my fellow students. Science students often work through homework assignments together, which raises the level of learning. Class participation at Grinnell is important to almost every professor. Professors at Grinnell are incredible. Every single prof knows every single student in his/her class and will go to considerble lengths to help. Students are encouraged to visit office hours. I have been to lunch multiple times with more than one of my professors. The biology department is fun, lots of cool profs who are generous with their time and always give you a smile and a hello in the hallways. There are also weekly biology seminars held for the department that are enthusiastically attended, where students and visiting professors share their work. Many departments have this sort of sense of solidarity with their fellow majors.

Grinnell makes you work hard. You study a lot at Grinnell and they don't just throw A's around. But studying pays off, a professor will give you an A if you try hard. There are a lot of class discussions and participation is really encouraged. But Grinnell really isn't a competitive school. Grades aren't really discussed; people just want their classmates to do well. There isn't any incentive to want other people to fail, everyone does their best to help others succeed. Grinnell doesn't have any general distribution requirements either, so people who aren't necessarily good in one area of study don't have to take classes in that area. The professors are all really nice too, and they encourage students to talk to them in their office hours or to email them especially if they are having trouble in class. Grinnell has just a really supportive atmosphere where everyone, other students and professors alike, want to see succeed.

Academics in Grinnell has its own unique flavor. With small classrooms and accessible professors, I feel more like a colleague in training than a student.

Anywhere around campus, whether walking down the loggia, eating lunch, doing laundry, you're likely to hear students discussing current topics. As I mentioned before, there are no requirements besides a freshmen tutorial which serves basically as an intro to college and make sure writing skills are up to par. This is one aspect of Grinnell that sold me as an incoming student. Students are able to take random classes that they are seriously interested in, but might not help towards a major. I'v been able to take course focused on natural hazards and disasters and another one on diseases in public health throughout European history. Both of these are topics I've always been interested in, but can't imagine being able to take elsewhere.

Academics can be stressful, but there are good resources for dealing with that stress. There are lots of options for students who are interested in any given subject. You can decalare an independent major. Students are not required to take classes that they don't want to take (for the most part). It is encouraged that we take a wide range of classes, but it in the end, our schedules are formed by our own decisions. All of the professors are very concerned about the students and very approachable. Discussion classes are favored by students and by professors.

At Grinnell, you had better be prepared to do your work. All of your professors will expect the utmost work out of you, and they are pretty good and deciphering when you could have done better. The homework load is known for being probably the largest in liberal arts colleges. Most classes are discussion based, and you are challenged not to repeat what you are told, but rather to question what you are told and give reasons why someone might decide to tell you that in the first place. The best part of learning at Grinnell is you are taught how to learn and question, as opposed to learning facts and rules.

All your professors will know your name there. With all the work we do, of course kids have intellectual conversations outside of class. Students really understand that it isn't a battle, though, and help each other understand the subjects we're studying. The people in class make most of the classes unique. I have had meetings with some of my professors out of class, but generally they are pretty busy too. At the end of the year, if you're lucky, you'll get to visit their house for a meal and good conversation. Though the education at Grinnell may be geared toward learning for its own sake, the education we get should prepare us to talk about these books with the outside world.

There is a very, very strong relationship between students and professors at Grinnell. I have been to almost every professor's office for additional help in every class. I do not go because I'm necessarily struggling, but because they help you improve every aspect of your classwork. Economics is a fairly good department at Grinnell, but I find it to be incredibly challenging. Luckily, requirements are very sparse at Grinnell, which allows me to take classes in a variety of subjects. This past semester I took German, Spanish, Macroeconomic Analysis, and Topics in American Music: Rock Music. Although Rock Music may seem like a cake-walk, we typically had a paper to do for every class, at least an hour of listening, and a large amount of reading. All classes are writing intensive. When I took Calculus I had to write math essays. Everyone says, no matter what you major in at Grinnell, you will come out a good writer. There are many places to go for assistance such as the writing lab, reading lab, and math lab. Sciences have senior "mentor's" who hold study sessions all the time (although most professors will hold their own study sessions, even on Sundays). The students will always be discussing the different things they recently learned in class, demonstrating the true love for learning that exists all around the campus. However, the Grinnell education is not geared toward any specific field, but attempts to teach students how to be well-read, academic, open-minded people for the rest of their lives.

In general, Grinnell academics are very strong. Like all schools, some classes/professors are hit or miss, but the majority of our professors are great. I can't be certain about this, but I'm pretty sure each of my professors has known my name -- at least, I can't remember any who haven't. I've spent time with several professors outside of class, and most of them have been kind, helpful, and interesting. It's nice to have professors treat you as an equal. Students study pretty much everyday, though I tend to spend time with the more academically inclined, so I might be misrepresenting a slice of the Grinnell population. Most students I know, at least by the time they reach their junior and senior years, think we're assigned too much work -- it can get pretty ridiculous, and triaging often becomes necessary if you want to sleep at all. Class participation is very common, and most professors expect it of all their students. I'm a fan of this system. As regards student competitiveness, this is one area that I think makes Grinnell pretty unique -- we're not very competitive (with each other). My education at Grinnell has been uniformly characterized by cooperation and assistance among my classmates and other students. When we're competitive, it's with ourselves. We're really driven, and often expect too much of ourselves. That's part of what makes Grinnell academics stressful. A Grinnell education isn't really geared towards getting a job -- we are, after all, a liberal arts college -- and learning for its own sake is definitely a part of our culture. I've had intellectual conversations outside of class with almost every student I know, and they're often very interesting, informative discussions. They're entertaining too -- Grinnellians are good at merging the intellectual with the ridiculous/humorous.

Education at Grinnell is definetly geared toward learning and not getting a job, which can be at times very frustrating. Yes profs know your know your name, the classes are small...but that is very similiar to other small, expensive liberal arts colleges. Whats cool about grinnell is that it seems like there's more social-economic diversity than other small liberal arts colleges, but the college has a lot of money and therefore seem to give more student financial aid.

A thirty-person class at Grinnell is huge; by contrast, one of my classes my first semester had 4 people, which gave us all a chance to learn directly. Teachers and students interact on a very individual level; they'll read drafts of your papers for you, but in return you'll need to make sure you participate! And don't be surprised if the participation extends outside the classroom--our dinner conversations often revolve around some interesting academic subject of the day. But to be upfront, it's a lot of work. I know a lot of people don't actually do the reading; I myself am not fond of skimping in homework, but do occasionally have to let a reading, if it's less important, slide. But that's all due to the ton of actual important stuff that you will have to do! Expect 15-page papers in 200-level social studies/humanities classes alongside of 140-200 page reading assignments per class, and hours of lab time if you're a science-y person. In my experience, my time outside of class is either spent on activities or homework; there's not much time for simple lounging (though I'm not totally typical in this respect). But the profs will be there with you and help you with anything you need--it's amazing. And many will have their classes over to dinner at the end of the semester; good cooks! The difficulty depends by department, of course; the history department is particularly tough, but boy will they teach you. The other factor that really helps you get through the work is that you can usually be in classes you want--there will be requirements for your major, but no inter-departmental requirements, so follow your passion! You'll be prepared to do almost anything you want once you've finished with Grinnell. A final curious factor which bears mentioning is that, while Grinnellians take pride in the work they do, it's not the results that you're allowed to tout--you can tell close friends about your grades, but really the point of pride comes in how hard/much you're working. We talk about effort, not end.