Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

Did anyone get an email from Grinnell giving the dates of their admitted student days? ("If you are admitted to Grinnell, the dates for student days are...). I'm not a naive applicant, and I'm sure that this is just a form letter, but Grinnell is one of my top choices so I just want to make sure...Thanks!

By Caramelapple (Caramelapple) on Thursday, February 26, 2004 - 12:21 am: Edit

Yep I got that today.

By Paulgrinnell (Paulgrinnell) on Monday, March 01, 2004 - 02:27 pm: Edit

Hi guys im gonna be going to grinnell next year and i got that email too. good luck!

By Caramelapple (Caramelapple) on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 05:46 pm: Edit

And I just got one today saying I may be called Thurs. cause they are calling "prospective students."

Did you guys get this too?

By Brandywine (Brandywine) on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 06:17 pm: Edit

yea me too! whats that all about? so are we supposed to wait or not? lol.. its a nice/personal touch though, havin profs call you..

By Caramelapple (Caramelapple) on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 07:33 pm: Edit

oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!!! i'm really really really happy right now cause....ahhh.... no words.... wow!!!! let's just say that i got two early notification of acceptances today and one is for grinnell. and not only that i will recieve a merit scholarship totally $60,000 over 4 years. so maybe if you received the same emails i have you will be lucky too!!

By Heyheyhoho (Heyheyhoho) on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 08:21 pm: Edit

caramelapple, could you please post your stats and the state that you live in (crossing my fingers that mail moves slowly from iowa east)...

By Caramelapple (Caramelapple) on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 09:18 pm: Edit

check my profile for stats and location

By Heyheyhoho (Heyheyhoho) on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 10:24 pm: Edit

what do you think my chances are? 1450 (760V), 800 SAT II, 3.8, 9 APs, pretty good ecs, east coast public, really good essay, good recs...it's my top choice

By Youcanonlywish (Youcanonlywish) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 07:01 pm: Edit

ahhh, i just got a letter from them saying i was in and i got a 48000 merit scholarship (i'm psyched cuz i didn't think i had that good of a chance of getting in, let alone getting a merit scholarship)

By Ch2 (Ch2) on Sunday, March 07, 2004 - 12:29 pm: Edit

Youcanonlywish, I just got the same letter!!! I'm so happy! It's the first school I have heard anything from!! Well, I have to go drive my sister to the train station now, but hopefully we can talk more about Grinnell later.

By Michaelzhao (Michaelzhao) on Friday, March 12, 2004 - 12:28 pm: Edit

Hello, guys!
i'm an int'l stu. applied for RD. i got an academic catalog today. does it mean something?
btw,anyone who is an int'l stu has been accepted?

By Manyzhka (Manyzhka) on Friday, March 12, 2004 - 01:46 pm: Edit

Michaelzhao, and where are you from? How long does it take a letter from US get to you?
I applied there as a transfer...

By Michaelzhao (Michaelzhao) on Friday, March 12, 2004 - 07:38 pm: Edit

I'm from China. Now study in Canada. it takes 5-10 days

By Michaelzhao (Michaelzhao) on Saturday, March 13, 2004 - 06:41 pm: Edit

I could do nothing now but waiting for the final judgements from schools. My stats:

Chinese,Male, study in Canada for 0.5 year

95.33/100(unweighted), 1/50
SAT: 1430(V630+M800)
SAT2: Physics 800; Math2c 800; Writing 580
Toefl:263

EC:vice-president Student Council 2years
Class Monitor 3years
Radio Communication Club ,team leader, Bronze medalist(province)
Tutoring: Math; Physics; Accounting
Volunteer hours
Several academic awards(provincial level)first or second prize(Math, Chem)
Provincial Excellent Student

Good Recs: 2 from China(principal; officer)
3 from Canada(principal; two teachers)

Decent essays:one about my life in Chinese High School; one about my two interviews in China: first, chance to study in Japan with scholarship--failure; second, chance to study in Canada with scholarship-success

Schools applied(need fin aid)
Harvard
MIT
Dartmouth
U of Chicago
Williams
Colby
Grinnell
Macalester
Lafayette

Schools applied(don't need fin aid)
UPenn
U of Toronto
McGill

Anyone who can give some advices? Anyone who has been accepted to these schools(int'l stu)?
THANKS

By Caramelapple (Caramelapple) on Tuesday, March 16, 2004 - 12:14 am: Edit

Is anyone going to one of the admitted student receptions in April?

By Ch2 (Ch2) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 08:13 pm: Edit

Yep. I think I'm going to the first one on April 9th. I will have to fly there and haven't reserved a flight yet, but it looks like I will have to spend Thursday night there and possibly Friday night. I'm kind of nervous, but it should be fun and interesting to finally see the campus. Anyone else???

By Caramelapple (Caramelapple) on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 03:09 am: Edit

I'm going to that one too. Staying Fri night. I wish they'd offer to pay my plane ticket. This trip is going to be expensive!!

By Ch2 (Ch2) on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 07:16 pm: Edit

Has anyone else gotten in yet? I made my reservations for the admitted student reception yesterday and I'm getting into Des Moines (which I have learned is pronounced with the "s"s silent) Thursday (April 8th) early evening and leaving early Saturday noon. I'm getting pretty psyched. Still have 7 schools to hear from on April 1st but I know that none of them are going to offer me as much $ as Grinnell. Regardless of that, the more online research I've done about Grinnell and about the people that go there (I'm a dork like that, I know) the more I want to go there.

It is really weird because I applied to Grinnell just for the hell of it in January because it sounded like a cool place in the college guidebooks. But it was still towards the bottom of my list. Now, even if I were to get into some of the schools I applied to with more name recognition (at least here on the East coast), there is a good probability I would choose Grinnell over them. Well, I still have to visit. That could change everything.

I've just realized in the past month that what I what in a college NOW is totally different from what I thought I wanted in the fall and even earlier in the winter.

Well enough rambling, I'm just excited about Grinnell right now. There must be more prospective Grinnellians around on this board! Post!

By N3wsp34k (N3wsp34k) on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 08:26 pm: Edit

i applied to grinnell rd, but haven't heard from them. and i'm seeing a lot of people have...is it pretty much the case that if you're admitted, you'd have gotten notice already and only the rejects have to wait till the 31st on pioneer web? not looking for a comforting reply, just wondering if anyone knows. is there any one else out there who hasn't heard anything?

By Ch2 (Ch2) on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 09:10 pm: Edit

No, they have only sent out likely letters and that definitely isn't everyone. I think that most people find out on the regular date, it's just that many of the people that have posted so far on this board have gotten likelies so it looks disproportionate. So don't worry!!

By Bjturlington (Bjturlington) on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 10:46 pm: Edit

i still haven't formally heard from Grinnell either. Don't sweat it though N3w... Like ch2 said, the people who know are the ones who got a likely.

As for me, I too applied to Grinnell because a few people and the write-ups said it was a great school. The more I look, the more I like.

ch2...I too have changed what I want over the course of the last few months. Where Grinnell was once middle of the pact, it is now in the among the top two--tied with Wesleyan.

I like that Grinnell is more intimate, and the student body more laid back, athough just as liberal.

I keep checking my mail box for a letter, but I am somehow more secure with how Grinnell chooses its students than with many other schools. Weird, I know.

Just my 2 cents.
rob.

By Bjturlington (Bjturlington) on Monday, March 29, 2004 - 06:55 pm: Edit

WOO-WHOO!!

Got in to Grinnell. I'm so relieved. I went away to the WA coast this weekend, and was going through mail withdrawl. I got back earlier today and I found the Grinnell package waiting for me.

Rob.

By Ch2 (Ch2) on Monday, March 29, 2004 - 07:56 pm: Edit

Congrats Rob! I knew you would get in, but congrats anyway! So, are you going to visit Grinnell in April? Are you seriously considering going there? As I've said, I still have to hear from 6 schools, but I would be happy to go to Grinnell. Good luck with the rest of your schools!

By Bjturlington (Bjturlington) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 02:12 am: Edit

Hey there ch2...

Thak you!! I'm going to visit in April. It's between Wes and Grinnell. Weird as this, I'm leaning towards Grinnell. The more I learn about it, the more I like.

You'll be surprized by Grinnell. I visited a year ago, and found it to be an open and accepting place. Although people are just as liberal as Wes students, they are less in your face. They definately let you speak your mind, and can agree-to-disagree. I like that alot about Grinnell.

There are tons of activities on-campus, and they have good athletics too--men and women. I've had many friends go to Grinnell and they literally gush about it. The campus is compact, but I was so surprized at how easy it was to meet people--and I didn't have to worry about how I was dressed. I wore tevas, a tee-shirt and surfing shorts. It felt like Hawaii, but flatter.

Maybe will be able to hang out at Bob's Underground while we get used to the corn fields and new enviornment, if you decide to go Grinnell.

Good luck on your other schools too.

Rob.

By N3wsp34k (N3wsp34k) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 10:42 am: Edit

=)
i got into grinnell! (with a nice, completely unexpected, merit scholarship too!)
now i'm trying to decide between grinnell and oberlin...problem is i don't know if i can visit.
i know lots of kids apply to both--wondering if any one that has experience/has visited em could tell me if they noticed any differences in the student body b/w them (i know the facts, more wondering about the feel--is oberlin noticeably artsy/pretentious, or are an overwhelming majority of grinnellians wanna-be hippies?). also wondering about the aesthetics of the campus--which has more eye-sore post ww2 buildings? which has better dorms?
any info would rock.

By Bjturlington (Bjturlington) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 11:29 am: Edit

N3wsp...

Congrats!

I like Grinnell better than Oberlin, since Grinnell is on a semester system while Obie is on a trimester system. 3 sets of finals?! Not for me.

As for the colleges. Grinnell an Oberlin are both good looking and have many resources. People are friendlier at Grinnell than at Oberlin.

Kids at both places tend to be liberal, but Grinnellians are more laid-back. Oberlin tends to feel more east coast, Grinnell more Pacific northwest.

Grinnell has bigger and better dorms than Oberlin, as well as a larger endowment (over a billion dollars). Classes are smaller at Grinnell too.

As for social options, both schools are awesome. Oberlin has a music conservatory so concerts are uniformly pretty good.

The student body at Oberlin seems more hippy-ish than those at Grinnell. Grinnell is better balanced with respect to viewpoints, so I prefer it to Oberlin.

Just my 2 cents. again Congrats!

Rob.

By Michael111 (Michael111) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 10:20 am: Edit

Got in!!!!
But won't go, cos their finaid wasn't generous enough to make it affordable for me. ((
So, sorry about that. Grinnell seems to be great!

By Bjturlington (Bjturlington) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 08:33 pm: Edit

Congrats Michael!

It was an accomplishment to get an offer of admissions. You should be proud. If you really want to go to Grinnell, let the admissions office know and try contacting the financial aid office, especially if you have a better offer at another college. They might help.

Just my 2 cents.
Rob.

By Phobos521 (Phobos521) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 08:15 pm: Edit

Hey my name is Katie and I just found this site while searching for more info on grinnell. I got in also and was really surprised to find that i got a scholarship too. I'm so excited to see it! I'm going for the student reception on the 16th of april. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go there, its up between skidmore and grinnell and i think i would fit in much better at grinnell. I live close to NYC and no one around here has ever heard of grinnell. I've been researching it online and it seems perfect except for the fact that its inthe middle of nowhere in Iowa, i still have to look at it but from reading all your messages I get a really great impression. It also seems like we applied to all the same places, oberlin, wesleyan ect. Well thanks for the info on grinnell you posted!

By Bjturlington (Bjturlington) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 12:22 am: Edit

Phobos...

Congrats!

Grinnell is an awesome school. I too had many choices, but I think I'll be attending Grinnell over Brown & Yale.

I think you'll like the college; it is amazingly diverse, more so than many other schools. I was also looking at Wesleyan and a few others, but the more I researched Grinnell, the more enamored I became.

I'm not sure which student days I'll be attending, but I'm looking forward to it.

Have a good one.
Rob

By Leewong (Leewong) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 06:32 pm: Edit

Accepted. But unable to go for financial reasons. Grinnell seems great.

By Bjturlington (Bjturlington) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 11:44 pm: Edit

Sorry to hear that Lee...

If you're still interested in Grinnell, try contacting the admissions office or financial aid office and let them know you would attend if you got some aid.

Rob.

By Idonotcare (Idonotcare) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 11:48 pm: Edit

half tuition grant? what a rip off!
i decided not going to Grinnell

By Phobos521 (Phobos521) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 03:58 pm: Edit

Hey bjturlington, I was looking at the sites for a few other schools i had applied to and i saw your post on the Wesleyan site about your response to an article about Hawaiian culture from a Wesleyan school paper or something (that was you right?). I didnt really know too much about the topic but I thought what you said about it was really interesting and im happy to hear your going to grinnell. I was also glad to hear that you found people at grinnell to be much more open than at wesleyan. Wesleyan was my first choice but i didnt get in, now im kinda happy it worked out like this because i think grinnell is really the perfect fit for me. I also just found out i got into bard-its much closer to my home than grinnell and its suppose to be crazy liberal perahps the most liberal in the country which could be good or bad, i'll have to visit. Grinnell is still my top choice now. do you know anything about bard?

By Bee_Bee (Bee_Bee) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 06:46 pm: Edit

I am going to Grinnell next year. By the way, I'm new to this board.

By Bjturlington (Bjturlington) on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 02:39 pm: Edit

Hey there Phobos and Bee...

Congrats on your adission!

Phobos, I was the same person who wrote about Wesleyan. I still like the school, but I've grown to love Grinnell.

Yep, I also looked at Bard. Very similar to Grinnell, though the buildings at Bard are not as impressively detailed or maintained. Not that important anyway. I do like the rural location of Bard though...go figure. Bard's writing programs and the arts are great. And, Bard is definately more liberal, though more along the lines of wes than Grinnell.

At Bard, class are small and usually interesting. I'm not too sure that I like Bard's social scene (I've been accused of being to happy-go-lucky). I did like the people I met at Bard, although I ran into a few people with brightly died hair (not necessarily a bad thing). The piercings are what got me...nose, betty button, and eyebrow rings I can handle...not as sure about forhead and neck rings.

Bard is a good school in many respects. A great bargin for those in the top-10%, where you'll pay your in-state tuition (at your home state university) to get a Bard education.

Hope this helps some.
Rob.

PS--The Hawaii commodification and gay marriage thing seem clear-cut, but the more you look into it, the more complex it is. I'm right outside of Portland Oregon, and the city is still issuing gay marriage licences. Another county STOPPED all marriage liscences so that the issue would be fast-tracked to the State Supreme Court. The Governor and Att. General said that the county (Multnoma County) should follow the laws on the books, BUT conceed that stopping the issuance of gay marriage certificates would VIOLATE the Oregon State Constitution which bars discrimination based on the sex of the petitioners for marriage. The ACLU filled with the courts, and the courts have said that they WOULD NOT suspend issuances of those liscences until the case was heard, thereby placing greater pressure on those who oppose gay marriage. It's very interesting right now to be in the Pacific Northwest.

By Leewong (Leewong) on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 07:31 am: Edit

Thank you, Rob. Actually I got some kinds of financial aid from Grinnell but it's not enough, and I dont think they're likely to offer me more. Anyway, congratulations to those that got accepted (and have enough money to go :-)I
have a close friend 80% attending Grinnell this fall. so, I may see you at Grinnell when I visit him. :-)

By Bjturlington (Bjturlington) on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 03:07 pm: Edit

Kewl Lee.

Sorry to hear about the financial aid thing. Best of luck at school and I'm sure I'll see ya around.

Rob.

By Ch2 (Ch2) on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 05:05 pm: Edit

So, Rob, have you decided yet if you are definitely going to Grinnell? I am visiting this Thursday thru Saturday!! I still have to visit Wesleyan and Amherst (I think I have ruled out Bowdoin) so I'm not sure yet. Unfortunately I was really lazy last summer, and didn't visit any colleges except for Yale and Uconn. There is a lot of other stuff that might complicate my decision but I will comment on that later after I visit. If you want, you can email me(use "the GOOD email") in my profile. This offer is open to anyone who wants to talk about Grinnell or college decisions.

By Bjturlington (Bjturlington) on Wednesday, April 07, 2004 - 02:58 pm: Edit

Kewl ch2...

I'm actually going to the last one. I'm 99.9% sure. Make sure you check out Bob's Underground, easy way to get the vibe.

The first time I visited, I thought...no way am I going to school in the middle of the corn (Should not have watched The Children of the Corn). But, after a few minutes on campus, that was forgotten. The people were vibrant and interesting and open.

Let me know how that goes, you can email me using the profile email addy. Have a great time...I'm sure you'll like Grinnell.

Have a safe and productive trip.
Rob.

By Phobos521 (Phobos521) on Monday, April 12, 2004 - 09:50 am: Edit

Hey everyone, just got back from spring break and i start school tomorrow. I'm visiting grinnell this thursday through saturday. I'm so excited, pretty sure thats where im gonna go but i dont know what i'll do if i dont like it. I'm sure I will though. I still have to visit bard but i think bard may be a little too out there for me. I'd probably fit in better at grinnell, of course i havent seen either so im just judging this on what i've heard from people or read about each. The only real draw back from grinnell is that is seems isolated,maybe that wont be too bad because it might make for a really tight-knit community. By the way btjurlington, yea gay marriage issue very interesting, I have yet to hear a really solid argument against it, its really a civil rights issue. Bush's whole thing to create an amendment to ban gay marriage is absolutely ridiculous and will never go through of course. Interesting to see how it plays out state by state.

By Bjturlington (Bjturlington) on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 10:53 pm: Edit

Phobos...

Think Bush is just posturing to mobolize die-hard conservatives. I think he knows it won't pass. As for Oregon...it's way interesting to watch. Grinnell's Political Science department must be watching closely. I think they had the first departmental major of all schools.

Have fun. Let us know your thoughts about Grinnell.

Rob.

By Phobos521 (Phobos521) on Sunday, April 18, 2004 - 05:38 pm: Edit

So i just got back from grinnell last night, and I love it there. Everything about it is amazing. The people are the best part i think its got much more diversity in the kinds of people there than at any other place im thinking about. Like at Bard everyone is so liberal that people probably dont feel comfortable expressing a stong opposition opinion or it may have negative social impacts since leftist politics is such and integral part of life there. I mean im really liberal but I still want to hear people who have different opinions and I think grinnell is more accepting in that regard as compared to a place like wesleyan. Bobs underground looked awesome but nothing was happening in it when i went. The girl i stayed with was really nice and most of her friends were international students who were all really cool and interesting people also. The fact that the students there have so much freedom is another thing that is so awesome about grinnell. Like i thought i wouldnt like the fact that its in the middle of nowhere but thats actually what is so amazing about it, because the community is so strong on campus and it allows for that extra level of freedom. Im so excited to go next year, I look forward to seeing everyone who chooses it. Im really glad everything worked out the way it did in the admissions process. Grinnell 08!

By Bee_Bee (Bee_Bee) on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 05:16 pm: Edit

Phobos, I'll be seeing you next year. I'm glad you liked Grinnell. When I went there for a campus visit, everyone was very nice. I told myself, this is the place for me, even if its in the middle of cornfields.

By Phobos521 (Phobos521) on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 05:01 pm: Edit

Hey Bee Bee, yea I'm really happy im going there. If you or anyone else going next year wants to chat my aim is Phobos521, if not i'll see you next year!

By Bleh (Bleh) on Friday, June 04, 2004 - 01:11 pm: Edit

Does anyone know certain things that Grinnell likes to see in its applicants or ways that I can improve my app? I have good stats for them and I'll have excellent recs and probably a pretty good essay and that sort of thing, but I'm looking for a way to make myself stand out. I'm a really good match for the school (it might even be a safety, idk), but I'm looking for something extra. What sort of small things can I do to help myself? Are there any parts of the application that are more important than others?

By Bee_Bee (Bee_Bee) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 07:08 pm: Edit

an interview is highly recommended according to them

By A2a2 (A2a2) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 11:24 pm: Edit

Besides who you are and what you've done already, I'd say showing a strong interest, getting your SAT scores a high as they possibly can be, writing an essay that's imaginative and is specific to Grinnell. I think they'd like to get their yield rate up - so if they think you'll definitely come if accepted, that's a plus.

By Caramelapple (Caramelapple) on Wednesday, June 09, 2004 - 01:26 am: Edit

i don't know. there's really no formula for getting in. the accepted class's stats went up a lot this year. i was given an early notification for acceptance, including the largest merit scholarship, with having a lower than average SAT and ACT.

i didn't have an interview. honestly, i didn't know a whole lot about grinnell. it definetly wasn't my first choice but they had a free application and its profile was similar to other colleges i applied to. my essay wasn't specific to grinnell. i guess i didn't do any of what A2a2 suggested. but i'm sure their comments are absolutely true. there are many ways to catch the admission officer's eye.

here's why i think i was accepted...
-high GPA
-wide range of extracurriculars, but i still was dedicated to certain ones
-i submitted a music audition tape of my horn solo. i got a letter from the music department saying that they were impressed with my work in music and it was something that helped me get accepted
-good essay about living in saudi arabia. it was somewhat humorous and was very easy to read.
-really good recs

just decide what's your strengths and display them well. make sure your personality comes across through your app.

oh, and i am going to grinnell. so applying to schools because the app is free isn't such a horrible thing to do. i'm not hesistant in my final choice either; it's just not where i expected to end up!

By Sebastian0622 (Sebastian0622) on Wednesday, July 14, 2004 - 04:16 pm: Edit

I think the interview really helps. After my interview, everybody there became a lot more personable. Knowing an admissions counselor fairly well will serve you well after the interview also in terms of having someone to speak to about your concerns and the entire process. Just remember to follow up with a thank-you note for the interview and/or tour on your visit!

I was accepted as a transfer, and this year--even moreso than past years--that was very competitive. Outside of the grades (3.7 in college) and ACT score (31), which isn't particularly outstanding in the transfer pool but above average, it was the interview and other application details that made the difference. Feel free to be yourself and have a personality! Allow that to come through in your application and it will help you greatly.

By A2a2 (A2a2) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 11:10 pm: Edit

Grinnell is getting more selective - class of 2008 median SAT scores up to 1370 and acceptance rate down to 42%.

By Medusa2003 (Medusa2003) on Friday, July 30, 2004 - 06:53 am: Edit

Median ACT was 30 for the class of 2008.