火爆社区

The unique appeal of Grinnell College, according to students, is that you鈥檒l get 鈥渆lite academics in a small-town environment鈥� and a 鈥済reat educational experience鈥� that many describe as 鈥渢he best you can find in the Midwest.鈥� The overall sense is that 鈥渢he students are smart, professors outstanding, and the administration does a good job of bringing the world to Grinnell.鈥� That plays out in the 鈥渄epth at which courses are taught,鈥� with some proudly noting that there鈥檚 an 鈥渆mphasis on understanding rather than rote learning.鈥� Enrollees also benefit greatly from 鈥渟mall classes鈥� and an 鈥渙pen curriculum鈥� that enables students to pursue whatever interests them. While there鈥檚 鈥渁 lot of reading and assignment,鈥� students don鈥檛 mind that rigor, saying that 鈥渋t is genuinely enjoyable to learn here鈥� and noting that 鈥渁cademics are intense at Grinnell, but as a result I鈥檝e learned so much.鈥� Much of that can be attributed to professors who, by and large, 鈥渨elcome questions and critique and genuinely care about learning.鈥� They also make it easy to foster 鈥渟trong relationships鈥� with them: 鈥淚鈥檝e been to so many of their houses for meals with my classes.鈥� A classmate concurs, adding, 鈥淭here are many departments here at the college that have great faculty, and they are usually quite willing to engage with students and help them when they need it.鈥�

From the moment you step foot on the campus of Grinnell College, you can sense that this is a 鈥渢ight-knit community鈥� where students are free 鈥渢o be whoever [they] want... without judgment or reservation.鈥� This results in a lot of 鈥減assionate, quirky, [and] curious鈥� individuals who tend to maintain 鈥渉igh standards for themselves.鈥� Peers are also described as 鈥渞eally smart and driven,鈥� so much so that 鈥淚 feel like everyone I know is working to achieve some rather impressive goals and are actually making good progress.鈥� Students tend to identify as liberal and are 鈥渘ot afraid to challenge the status quo or how things are,鈥� especially when it comes to 鈥渟ocial issues.鈥� Additionally, undergrads note that there鈥檚 鈥渁 higher-than-average percentage of students in the LGBTQ+ community,鈥� though some also note that many peers seem to be 鈥渨hite, predominantly middle- and upper-class鈥� kids who 鈥渨ent to quite well-funded high schools.鈥� Regardless of background, students mostly agree that on campus, everyone is 鈥渄own to earth and friendly鈥� or at the very least, benefiting from a 鈥渓ack of pretentiousness鈥� that fosters a sense of community. As this student concludes, 鈥淢y favorite thing about the Grinnell student body is inclusivity. I never feel like I am not welcome at an event, and while social groups exist, nothing has ever been cliquey or exclusive to me.鈥�

Grinnell is 鈥渧ery academically oriented鈥� and accordingly, undergrads dedicate a lot of time to schoolwork. But when they want to kick back and relax, the college sponsors numerous events ranging from 鈥淎ll-Campus Parties (which are hosted by the student government)鈥� to bingo, dances, trivia, and more. Many students also participate in clubs and extracurricular activities, and the fact that 鈥測ou only need five people to start a club鈥� means that 鈥渋t鈥檚 very easy to make your own,鈥� which goes a long way to explain the range of niches filled by DAG, a club devoted to foam sword-fighting; the fiber arts club; a 鈥渓ow-stakes band class鈥�; GORP (Grinnell Outdoor Recreation Program); mock trial; and so much more. Additionally, 鈥渋ntramural sports are slowly becoming popular again.鈥� The most commonly shared concept is that Grinnellians are quite adept at making their own fun, in ways that can be life-changing: 鈥淚 watched a lunar eclipse with a group of people who I didn鈥檛 know before 1:00am that night; I still keep up with them.鈥� And, of course, plenty of people choose to unwind by simply 鈥渨atching bad movies on Saturday nights.鈥�

At The Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS), students can collaborate within 鈥淐areer Communities鈥� for guidance in their chosen fields. Besides interview prep, job shadowing programs, and on-campus recruiting, the center also houses the Service Leadership Work-Study Civic Professional Program, which provides students with paid, community-driven service opportunities. To support learning through work experience, Grinnell awards over $300,000 in funding for internships each year. Grinnellink internships are specific opportunities with college alumni and friends and are open exclusively to Grinnell students. Students are thankful that the 鈥淕rinnell College alumni...are very proactive in providing students with assistance in the form of...employment, or mentorship.鈥� And off-campus study experiences, whether abroad like Grinnell-in-London, or at a U.S. location like Grinnell-in-Washington, offer more opportunities for experiential learning. Grinnell undergrads do well for themselves and their communities. Indeed, according to PayScale.com, the median starting salary for these students is $64,700, with 49 percent reporting that they feel their jobs have a meaningful impact on society.