Grinnell College Top Questions

What do you consider the worst thing about your school? Why?

John

Tuition costs are rising, though this is counterbalanced by excellent financial aid.

Abby

Certain issues on campus are given more attention than others and I just think there needs to be a bit more transparency between students and administrators.

Apoorva

I am an international undergraduate student at UT Arlington, Texas. I like the education system, the way the material is taught, the discussions in class, the opportunities available n campus, the free environment, but when it comes to pay the tuition( I pay out of state tuition, withou any kind of financial aid) it seems worthless because paying for college is way too expensive . Seems like it is a fault of my own that I wished to study in a better environment than I was born in. I wish the tuition didn't rise every year & more scholarships were there.

Sarah

The worst thing about my school is that it is located in a rural town far away from big cities like chicago, and that it is in my home town.

Chris

Most students are completely intolerant to views and people that are not exactly like them.

Kelly

The worst thing about my school is that not everyone can experience it. I feel so strongly that Grinnell is a different kind of place, but amazing. My friends from Grinnell understand and would agree with me. Most of our friends back home say that they like school and we always gush about school and they really do not understand. I think it would be great if everyone could have an experience like mine so far, and while Grinnell isn't the only school that can provide that, it's definitely top five.

Robin

The work is relentless. Students are chronically ill because taking a sick day puts one in such a desperate position that one may have to forego lots of sleep to make up for it. This, combined with feelings of claustrophobia caused by the miniscule student body, is probably the reason why Grinnell has had some problems with student mental health in the past five to ten years.

Kramer

The worst thing about Grinnell is its rural location, which, while making for a very unique experience and allowing for an extremely vibrant campus social and academic life, offords very little to do. And since there's not much to do off campus, staying in the same few square blocks for months at a time can start to feel suffocating.

Julia

The worst thing is the location and the size of this school. It is quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Thus, it is difficult to participate in internships during the school year and there is little diversity in off campus jobs. If you can't stand the cornfields or a vast empty pasture, don't come here. Also, the school is only for 1500 students and so everyone knows everyone's business. This means you are constantly surrounded by friends but it is very difficult to find any privacy.

Winnon

The worst thing is the lack of preparation for the work force. This school seems to specialize in graduate school applicants but not a lot of focus on career opportunities.

Julia

It's in a really small town. I think that if the town were a little bit larger there would be more opportunities to get off campus. Sometimes it feels sort of stifling on campus just because basically everything that there is for students to do happens on campus.

DeJuan

The worst thing is that people target you as an athlete as though you're inferior socailly and academically. Your "peers" immediately see you as a sub-standard student almost ALWAYS (I have friends who hang out with me "IN SPITE of" playing football) and assume that you'll just be another jock. The mojaority of my friends are athletes and the rest of them see being a (collegiate) athlete as some sort of major character flaw. It seems that people blame athletes herebecause of athletes they met in high school.

Karly

Small school in the middle of Iowa without much outdoor recreation easily available to the students.

Andrew

It can feel small sometimes, but there are ways to escape that.

Dena

I don't like how much drinking happens on campus because I am not a big drinker. Sometimes I find it hard to find other people who want to hang out and have fun on the weekends but do NOT want to drink.

Sarah

The tendency for stress to multiply manifest during finals week - because it's tough, and small.

Christy

The lack of "minors". I would have liked to minor in art, theater, or music since I'm looking to go into Arts Therapy, but I can't. Instead, Grinnell has a selection of interdisciplinary concentrations to choose from. These include subjects like Neuroscience, Gender and Women's Studies, Environmental Studies, etc. Nobody mentioned this when I was applying. It's a small setback though. I can still take art and music classes to get the kind of well-rounded academic experience I want.