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Grinnell College

1210 Park Street, Grinnell, IA 50112

Website: Grinnell College

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John H. T. Main Residence Hall
John H. T. Main Residence Hall
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Grinnell College School Description

When Grinnell College framed its charter in the Iowa Territory of the United States in 1846, it set forth a mission to educate its students "for the different professions and for the honorable discharge of the duties of life." The College pursues that mission by educating young men and women in the liberal arts through free inquiry and the open exchange of ideas. As a teaching and learning community, the College holds that knowledge is a good to be pursued both for its own sake and for the intellectual, moral, and physical well-being of individuals and of society at large. The College exists to provide a lively academic community of students and teachers of high scholarly qualifications from diverse social and cultural circumstances. The College aims to graduate women and men who can think clearly, who can speak and write persuasively and even eloquently, who can evaluate critically both their own and others' ideas, who can acquire new knowledge, and who are prepared in life and work to use their knowledge and their abilities to serve the common good.

Grinnell is a powerhouse on the national scene. Ever progressive, it was the first college west of the Mississippi to admit African Americans and women, and the first in the country to establish an undergraduate department of political science. It was once a stop on the Underground Railroad, and its graduates include Harry Hopkins, architect of the New Deal, and Robert Noyce, inventor of the integrated circuit, two people who did as much as anyone to change the face of American society in the 20th century.

We offer individually advised curriculum; only a handful of colleges in the country give you the freedom to design your own academic program. Each student is responsible for making the most of what the College offers.

We have:

* About 1,600 students
* Most classes have fewer than 20 students
* 13 percent international, 26 percent U.S. students of color
* More than half of students study off campus during academic career

* 26 majors, 11 concentrations
* Over 500 course offerings every semester
* 9:1 student/faculty ratio
* 96 percent of faculty lives near campus
* 52 percent of students complete at least one independent study course
* More than 70 study abroad programs around the world
* 3,000 internship opportunities in the United States and abroad


Grinnell College has an attractive 120-acre campus of spectacular academic facilities that include the Noyce Science Center, featured in architectural journals; and the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, designed by Cesar Pelli. The College also owns the 365-acre Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA), located about 14 miles from the campus and used on a regular basis for research and teaching.

The city of Grinnell is a community rooted in agriculture, but also benefits from a long history of international commercial connections and civic pride, leadership, and accomplishment. Grinnell's buildings are rich in architectural interest. Thirteen sites in town are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Louis Sullivan "Jewel Box" bank building and the Walter Burley Griffin "Ricker" house. The city of Grinnell offers members of the campus community a chance to enjoy the quality of life that has earned it a place among the 25 "Best Small Towns in America" in the book of that title.

Outdoor recreational activities include lakes, prairie preserves, cross country ski trails, and a paved bicycle path connecting Grinnell and Rock Creek State Park. In town, attractions include a downtown triplex cinema, eclectic downtown shopping, coffee shops, bed-and-breakfast inns, weekend antique auctions, restaurants, and diverse city parks.

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Grinnell College

From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. with a strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College.

Grinnell is classified as a more selective institution by the Carnegie Foundation and is ranked fourteenth among liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. In 2004 it received the "Best All-Around" college rating from Newsweek magazine.

Until recently, the estimated value of Grinnell's endowment was the highest among liberal arts colleges; it had the third-largest endowment among them.

History

[[File:Blair-hall-grinnell-college.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Blair Hall: Constructed between 1882-1886 and razed in 1961.]] In 1843 eleven Congregational ministers, all of whom trained at Andover Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, set out to proselytize on the frontier. Each man pledged to gather a church and together the group or band would seek to establish a college. When the group arrived in Iowa later that year, each selected a different town in which to establish a congregation. In 1846 they collectively established Iowa College in Davenport. A few months later, Iowa joined the Union.

The first 25 years of Grinnell's history saw a change in name and location. Iowa College moved farther west from Davenport, Iowa, to the town of Grinnell and unofficially adopted the name of its new benefactor: an abolitionist minister, Josiah Bushnell Grinnell, to whom journalist Horace Greeley famously wrote "Go West, young man, go West, and grow up with the country!" The name of the corporation "The Trustees of Iowa College" remained, but in 1909 the name "Grinnell College" was adopted by the trustees for the institution itself.

In its early years, the College experienced setbacks. Although two students received bachelor of arts degrees in 1854 (the first to be granted by a college west of the Mississippi River), within 10 years the Civil War had claimed most of Grinnell's students and professors. In the decade following the war, growth resumed: women were officially admitted as candidates for degrees, and the curriculum was enlarged to include then-new areas of academic studies, such as natural sciences with laboratory work.

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Read the full entry on Wikipedia

Quick Facts

Chance of Admission:
Location:
Midwest
Setting:
Small Town Setting
Type:
Private
Size:
Small (Under 2,000 Undergrad)
Mascot:
Pioneers

Students & Campus Life

Undergraduate Enrollment:
1,524
On Campus Housing:
Available
Full Time Students:
100%
Athletic Programs:
Available
More Students & Campus Life

Expenses

Average Tuition:
$ 27,060
Students Receiving Aid:
93%
More Expenses & Financial Aid

Admissions

Application Fee:
$ 30
Selectivity:
Highly Selective
More Admissions

Grinnell College Degree Programs

Bachelor’s Degree Programs

Learn more about Bachelor’s Degree Programs

Grinnell College Students & Campus Life

General

Full-Time vs. Part-Time
Full-Time 100%
Part-Time 0%
Men vs. Women
Women 55%
Men 45%
Race/Ethnicity
Caucasian 77%
Other 11%
Asian 5%
African-American 4%
Hispanic 3%

Geography

In State vs. Out-of-State
Out-of-State 90%
In-State 10%
Top States for Incoming Freshman
Illinois 12%
Iowa 10%
Minnesota 8%
California 5%
Washington 3%
Percent of Students International: 10%

Housing

On-Campus Housing Available: Yes
Percent of Students Living On-Campus: 80%
Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: No

Athletics

Member of: NAA, NCAA
Sports Include: Football (Midwest Conference)
Basketball (Midwest Conference)
Baseball (Midwest Conference)
Track (Midwest Conference)

Grinnell College Expenses (Tuition & Fees)

Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) Expenses  
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads:
 $ 27,060    
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads:
 $ 444    
Financial Aid Avg. Amount Received % of Students Receiving Aid  
Federal Grants:
 $ 3,596 14%  
State and Local Grants:
 $ 2,953 39%  
Institutional Grants:
 $ 13,925 90%  
Student Loans:
 $ 4,651 52%  
Any Aid:
   93%  

Grinnell College Admissions

Acceptance Rate: 51% (Highly Selective)
Test Scores  
SAT Scores:  
% of Students Submitting SAT Scores: 60%
Bottom 25th Percentile: Verbal: 640, Math: 650
Top 75th Percentile: Verbal: 760, Math: 730
ACT Scores:  
% of Students Submitting ACT Scores: 39%
Bottom 25th Percentile: Composite: 28, Verbal: 27, Math: 27
Top 75th Percentile: Composite: 32, Verbal: 34, Math: 32

Application Requirements (Undergraduate Only)

Application Fee: $ 30.00
Formal Demonstration of Competencies: Not Required
High School Diploma or Equivalent: Recommended
High School GPA: Required
High School Rank: Required
High School Record: Required
Recommendations: Required
TOEFL: Required
Test Scores: Required

College Advice on Grinnell College

Yahoo
M
M

Question: Does anyone know anything about Grinnell College?

I have been looking into colleges to apply to next year, and Grinnell seems like a good place for me. Do you know anything about the college? What is there to do in Grinnell? How selective are their admissions? Is there good financial aid? What are the nearest large cities? Any information would be great.
13 months ago
hhskey2007
hhske...

Best Answer

No Limits! Most things to do in Grinnell are on-campus and free. Speakers, films (often semi-new releases), concerts (GZA came last year), weekly dance parties, lots of clubs, a campus coffee shop and pub, and lots of interesting students who make up their own fun. All-campus parties are big, such as Mary B. James (crossdressing...get it?) and Disco. Classes are great, overall...the ones I haven't liked were more due to material than teaching. It's a great collection of engaged people, and you get some interesting discussions as a result. Roughly 35% get admitted, and that will be tightening this year because of overenrollment last year. Financial aid varies with the person, but is usually very good. Work hard and get forms in on time. Des Moines and Iowa City are each about an hour away and have funky/sexy/cool parts, but Grinnell's a nice town in and of itself. There are two coffee shops, good restaurants, and some neat consignment shops and a really convenient grocery store. If you're coming in from out of state and need to fly, they run shuttles to and from DSM over breaks.
primalclaws1974
primalc...

Question: Has anyone heard of Grinnell, Iowa and Grinnell College?

Grinnell College is one of the best liberal arts colleges (and most expensive) in the country. It's in my hometown, been here since before the Civil War. Just curious.
28 months ago
Kraftee
Kraftee

Best Answer

Yes, I've heard of it. It sort of belongs to a mid-continental "ivy league" of private 4-yr colleges with high standards and smart students. Our little secret!
Chelsea
Chelsea

Question: Grinnell college (Iown)?

my brother is really interested in going there next year and i was just wondering if any of you have visited there before or go there or have older sibblings who go there? what's it like? ive heard its kinda in the boonies! but i love their basketball program! sorry i mean Iowa
32 months ago
X S Y
X S Y

Best Answer

Grinnell College is mostly for prospective students who like small college towns that are pretty much secluded from the rest of the world. At Grinnell College, the student body is so small that teachers know most students by name and hold their hands on occasions. I hope this helps.
Alan S
Alan S

Question: which university should I choose?

I'm an international student who intends to study English.. I have six choices to choose three from them. The options are: Colorado college, college of saint scholastica, lawrence university, university of missouri, Lynn university and grinnell.
40 months ago
matt
matt

Best Answer

I think all of these are respectable schools, but probably the one with the best academic reputation is Grinnell. However, I am not sure that Grinnell would be the best choice for a foreign student. The school is good, and I think the students there would be friendly, but it is quite small and it is located in a small town in a VERY remote, rural area. If I was a foreign student coming to the USA, I would like to be somewhere a little more central, a little easier to get around and visit some of the rest of the USA. You need to study a map and check out where the schools are and what kind of place they are in, and how large the student population is, how many other foreign students are there. Any one of these schools can teach you what you need for an English degree, but the type of place the school is in, and what the school is like, could make a big difference in how happy you are there!

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Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA 50112
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