Grinnell: Tales from a Cornfield

Introduction
First thing about Grinnell, it is small. Campus is approximately two blocks by four blocks, and nothing takes more than about five minutes to walk to. Classes are small, the dorms are small, and you see the same people over and over. I personally love how close you can get to people here, but don't come expecting to be one of thousands of students, or to be able to hide in the back of a class to avoid participating. And, like it or not, Grinnell is in the middle of Iowa, with cornfields on all sides, and not a hill in site. Occasionally, it feels as small as it is, but for the most part it is almost scarily easy to spend weeks without leaving "the Grinnell bubble" as we call it. The size also creates oppurtunities for students to do more than they would at a big school, like being involved in student government. I would recommend Grinnell to those that are open minded, and passionate about shaping their own education both in and out of the classroom. People who want college to be a constant stream of new people, and massive frat parties might consider looking elsewhere.

Campus Life and Social Life
The majority of students live on campus, and almost all are within a few blocks. This means your always surrounded by your friends, and that really annoying guy that never shuts up in class. Grinnell does not emphasize sports, but hosts quite a few NCAA Division III varsity sports, as well as dozens of intramurals everyone is welcome to play. There are currently over 100 official student groups, so the big problem for me is deciding which ones I want to be in. Just as a sample, I currently am in Swing Dancing, Fencing, and Yoga (among other things). Grinnell is also known for its liberal alcohol policies. Beer is served at the college's parties, which take place almost every weekend. There are no RA's that come and yell at you for drinking either, Grinnell's SA's (student advisors) are more likely to offer you a beer. Thats not to say you have to drink to have fun at Grinnell. Every weekend, various groups also put on activites like scavenger hunts, board games, Dance Dance Revolution, and free movies at the on-campus cinema. Advertisement
Academics
Grinnell has very strong academics, we have gotten some really good ranking in Newsweek for quite a while (as the admissions people will happily tell you).
This means you'll be working your butt off though. Sleep sometimes falls to the wayside when the homework piles on, but the pay off is you're learning a lot. Grinnell's open curriculum means you only have to take classes you want to, so you can be working towards your goal with every class, and aren't forced to waste time with something just because its a GenEd requirement. The departments are amazingly well balanced, with no exceptionally strong or weak sections, and each is small enough that you're bound to feel a sense of kinship with the people that share your major (which you don't have to declare till the end of your sophomore year). Another note: TAs are almsot nonexistent, its all done by the profs.

Student Body
There is no such thing as a typical Grinnellian. We come from everywhere. There are a few common factors though, such as the fact that few Grinnellians were popular in high school. The diversity of people here continues to amaze me, and it seems like every week I befried someone new. The community is very tight-knit, with almost everyone on campus willing to help each other out during times of need. Bonds, strong bonds are formed quickly over the crippling homework assignments and all night conversations that are common occurences.

In Closing...
If you're unsure, come visit.
No one can be told what Grinnell is, they have to see it for themself.