Grinnell College Top Questions

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Grinnellians are pretty liberal and politically and socially conscious. At least, those voices are well-represented. There is a large LGBT population and pretty much everyone is happy about this. People who would not feel welcome around here would include: sexists, racists, homophobes, and the like. Also very uptight people, or people who are easily offended. People come from lots of different backgrounds in terms of country/culture of origin and socio-economic status.

We plaster the loggias with posters telling us not to waste paper.

There is a wide variety of people campus. People are usually openly religious here, but there has been a change lately towards spirituality. Because everything here is free after the initial fees (including popcorn and pop at the movies) you can't really tell who is from what socioeconomic class... There is a really strong LGBT community on campus... everyone is welcome! Students are definitely politically active! There is an entire student run activism center on campus! If you are going to college just to get a degree to make a lot of money, don't recycle, or are extremely conservative... you won't get along here.

we've got a little bit of everyone, although we are predominantly a liberal campus

The awkward Grinnellian: liberal and idealistic as can be, ever protesting and petitioning, rabid environmentalist, studying like crazy, beyond over-involved in extra-curriculars and loving it, always supportive, loving, accepting, questioning the world as we know it, wanting to learn more, and wearing jeans and sneakers because you never know when it'll be warm enough to lay out on the field or climb a tree!

The Grinnell Student body is very unique i would say. Sure other schools have LGBT groups or economic or even energy efficiency co-ops. Our school is unique in that student initiatives can be raised to whatever students would like to be seen done. There are meetings, groups, and seminars given to make us aware of the things going on within our community as well as outside the 'Grinnell bubble'. Its hard to divide Grinnell into specific groups, i.e. jocks, dag, nerds, international..because sometimes there is a great mix. Id have to say most times when you sit in the dining hall though you see alot of dorm floors eating together and sports teams. Usually a good group of friends or ones you see often.

The Grinnell student body is very diverse, except we all tend to lean to the left politically. Everyone feels accepted at Grinnell. If you aren't able to fit into Grinnell, you probably won't be able to fit in anywhere. Students are politically aware and active, especially with the Campus Democrats. All geographic regions are represented at Grinnell. I'm from Iowa, but I only know a few other Iowans which is kind of nice. One of the few reasons I considered not going to Grinnell was I wanted to meet new people that weren't from Iowa for a different perspective, but 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body is from the east or west coast, which is pretty nice.

Pretty much a good mix of people from all over the world. Like I said earlier, people here tend to be socially awkward and like top run in their "groups." Normally groups are formed by the end of the first semester of freshamn year, so you got to get on it kinda quickly.

The great thing about Grinnell students is that each one of them is a closet-dork. When you talk to them they seem really laid back and chill, but then when you touch on that one subject that really interests them, they suddenly jump out with enthusiasm and impressive intelligence. We are all smart kids who enjoy each other's company and who enjoy having a good time. Students at Grinnell are very laid back and casual, especially with their clothing. Grinnell has THE most economically diverse student population in the country. And the best part is, you can never guess here who comes from which side of the economic spectrum. Grinnell students are incredibly diverse.