Grinnell College Top Questions

A lot of time is devoted to learning, but when it's warm outside (which is not so often in Iowa-- be warned!), you'll probably find yourself walking along the railroad tracks, having a picnic, or just sitting outside and talking. Most of the year, of course, is confined to indoor activities-- sometimes drinking, but more often Disney movie fests, Apples to Apples tournaments, coloring parties, or intellectual conversations. Musicians, rest assured that practice rooms abound, often with a baby grand Steinway. The Jewish population is small but active; there is a student-cooked kosher vegetarian meal (vegan choices too!) every Friday night. Parties are inclusive and creative as only Grinnellians are-- there are no fraternities or sororities, and party themes are along the lines of cross-dressing (after the dorm Mary B. James), fetish, and the formal Waltz each semester.

Im invovled in both diving and softball and they have been nothing but great experiences. Being involved and enjoying the college experience is what its about the only thing you have to realize is that your here for yourself and school and you cant let the partying get in the way. Even sometimes sports and extracurriculars have to be put on hold. Besides partying there are plenty of other opportunities to do things. Weekend wellness usually has things set up, you can go to the movies held in harris, plays, concerts in gardner, bobs underground cafe, the grille...its endless

There are so many activities at Grinnell. I'm always deciding whether to go to this speaker, or this play, but then I'll miss this party. It's nice to have a lot of choices in activities. There are huge all campus parties, as well as theater, movies, non-drinking parties for the non-drinkers. No one cares whether you drink or not, you'll be accepted and not judged. The students tend to leave their dorm rooms upon which allows for a much more pleasant dorm atmosphere.

Parties can be found every night, although you might have to look harder on weekdays (except on Wednesday). There are no Frats/Sororities here.

While Grinnellians like to work, they really like to play. Grinnell's social life is filled with different activities, including quite a few very well-attended annual parties. Grinnellians love to dress up, so some of the most popular annual parties include Disco and Mary B James, across-dressing party. Dorm life at Grinnell is fun. The floor monitors (called Student Advisers) are not paid, thus they act more as social-coordinators and mentors rather than disciplinarians.

There are plenty of organizations to get involved with on campus. For every issue there is a group, and then there is a group that opposes that view. Whatever you want to get involved with chance is there will be a group for you.

Grinnell student life always takes a backseat to academics. There are more than enough students groups and clubs around campus to get involved with (many first year students become TOO involved), and a good percentage of students play varsity or club sports, and even more play intramural sports. There is very, very little crime on campus, and most people are very comfortable with leaving their doors unlocked at night or when they leave. There is very little to do in the town. The movie theater has three screens and doesn't always have the best selections in stock. There are some good restaurants, but it can be inconvenient to go there very often.

There are so many different types of activities and groups to be a part of. I'm on the cross country team which is more than just a group of people who compete together. We spend a lot time together while training as well as outside of the athletic facilities. There are plenty of parties on the weekend but there are also a myriad of other activities to choose from. Some of my most enjoyable nights have been filled with cooking, talking with friends, camping out under the stars, biking and anything that comes to mind. The cross country team has a humorous tradition called crazy week which is filled with absolutely crazy activities. I only partake in some. Among the more sedate activities was playing basketball which resulted in severe bruising because cross country players have a difficulty in coordination beyond that required for running.

Sports are highly variable in terms of success, we dominate in cross-country, swimming, water polo, and frisbee. our soccer teams are mediocre with the womens team being much better than the mens. football, baseball, and softball perform very poorly against our iowa conference. Most students dont give a shit about varsity sports although the recreational programs have a pretty large participation level. The only exception is mens basketball which enjoys large levels of spectator support, although they do not enjoy any social appreciation on this account. The social scene otherwise is based on self-governance and drinking is very prevalent, accessible, and in the open. you can drink a beer pretty much anywhere without fear of punishment no matter your age, your room, the dorms, the student center, academic buildings, the library, any open space, its all acceptable. marijuana smoking is very prevalent with most dorms smelling like smoke once classes get out at 4pm when the custodial staff leaves. Large parties take place on Fridays and Saturdays with Wednesdays also enjoying some smaller but nonetheless campus wide parties. Friday and Saturday parties are always campus-wide and anyone is accepted wherever they go. most weekends have some themed parties with costumes being very important. Drug use definitely goes up with the more popular costume parties, while Grinnell does have more demand than supply from its rural location, if you are in the right circles drugs are obtainable, populartiy goes roughly on this scale, alcohol, marijuana, mushrooms, lsd, ecstasy, cocaine, designer chemicals, heroin. Harder drugs usually stay within their social groups and some drugs stay mostly off campus in student apartments and houses, so unless you are looking for them you may not be aware of their use.

Athletic events are very popular, especially men's basketball and the Dick Young Track Meet. Everyone goes and cheers together, whether or not you're actually interested in the game. As for drinking and partying, there are no frats or sororities but there are themed houses, the most popular of which are on High Street. Some of these house are sports-themed, like Soccer House and White House (football) and others are just students that share a common interest (DAG house) or are just good friends. The houses on High St. usually host parties on the weekends and Wednesdays where anyone can come and drink. There are also Harris Parties (student-run parties) on the weekends. Any student/organization can throw a Harris Party and they're usually pretty crazy. Some of the most popular Harris Parties are Disco, Spring/Winter Waltzes (formals), 80's Dance Party, Fetish, Halloween, and various Drag Shows. There is also a huge year-end party on High St. called Block Party.