Grinnell College Top Questions

I wish I had known exactly how much harder it would be than highschool, so I could have prepared myself better.

I would have wished to know that this school does not offer to many options on majors. It only has limited classes and doesn not have pre medicine or any pre professional program.

I wish I'd known how tiny the surrounding town was! Though the campus is pretty busy and has plenty of parties over the weekend, it's hard to escape the campus bubble when you feel like it. That being said, the town is pretty cute and has plenty of passable restaurants—even if it is surrounded by what feels to be a thousand miles of cornfields.

Kids are kinda weird. Lots of gay/trans students and international students.

I wish that I had known that I would love it so much, so that I would not have stressed so much before arriving. It's a wonderful place to learn and have lots of fun.

I wish I knew how to better manage my time. To be able not to be afraid to speak my mind and to feel comfortable to approach anyone if I need help. To practice your writing and typing skills as well. Practice to read fast, to make more time available for other things. Take advantage of all the opportunities given because it will be once in life time only.

I wish I had known more about the weather at Grinnell. Coming from a warm climate, it was really hard to adjust to the bitter cold and wind that is characteristic of Grinnell in the winter months. I also wish I had understood how living in such a small town would impact the social atmosphere at the college.

I wish I had known that the transportation situation here is not that great. Grinnell only got a bus within the last year and it only stops occasionally. There is no (longer?) train service, and the nearest airports are an hour east and west of here. The town is also spread out, which is okay, but there is only EXTREMELY limited taxi service around here, too. Thankfully, Campus Security is trying to help that.

I wish I had known how cold it gets in Winter!

I transferred to this school after one semester at Wellesley, and I wish I had known more about what Grinnell was really like before I made my initial college decision. If I had known about how friendly and welcoming the community was, and about the very high quality academics and social atmosphere, I would have decided to go to Grinnell right off the bat. I absolutely love this school!