The College supports over 100 campus organizations from the Fencing Club to the Grinnell Review
(literary magazine) to the Grinnell Prison Workshop to the college radio station, KDIC.
In addition, Grinnell supports 18 intercollegiate athletic teams and 11 music ensembles.
On the weekends there is plenty to do: in one month there were over 16 different films shown on campus, 2 concerts, 10 different parties, 2 conferences, and one Mardi Gras celebration — and those were just
the student-run activities!
Read Life in Grinnell, The Arts, and Iowa...Iowhere? to learn more about life in Grinnell, Iowa.
Absolutely!
In the Grinnell Class of 2003, approximately 50% of the graduates earned a summer research grant or internship
paid for by the College.
Many others did internships and practicums that allowed them to apply their growing knowledge and
experience in a serious and worthwhile work environment.
The research projects and internships not only helped the students learn but they also helped them land jobs,
lucrative graduate fellowships, and top professional school admission.
Each year, large numbers of Grinnell students, representing over 55% of every graduating class, are
accepted onto a wide range of off-campus study programs both abroad and elsewhere in the United States.
Students study abroad in Asia, Australia, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
In the United States, programs are available specializing in fine arts, science, social studies, humanities, and
education.
Participation is open to all qualified students, regardless of major, and possibilities for study exist in virtually
all subject areas.
Please visit the Off-Campus Study Office to learn more.
Immediately after graduation, 30% of Grinnellians in recent classes have gone directly to graduate or
professional school, 50% entered the workplace, and 20% engaged in public service pursuits,
volunteer work, or travel.
Many of those who do not go immediately to graduate or professional school do so later:
ten years after graduation, over 50% of a class typically holds at least one advanced degree.
For its size, Grinnell produces a very large number of Ph.D.s, ranking 19th among all U.S. college and
university undergraduate programs.
Read more about Life After Grinnell.
Biology, History, English, Political Science, and Economics
There are over 60 students pursuing double majors and another 80 students pursuing Interdisciplinary
concentrations.
Students are not required to declare a major or a concentration until the end of their sophomore year.
Since Grinnell is located an hour away from a major airport, the college provides shuttles to and from the
Des Moines airport at the beginning and end of major college breaks.
In addition, during these times, Hamilton Travel Center provides charter bus service to and from the Chicago
area.
Getting to Grinnell is easy!
The tutorial establishes the first ongoing relationship between student and professor, so from the beginning,
each student knows at least one professor well.
The tutorial professor serves as the student's academic adviser until a major is declared.
Because the tutorial is limited to 13 students, the tutorial professor can discover what each student wants
and needs in an academic course of study.
Although not all tutorial sections progress in exactly the same way, most begin with an introduction to
college-level writing, oral presentation and discussion, and critical analysis.
Students then undertake independent study of the tutorial topic, working individually or in small groups and
meeting regularly with the professor in and out of class.
Tutorial topics for the fall 2007 semester included The Grace of Sleep or the Ineptitude of All-Nighters; Dis Lit: Illness, Disability, and Contermporary American Life Writing; Development as Freedom; Artist as Citizen, Artist as Activist; The Growth and Convergence of Scientific Knowledge; and Weird Music.
Grinnell holds firmly to its commitment to the traditional values of a liberal arts education. The liberal approach to education gives Grinnell students the foundation they need to be not only well educated, but to be active participants in the world community.
As a liberal arts college, Grinnell encourages students to take courses from across the academic curriculum, not just within one subject or area of study. At Grinnell, you'll get the chance to expand your interests in an environment that encourages broad, interdisciplinary learning. Your academic adviser (a faculty member) will help you choose courses from a variety of topics and areas to develop a well-rounded curriculum, while still being able to pursue an area of interest in-depth. Students usually choose a major or concentrated area of study during their second year at Grinnell. This diversity of study - the cornerstone of a liberal arts education - will help you unlock unknown interests, talents, and passions within yourself, and it prepares you for the lifelong pursuit of learning.
Grinnell College believes that the liberally educated person is one who appreciates the value of having studied the subject matter of a variety of academic disciplines, and who has a sense of both the unity and the diversity of human knowledge. The liberal education guards the student against the narrowness of outlook that arises from concentrating exclusively on one subject. Students master ways of thinking previously unexplored or avoided, and build lasting intellectual self-confidence.