Students in classroom

First-Year Tutorial

The First-Year Tutorial is your academic and social introduction to Grinnell. Before you arrive on campus, you’ll get to choose from a list of 30-40 tutorial options, with topics like Kendrick Lamar, Coping with Climate Change, and Exploring the Magical World of Calvin and Hobbes. They’re taught by expert faculty all across campus.

Tutorials are small, writing-intensive, discussion-based classes that teach you the academic skills you will need to succeed at Grinnell. You’ll have 10 to 14 classmates, all fellow first-year students.

  • Professor Jon Andelson with student

    Tutorial Professor/Adviser

    Your Tutorial professor is your faculty adviser until you declare a major. So the small class size will not only help you get to know your classmates, but your first professor and faculty adviser, too. From your first class, your adviser will know you well and can recommend courses based on your strengths, interests, and areas for growth.

  • Students gather in Faulconer Gallery for a tutorial discussion

    The Tutorial Community

    All Tutorials are granted a small entertainment budget, which can enable the class to feel connected even outside the classroom. The entertainment budget funds activities like local field trips and social gatherings.

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