Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - Demo - (Page 38)

students review The Students Review series is intended to aid prospective college students in their search by offering insiders’ views of selected colleges and universities, as expressed by current undergraduates or recent graduates who have high academic ability. Note that the number of reviewers is small. Consider their personal perspectives as only one factor as you gather information and impressions from many sources. Our reviewers include 16 individuals, who major(ed) in anthropology (1), art history (1), biological chemistry (1), chemistry (1), Chinese (1), cognitive science (1), computer science (1), English (1), gender & women’s studies (1), history (3), mathematics (1), music (1), political economy (1), political science (1), psychology (1), religious studies (1), and sociology (1). Reviewers’ comments appear within quotation marks. Grinnell College Quality of Academic Instruction for Undergraduates This small college in rural Iowa is consistently ranked among the top small liberal arts colleges in the country. Reviewers praised the dedicated faculty, the discussion-based classes, and the intelligent fellow students. ➜ “The quality of instruction is excellent. Professors are extremely accessible and eager to meet with students, and students have many opportunities to work with them on a very personal level. I loved my professors. They made me want to go to class—even at 8:00 a.m. on cold winter mornings! They pushed me to achieve my best, and as a result, I am a far better thinker and writer than when I started Grinnell.” ➜ “Classes are small (never more than 5 in intro classes, and 10–12 in seminars) and discussion-oriented. No matter which field you study at Grinnell, you will be required to express yourself (both orally and in writing). Most classes are hard, the work is intense, and there really aren’t any blow-off classes. But grading is fair, and classes are rewarding.” ➜ “There is no core curriculum, which means that students can take classes that interest them and do not have to waste time with requirements. The only required course is a freshman writing tutorial, in which I learned a lot about the expectations of a standard Grinnell class. Most Grinnell students take a wide variety of classes anyway; they’re interested in getting a well-rounded liberal arts education, and they create it for themselves.” ➜ “Science majors can receive one of the best educations in the country at Grinnell. I had unlimited access to lab space, was required to be in lab between four and twelve hours a week (depending on the semester) just for course work, and was strongly encouraged to do research with a professor both during the summer and during the year. Every summer, many students stay at Grinnell to complete Mentored Advanced Projects for both money and credit. Students retain the copyright on their research findings, and Grinnell funds MAP students to present or publish their research. Grinnell opened the door for me to graduate schools around the world, and my peers had no problem finding jobs.” ➜ “Grinnell has a beautiful, 65-acre environmental research preserve for classes and research in field biology and the prairie ecosystem. It’s also an example of green design. The new Environmental Education Center was the first building in Iowa to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold rating. It uses a geothermal heating-cooling system, a wind turbine for electricity, and a storm water cistern to collect rainwater for plumbing and irrigating the greenhouse.” ➜ “In Grinnell’s -2 Engineering Program, engineering majors can pursue a liberal arts education for three years, then transfer to a top engineering school for two years. This is a good option for students who want both kinds of undergraduate experience.” ➜ “Grinnell is known as a difficult school, and rightly so. Sophomore year, I transferred to an Ivy and was astonished by how much easier it was there. I came back after two terms.” Social Life All reviewers enjoyed the social life at Grinnell. ➜ “Grinnell is a very comfortable and open environment. Students are friendly and intelligent, and love to talk politics and philosophy. Most students live on campus all four years, and it’s easy to make friends with everyone; housing is mostly co-ed and dorms aren’t segregated by seniority. The campus itself is located on just four square blocks, so you never have to worry about living far from your friends! While the town of Grinnell is not an exciting place, it doesn’t really matter because there are always lots of things happening on campus. It is hard to be bored unless you want to be!” ➜ “Grinnell’s location in the middle of Iowa, an hour away from both Des Moines and Iowa City, creates a very tight-knit and close community. No one can escape to Boston or New York (or even Des Moines very easily), so everyone stays on campus. Grinnell is a 8 imagine March/April 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - Demo

Imagine Magazine - March/April 2008 Contents Letters Big Problems Big Picture In My Own Words Putting E-Waste in Its Place Big Juice Making Waves What Does "Green" Mean? Into the Woods Swimming with Whale Sharks Crash Course in Costa Rica Selected Opportunities & Resources Hooked on Logistics Off the Shelf Word Wise Middle Ground One Step Ahead Exploring Career Options Planning Ahead for College Students Review Creative Minds Imagine Sudoku Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - Demo

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