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Great College Advice

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So if learning a language in college is one of your primary goals, then you might want to take a good, long look at Drake.  (Besides, my grandfather graduated from Drake!).

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I am here right now on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and one of the things that a lot of the students are looking for is a medium-sized university in an urban area.  Drake really fits that bill.  It’s a beautiful campus right in the center of Des Moines – of course, Des Moines is not a huge urban area, but it’s a very attractive city, and medium sized, especially for students who want to get a taste of the mid-west, Drake would be an excellent option.  One of the things that is interesting about Drake, I think as a former foreign language teacher, is that the method of teaching foreign language at Drake is much different from any other university.  They have basically abolished the foreign language department as their usually constructed, at most universities, tend to focus on literature, and they have really focused on skills building.  The idea is that anyone can learn a language as long as they do the work and go through different stages.  So, they’ve done things with computer-based learning, and different milestones that every student must meet, and then they also have tutorials that are taught by native speakers in small groups, and this has allowed Drake to offer myriad languages that other universities are unable to offer, because it’s not about the faculty teaching about specific kinds of literature or history to a very narrow sub-specialty, but rather it’s about learning the language and being able to use it in everyday life, is what separates the Drake methodology from any other university.

Anyway, this is a great medium-sized university in a very solid mid-western city, and surprising in many regards.  We just left the Des Moines Art Center; a really great center for contemporary art.  So, don’t pass this one up if you’re looking for that medium-sized university in a city, you might want to take a look at Drake.

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This question is emblazoned on all sorts of college paraphernalia at the Grinnell College bookstore.
Watch this short video and you’ll be asking yourself a slightly different question: “Why the hell have I never heard of Grinnell?”

**Correction: My buddy, Dan Jarrett, wrote in to show me the most recent IPEDS data: among non-sectarian, liberal arts colleges, Grinnell actually ranks #4 in per capita endowment resources, behind Pomona, Swarthmore, and Amherst. Wiliams ranks a close fifth. For more on how these figures can be pulled apart to reveal a real wealth disparity among American colleges and universities, see Dan’s post.

If you prefer, you can check out the transcript below.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant
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I’m here now on the campus of Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, and as I walked by the bookstore. I saw these water bottles that say on them, “Where the hell is Grinnell?”

Grinnell is definitely is in, well, it’s in Iowa. There’s a lot of corn around it. But this is a cute, little town and an absolutely marvelous liberal arts college. It has everything going for it. It has got the highest per-capita endowment of any college in America, the facilities are second to none. The library right over here has been renovated a couple of times. Absolutely drop dead gorgeous study spaces for students, looking out the windows, it’s phenomenal.

The science center has been renovated twice in the last 15 years or so, fantastic facilities, and great science. The gym and the fitness center, oh, my gosh!  I mean, I could go on and on. In the dormitories, we talked to one student and he was from Angola, okay. How did a student from Angola find Grinnell? I’m not sure, but this is a very international campus. Anyway, he was talking about the dormitories and saying, “I love my dorms!”

Look, if you are interested in a small, liberal arts college of the highest quality and all you’re thinking about is Williams and Amherst, think again. Think Iowa. Think Grinnell. Grinnell has fantastic resources for students, financial as well as human. I talked to a guy in a café downtown and he was a graduate of Grinnell and he said, “Oh, no, all the professors live here, they don’t live in Des Moines,” which is about an hour, hour-and-a-half away, “No, no, they all live in this community.” If you want tight relationships with your professors, Grinnell, my gosh, it’s really going to be hard to beat.

What else can I say about this place? Oh, again, international. This has one of the highest ratios of international students anywhere, here in Iowa. Why? Because people are looking for the highest quality education they can get in the United States. There are many other places, of course, and I don’t mean to suggest that other places aren’t equally good. But if you’re really looking for a top-notch school in America, think about Grinnell.

Another example, we were walking through the student center and a young man stopped us and said, “Can I help you?” And I said, “Well, we’re just looking around, but can I ask you a question, how’d you decide to come here?” And he said, “Well, I’m from Massachusetts and I was originally thinking of Williams and Amherst, but I needed money, I couldn’t afford those schools.” And Grinnell gave him a hefty merit package to come here and he said he has no regrets at all. People here are extremely passionate about whatever they’re interested in, and they are pretty laid back.

I mean, students who are willing to consider Iowa, they’re not as pretentious as some people who are looking necessarily for the name. They’re not looking for the geography of American education, they’re looking for the quality of American education. So you’re getting a slightly different tone here at Grinnell. Fabulous facilities, international campus, really bright student body, and it can be very affordable.

So if you haven’t figured out where the hell Grinnell is, you had better get it on your list.

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