Finding the Right Fit: Comparing College Communities in Iowa

By Liz Jackson

This month, I had the opportunity to visit Grinnell College and Drake University in Iowa—both schools that offer a strong sense of community, but for very different reasons! Read on to learn more about my key takeaways, what makes each campus special, and what types of students might thrive at each school.

Grinnell College

Small Town Vibes

Driving to Grinnell, Iowa from Milwaukee takes about four hours. Once you cross the Mississippi, it’s mostly corn fields until you reach Grinnell—a classic liberal arts college that has a reputation for attracting curious, quirky students. For anyone seeking an urban campus, this college misses the mark, but the town of Grinnell is adorable and looks like a movie set. I learned in my information session that the most popular place in town is a coffee shop called Saints Rest, which is owned by the mayor of Grinnell. Students refer to as the campus living room because of how homey and welcoming it is. Interested to see it for myself, I stopped in to Saints Rest, and it was exactly as described! The owner knew most of the patrons by first name, the vibe was friendly and laid-back, and the coffee and food were excellent. For a student who wants to be known and nurtured, Grinnell is a great place! 

Open Curriculum

Grinnell has only one required course outside of a student’s major, which is a first year seminar class that partly helps students get used to the expectations of college-level reading and writing. Other than that, students have complete freedom to choose their courses. This tends to be an asset for those who aren’t sure what they want to study and would like many opportunities to explore different academic areas, or for those who have a specific interest and want to pursue it wholeheartedly and not be distracted by distribution requirements. Grinnell’s open curriculum gives students a lot of flexibility to pursue things like studying abroad (which a very high percentage do) and double majoring.

Diversity on Campus

Because of its location, I assumed that Grinnell would lack racial and geographical diversity in its student body, but I was 100% wrong. On tour with me were families from St. Louis, Hawaii, Colorado, and San Francisco. Grinnell has one of the highest enrolment percentages of international students; ⅓ of its domestic students identify as people of color; and ⅕ of them are the first in their families to attend college. This type of diversity is pretty uncommon, and for students seeking the chance to learn from classmates who have different backgrounds, it’s a big asset!

Affordability

For a long time, Grinnell has been one of the few universities in the U.S. that are need-blind in admission and meet full financial need for all applicants. This means that a student’s ability to pay does not influence their admission decision, and the college promises to provide need-based aid to cover the entire cost of tuition for all applicants, based on their family’s financial circumstances. Additionally, Grinnell is the most selective college (its admit rate is 16%) to also offer merit scholarships to admitted students. This generous financial aid policy means that fewer than 10% of incoming students each year are paying the full cost of attendance. 

Drake University

Community, Athletics, and Shared Spaces

One of the things I noticed immediately when I got to Drake University (and learned about immediately during my meeting with the wonderful admissions representative, Maria!) is Drake’s live mascot program. Griff III is Drake’s bulldog mascot who, at the time of this writing, is a puppy and pretty darn adorable. There are also bulldog statues throughout campus—the statue in the dining hall sports a chef hat.

This kind of school spirit is palpable at Drake, and a lot of what brings Drake students together is athletics. Drake’s D1 basketball team is frequently in the Sweet 16, and all of the university’s athletics facilities are right on campus. That means it’s very easy for students to attend football games, basketball games, or the famous Drake Relays annual track event, which is a week-long party that alumni frequently return to campus to attend.

Another example of how campus brings students together is through the use of shared spaces. Even though Drake is a medium-sized school, it has one dining hall on campus (with TONS of food options), meaning students all see each other at meals and have opportunities to interact. All Drake students live in the same dorm building in their first year, and on-campus housing is required for two years. I learned from my tour guide that students play a game called “Drake degrees of separation,” where they usually discover that they are connected to every other student at the university by less than two friends. Even though Drake's student body is size is similar to that of a bigger university, it has the tight-knit community of a small college. 

Pre-professional Programs in Health Sciences

Academically, Drake is often best known for its programs in pharmacy and occupational therapy. Undergraduates can take advantage of accelerated programs in both fields, allowing them to complete their bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in fewer years than is typical, with guaranteed acceptance to the Drake graduate program. As careers in health sciences become more and more popular, students interested in working in these fields should definitely consider Drake!

State Capital Brings Benefits

Drake is located in Des Moines, Iowa, which is the state’s capital city. Driving into Des Moines, it’s impossible to miss the capitol building with its multiple shiny gold domes. Drake’s location has some significant benefits. First, its urban location means there are lots of things for students to do off-campus, with many shops and restaurants within walking distance of campus. Secondly, Drake students can take advantage of significant learning opportunities that being so close to a state capital can provide. Students routinely intern with state legislators, some do a term “abroad” in Washington, D.C., and students in Drake’s unique political journalism major gain experience following state politics and are even taught by a former state legislator!

About Liz Jackson

Liz Jackson serves as the director of College Guidance at University School of Milwaukee. She has more than 15 years of experience helping students and families find the right college. With experience in counseling, higher education research, and school leadership, Liz enjoys getting to know students and matching their interests to the unique offerings of each college.

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