Kenyon vs Denison

[Anonymous]

According to data from Hillel International, Kenyon has a much higher percentage of Jewish students (over 15%) compared to Denison (just 5%).

https://www.hillel.org/college/kenyon-college/

https://www.hillel.org/college/denison-university/

Can usually reach out to the colleges’ local Hillel to get better insight into campus culture for Jewish students.

https://kenyonhillel.com/

[Anonymous]

Denison. Purely for the career program and placement.

[Anonymous]

Kenyon is more well known, similar to Oberlin.
Denison is up and coming. Not as well known outside Ohio.

[Anonymous]

Both are backups for the elite liberal arts colleges. Kenyon’s yield is super low. It’s rarely anyone’s first choice.

[Anonymous]

My DD visited and they have a beautiful, active and well funded Hillel and nice Jewish community. She applied RD. Very curious how much merit you got if you wouldn’t mind sharing. No idea what the range of possibilities are and she’s gotten a lot of merit from her EA schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD visited and they have a beautiful, active and well funded Hillel and nice Jewish community. She applied RD. Very curious how much merit you got if you wouldn’t mind sharing. No idea what the range of possibilities are and she’s gotten a lot of merit from her EA schools.

This thread is from 2021.

[Anonymous]

Bumping this thread. What are the current feelings on these two schools? My DC is deciding between the two.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a DC at either, but from what I've sensed: Both are great SLACs, with different vibes. (Kenyon seems a bit more intellectual/artsy, Denison slightly more preprofessional/"bro"-ish, but both have a variety of students and solid academics.)

[Anonymous]

DC was offered $35K from Kenyon so trying to decide between that and other top SLACs. I really like Kenyon and have friends whose child graduated recently and loved it. We didn’t look at Denison but also sounds great!

[Anonymous]

At a high level, my perception is that Kenyon is quirky and Denison is preppy/pre-professional. From a vibe perspective, it’s a bit like the difference between W&M (Kenyon) and UVA (Denison). As others have said, while you can almost always find your group anywhere, it’s better when your group matches the college’s dominant culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Denison. Purely for the career program and placement.

Career outcomes are equivalent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At a high level, my perception is that Kenyon is quirky and Denison is preppy/pre-professional. From a vibe perspective, it’s a bit like the difference between W&M (Kenyon) and UVA (Denison). As others have said, while you can almost always find your group anywhere, it’s better when your group matches the college’s dominant culture.

I don't think this is accurate. A fairly large percentage of Kenyons are athletes and not at all quirky. There's a heavier drinking culture at Kenyon than at Denison.

[Anonymous]

The athletic facilities at both of those schools are amazing. Kenyon is really in the middle of nowhere- beautiful school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At a high level, my perception is that Kenyon is quirky and Denison is preppy/pre-professional. From a vibe perspective, it’s a bit like the difference between W&M (Kenyon) and UVA (Denison). As others have said, while you can almost always find your group anywhere, it’s better when your group matches the college’s dominant culture.

I have a DC at Denison and I think this analogy seems accurate. Another difference is that Kenyon is more rural. Denison is in a quaint small town but is also only 30 minutes outside of Columbus. I'm not sure what the Jewish population at Denison is like but the president, Dr. Adam Weinberg, is Jewish. https://denison.edu/campus/president/speeches

[Anonymous]

DS is at Kenyon and doing great. Definitely a lot of quirky kids but also a lot of "normal" kids esp among athletes. I think Kenyon is superior to Denison academically in terms of caliber of student and reputation, but Denison has a lot to offer.