Tell us about Kenyon...

[Anonymous]

CORRECTION: I wrote Grinnell twice when I meant Grinnell & Oberlin.

[Anonymous]

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/06/arts/design/natural-history-museum-sean-decatur.html

[Anonymous]

Would a "normal" non-athlete, non-Granola, non-artsy, non-writer person be happy at Kenyon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would a "normal" non-athlete, non-Granola, non-artsy, non-writer person be happy at Kenyon?

We’ve only toured but that description fits my DD and the students we met seemed really nice. She liked it. But if your kid is cool or popular type (not sure what the current term is?) and looking for the same, they might not like the more down to Earth vibe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would a "normal" non-athlete, non-Granola, non-artsy, non-writer person be happy at Kenyon?

Sure. My DD is a senior at Kenyon; she's is an athlete who has friends who would fit this description. Not surprising to me because the vibe there is accepting and friendly. I think the big question with Kenyon is how the prospective students feels about being at a small school in a rural area. You have to be the kind of person who doesn't need to have shopping, restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. That's probably why there are so many Kenyon students play sports or participate in the arts -- they're busy doing with those activities and don't have a ton of down time anyway. My guess is that most Kenyon students figure that they're unlikely to be living in a rural area forever, so why not spend four years in a place where the students are happy and the teachers are excellent and actually care about teaching.

[Anonymous]

^^^ Sorry about all the grammatical errors in my post above! Typing on my phone is not my forte!

[Anonymous]

Can a conservative attend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very remote...be SURE to visit. Heavy party school...beware.

This is accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can a conservative attend?

My impression is that a large number of students are from boarding/prep schools. They (talking about the parents more than anything) may not be card carrying Republicans, but they definitely give off that vibe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The knock against Kenyon is that it is in the middle of nowhere.

That is actually its greatest strength and the true beauty of the place (breathtaking campus aside). If forces opposites to interact, and often attract.

It's there that jocks (a third of the student body are recruited athletes), eloquent hipster navel gazers (they have a reknowned writing program), and boarding school party kids all converge and...wait for it...talk, engage and even hook up cross-species...

I don't understand the middle of nowhere knock. Most SLACs are in the "middle of nowhere." That's part of the recipe.

Small, rural, isolated schools have fewer social options/alternatives. Often leads to excessive drinking or substance abuse. Kenyon College has had significant difficulties & a few tragedies as a result.

The campus is beautiful & the education is solid, but for most it would be a tough place to spend four years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry if this has already been done. The Kenyon threads ones I saw were asking for specific compare/contrasts with specific other schools. Started this Kenyon-only thread as my DC is only looking at one school in Ohio, and this is it. DC is not artsy, though is musical, but fits more into the preppy, athletic (DC is a recruit), work hard/party hard mode, but is despite that, a really sweet kid. DC eventually wants to work in NYC in finance. That last fact is my only hesitation, as I'm not sure whether Kenyon has the name recognition or alum network in that area. Otherwise, stunning campus, strong student body, quality of education...leave little doubt in my/DH's mind that Kenyon is a great fit.

What do you think? Any alums out there who can share experiences. Any parents out there with kids currently or recently attending?

TIA!

Sorry, I thought this was a thread about yoga clothes.

[Anonymous]

Kenyon would be an unusual choice for one targeting Wall Street finance positions. Not impossible,just makes achieving such a goal more difficult than it needs to be for a well qualified applicant/student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can a conservative attend?

My impression is that a large number of students are from boarding/prep schools. They (talking about the parents more than anything) may not be card carrying Republicans, but they definitely give off that vibe.

No -- just no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would a "normal" non-athlete, non-Granola, non-artsy, non-writer person be happy at Kenyon?

Sure. My DD is a senior at Kenyon; she's is an athlete who has friends who would fit this description. Not surprising to me because the vibe there is accepting and friendly. I think the big question with Kenyon is how the prospective students feels about being at a small school in a rural area. You have to be the kind of person who doesn't need to have shopping, restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. That's probably why there are so many Kenyon students play sports or participate in the arts -- they're busy doing with those activities and don't have a ton of down time anyway. My guess is that most Kenyon students figure that they're unlikely to be living in a rural area forever, so why not spend four years in a place where the students are happy and the teachers are excellent and actually care about teaching.

This is my kid. She's a drama student and she and her friends spend quite a few weekends over the semester seeing each other's plays. She's super busy with this. There's a ton of theater on campus for those who are interested. As PP said this is not the school for you if you want to go clubbing, bar hopping, etc. But, this is not unique to Kenyon. Most LACs are pretty isolated with campus being the center of social activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would a "normal" non-athlete, non-Granola, non-artsy, non-writer person be happy at Kenyon?

Sure. My DD is a senior at Kenyon; she's is an athlete who has friends who would fit this description. Not surprising to me because the vibe there is accepting and friendly. I think the big question with Kenyon is how the prospective students feels about being at a small school in a rural area. You have to be the kind of person who doesn't need to have shopping, restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. That's probably why there are so many Kenyon students play sports or participate in the arts -- they're busy doing with those activities and don't have a ton of down time anyway. My guess is that most Kenyon students figure that they're unlikely to be living in a rural area forever, so why not spend four years in a place where the students are happy and the teachers are excellent and actually care about teaching.

This is my kid. She's a drama student and she and her friends spend quite a few weekends over the semester seeing each other's plays. She's super busy with this. There's a ton of theater on campus for those who are interested. As PP said this is not the school for you if you want to go clubbing, bar hopping, etc. But, this is not unique to Kenyon. Most LACs are pretty isolated with campus being the center of social activities.

Minimizing alternative activities at other larger, less isolated schools to "clubbing [and] bar hopping" is ridiculous and very transparent. Many enjoy internships, off campus dining, and cultural activities. better than passing out drunk in a cornfield during freezing weather as has occurred at Kenyon College resulting in at least one student's death.