Denison’s rise

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I made my son apply as a safety, he was waitlisted with very generous aid.

He was admitted RD to Bowdoin, Hamilton and Grinnell among others. Denison knew he likely wasn't going to Denison, but wanted a shot at him without it messing with their yield.

How does one get aid if they are waitlisted. That doesn’t make sense.

Sorry about those acceptances. Is he ok?

They say you are waitlisted but if you agree to enroll you will receive $25k in merit aid. It’s bs and Denison is the only school I am aware of that does this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I made my son apply as a safety, he was waitlisted with very generous aid.

He was admitted RD to Bowdoin, Hamilton and Grinnell among others. Denison knew he likely wasn't going to Denison, but wanted a shot at him without it messing with their yield.

How does one get aid if they are waitlisted. That doesn’t make sense.

Sorry about those acceptances. Is he ok?

They say you are waitlisted but if you agree to enroll you will receive $25k in merit aid. It’s bs and Denison is the only school I am aware of that does this.

This is what people mean by gaming the rankings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I made my son apply as a safety, he was waitlisted with very generous aid.

He was admitted RD to Bowdoin, Hamilton and Grinnell among others. Denison knew he likely wasn't going to Denison, but wanted a shot at him without it messing with their yield.

How does one get aid if they are waitlisted. That doesn’t make sense.

Sorry about those acceptances. Is he ok?

They say you are waitlisted but if you agree to enroll you will receive $25k in merit aid. It’s bs and Denison is the only school I am aware of that does this.

This is what people mean by gaming the rankings.

Everyone’s doing it these days.
Hello University of Chicago.
Hello TuLane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I made my son apply as a safety, he was waitlisted with very generous aid.

He was admitted RD to Bowdoin, Hamilton and Grinnell among others. Denison knew he likely wasn't going to Denison, but wanted a shot at him without it messing with their yield.

How does one get aid if they are waitlisted. That doesn’t make sense.

Sorry about those acceptances. Is he ok?

They say you are waitlisted but if you agree to enroll you will receive $25k in merit aid. It’s bs and Denison is the only school I am aware of that does this.

This is what people mean by gaming the rankings.

Everyone’s doing it these days.
Hello University of Chicago.
Hello TuLane.

Which is why you can’t rely on acceptance rates, yield etc. The only reliable metric is to look at CDS standardized test score data and see what pct of kids are submitting and what the range is. That is at least an indicator of the caliber of student they are able to enroll.

[Anonymous]

My DS graduated a couple years back.

He tells me that he is very happy that he attended Denison and feels fortunate to have done so.

I understand why folks get a sporty, preppy vibe.

When I asked about one his younger sisters applying and how it would be for fit he said “everyone finds their niche”.

Granville is an adorable town. Not all the LACs have that advantage. When we first went out to visit for accepted student day we overnighted at the Granville Inn. It has a very nice feel to it and the town center reminded our DS of our Fairfield County, Ct hometown so my DS felt comfortable as did my wife and I.

The student body was accepting and he was invited to participate in a project with some existing students during our visit.

As a parent Denison was easy to work with. They were generous and fair.

I was out at the school during my son’s attendance and noticed his book shelf contained what I would call the classics. I believe my son was educated in college. I do believe that was partly a personal decision on his part as he made the effort to put in the work.

He did not join a frat and there is a heavy frat presence on campus.

We liked Columbus although the drive was a hike from CT. My DS would fly home for trips home during the school year and we would drive in the fall and at the end of the year. I enjoyed our time in the Midwest and I am glad my DS was able to broaden his horizons.

The four Ohio LACs that I am familiar with all offer something. Oberlin takes a bit of a hit on reputation these days but there was no doubt in my mind that it was an intellectual environment. Kenyon has great programs especially for writers. Wooster came across surprisingly strong academically and were quite generous with another one of my children who elected to attend elsewhere.

There are also a number of strong LACs in PA.

Part of why Denison sells is their whole package. Another one of my children had quite a strong offer from Lafayette. But the area surrounding Lafayette was a bit of a tough sell.

You get to Denison - Granville reminds you of home - it’s cute - downtown Columbus is 20 minutes away. It’s hard to find that in a LAC.

So it may lack the cachet of the NESCAC schools but for our family and student we felt leaving the Northeast and getting exposed to another part of the country was a good thing and a worthwhile experience.

It’s worth a look.

Best of luck to you and yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I made my son apply as a safety, he was waitlisted with very generous aid.

He was admitted RD to Bowdoin, Hamilton and Grinnell among others. Denison knew he likely wasn't going to Denison, but wanted a shot at him without it messing with their yield.

How does one get aid if they are waitlisted. That doesn’t make sense.

Sorry about those acceptances. Is he ok?

They say you are waitlisted but if you agree to enroll you will receive $25k in merit aid. It’s bs and Denison is the only school I am aware of that does this.

This is what people mean by gaming the rankings.

Everyone’s doing it these days.
Hello University of Chicago.
Hello TuLane.

That's three schools known to game the rankings in such obvious ways. There are others, but it's not everyone.

[Anonymous]

I graduated from Denison 20 years ago. Even back then, we were excited about its USNWR ranking was slowly rising. Glad to see that tradition stands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I made my son apply as a safety, he was waitlisted with very generous aid.

He was admitted RD to Bowdoin, Hamilton and Grinnell among others. Denison knew he likely wasn't going to Denison, but wanted a shot at him without it messing with their yield.

How does one get aid if they are waitlisted. That doesn’t make sense.

Sorry about those acceptances. Is he ok?

They say you are waitlisted but if you agree to enroll you will receive $25k in merit aid. It’s bs and Denison is the only school I am aware of that does this.

Maybe it is an Ohio thing bc CWRU does this, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS graduated a couple years back.

He tells me that he is very happy that he attended Denison and feels fortunate to have done so.

I understand why folks get a sporty, preppy vibe.

When I asked about one his younger sisters applying and how it would be for fit he said “everyone finds their niche”.

Granville is an adorable town. Not all the LACs have that advantage. When we first went out to visit for accepted student day we overnighted at the Granville Inn. It has a very nice feel to it and the town center reminded our DS of our Fairfield County, Ct hometown so my DS felt comfortable as did my wife and I.

The student body was accepting and he was invited to participate in a project with some existing students during our visit.

As a parent Denison was easy to work with. They were generous and fair.

I was out at the school during my son’s attendance and noticed his book shelf contained what I would call the classics. I believe my son was educated in college. I do believe that was partly a personal decision on his part as he made the effort to put in the work.

He did not join a frat and there is a heavy frat presence on campus.

We liked Columbus although the drive was a hike from CT. My DS would fly home for trips home during the school year and we would drive in the fall and at the end of the year. I enjoyed our time in the Midwest and I am glad my DS was able to broaden his horizons.

The four Ohio LACs that I am familiar with all offer something. Oberlin takes a bit of a hit on reputation these days but there was no doubt in my mind that it was an intellectual environment. Kenyon has great programs especially for writers. Wooster came across surprisingly strong academically and were quite generous with another one of my children who elected to attend elsewhere.

There are also a number of strong LACs in PA.

Part of why Denison sells is their whole package. Another one of my children had quite a strong offer from Lafayette. But the area surrounding Lafayette was a bit of a tough sell.

You get to Denison - Granville reminds you of home - it’s cute - downtown Columbus is 20 minutes away. It’s hard to find that in a LAC.

So it may lack the cachet of the NESCAC schools but for our family and student we felt leaving the Northeast and getting exposed to another part of the country was a good thing and a worthwhile experience.

It’s worth a look.

Best of luck to you and yours.

Sounds like it was a wonderful experience!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS graduated a couple years back.

He tells me that he is very happy that he attended Denison and feels fortunate to have done so.

I understand why folks get a sporty, preppy vibe.

When I asked about one his younger sisters applying and how it would be for fit he said “everyone finds their niche”.

Granville is an adorable town. Not all the LACs have that advantage. When we first went out to visit for accepted student day we overnighted at the Granville Inn. It has a very nice feel to it and the town center reminded our DS of our Fairfield County, Ct hometown so my DS felt comfortable as did my wife and I.

The student body was accepting and he was invited to participate in a project with some existing students during our visit.

As a parent Denison was easy to work with. They were generous and fair.

I was out at the school during my son’s attendance and noticed his book shelf contained what I would call the classics. I believe my son was educated in college. I do believe that was partly a personal decision on his part as he made the effort to put in the work.

He did not join a frat and there is a heavy frat presence on campus.

We liked Columbus although the drive was a hike from CT. My DS would fly home for trips home during the school year and we would drive in the fall and at the end of the year. I enjoyed our time in the Midwest and I am glad my DS was able to broaden his horizons.

The four Ohio LACs that I am familiar with all offer something. Oberlin takes a bit of a hit on reputation these days but there was no doubt in my mind that it was an intellectual environment. Kenyon has great programs especially for writers. Wooster came across surprisingly strong academically and were quite generous with another one of my children who elected to attend elsewhere.

There are also a number of strong LACs in PA.

Part of why Denison sells is their whole package. Another one of my children had quite a strong offer from Lafayette. But the area surrounding Lafayette was a bit of a tough sell.

You get to Denison - Granville reminds you of home - it’s cute - downtown Columbus is 20 minutes away. It’s hard to find that in a LAC.

So it may lack the cachet of the NESCAC schools but for our family and student we felt leaving the Northeast and getting exposed to another part of the country was a good thing and a worthwhile experience.

It’s worth a look.

Best of luck to you and yours.

Sounds like it was a wonderful experience!

It was.

Our family and DS had a very good experience so I thought to share as a way of giving back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lower acceptance rates does not a “rise” make.

Tell that to Northeastern.

I don’t know why ppl say stupid things like this.

There’s a parent on this board whose kid is at Northeastern. They troll like this all if the time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never heard of it.

Weird flex but...ok.

[Anonymous]

Until my daughter started her college search a few years ago, my knowledge of liberal arts colleges was rather limited, and Denison was completely unfamiliar to me. Having grown up on both the East and West coasts, I never imagined that my daughter would discover her perfect fit at a small college located in... (checks notes)... Ohio (?!). Fast forward to today, and my son, now a senior, has placed Denison high on his list of schools. There are many compelling reasons to take a close look at Denison (https://denison.edu/fast-facts), but I think one of the most notable factors contributing to Denison's ascent is the exceptional leadership of President Weinberg. My daughter is fortunate to be attending Denison under his tenure. And, while we still joke around about Ohio, Granville is an adorable village with a New England vibe, and Columbus is a surprisingly cool city. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/why-columbus-should-be-on-your-travel-radar-hipster-city-ohio-next-brooklyn

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone surprised by Denison’s rise? Ohio liberal arts schools used to be Oberlin, Kenyon, Denison, Wooster in that order. Now it seems better than Oberlin, and equal to Kenyon, if not better in a certain way. Its acceptance rate has gone down a lot while many schools ranked around 40 seem to be plateauing. Formally easy acceptance at our school, now there are rejections. What are they doing right compared to other LACs that are good but not “elite”. Also not a booster, visited once and personally found it too preppy. But clearly they’re doing something right.

I think accreditation groups should push most schools to get their acceptance rates over 25 percent.

I used to think I’d be active in my alma mater’s alumni group. But then an admissions person came and talked to us about trying to attract more applications, so it could reject a lot more kids with perfect stats and get the acceptance rate below 20 percent.

It hit me then that this is an insane, cruel system, and I gave up on the alumni group.

Maybe Harvard needs to have an acceptance rate below 10 percent, because all kind of kids want that lottery ticket.

But it’s nuts for Rice, Emory, WUSTL or Bowdoin to have very low acceptance rates.

Most kids have ever heard of those schools till they got into the college application process. They’re applying because of marketing, not because they’ve always dreamed of going to Rice. The colleges are leading many of those kids on and tricking them into applying just to reject them.

Rice and WUSTL are wonderful, for example, but there’s no reason for them to attract a lot of doomed applicants. They ought to figure out how to give kids a better sense of their chances, and they and similar schools should figure out how to coordinate admissions better, to reduce the need for great kids to apply to 20 schools to have a reasonable chance to get into one solid school.

If you have an unweighted GPA of 3.8 or higher in tough subjects, SATs over 1450 or the equivalent, reasonable activities and parents willing to pay the FAFSA expected family contribution, the T15 through through T50 schools ought to have a system like the UK UCAS system that pretty much guarantees you’ll get into one of those schools without jumping through insane hoops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone surprised by Denison’s rise? Ohio liberal arts schools used to be Oberlin, Kenyon, Denison, Wooster in that order. Now it seems better than Oberlin, and equal to Kenyon, if not better in a certain way. Its acceptance rate has gone down a lot while many schools ranked around 40 seem to be plateauing. Formally easy acceptance at our school, now there are rejections. What are they doing right compared to other LACs that are good but not “elite”. Also not a booster, visited once and personally found it too preppy. But clearly they’re doing something right.

I think accreditation groups should push most schools to get their acceptance rates over 25 percent.

I used to think I’d be active in my alma mater’s alumni group. But then an admissions person came and talked to us about trying to attract more applications, so it could reject a lot more kids with perfect stats and get the acceptance rate below 20 percent.

It hit me then that this is an insane, cruel system, and I gave up on the alumni group.

Maybe Harvard needs to have an acceptance rate below 10 percent, because all kind of kids want that lottery ticket.

But it’s nuts for Rice, Emory, WUSTL or Bowdoin to have very low acceptance rates.

Most kids have ever heard of those schools till they got into the college application process. They’re applying because of marketing, not because they’ve always dreamed of going to Rice. The colleges are leading many of those kids on and tricking them into applying just to reject them.

Rice and WUSTL are wonderful, for example, but there’s no reason for them to attract a lot of doomed applicants. They ought to figure out how to give kids a better sense of their chances, and they and similar schools should figure out how to coordinate admissions better, to reduce the need for great kids to apply to 20 schools to have a reasonable chance to get into one solid school.

If you have an unweighted GPA of 3.8 or higher in tough subjects, SATs over 1450 or the equivalent, reasonable activities and parents willing to pay the FAFSA expected family contribution, the T15 through through T50 schools ought to have a system like the UK UCAS system that pretty much guarantees you’ll get into one of those schools without jumping through insane hoops.

The thing is, they aren’t really rejecting that many kids with those strong credentials, just the ones who seem like they have no intention of attending.