I always assumed that Kenyon had the better rep, though that may just be from my familiarity with the Kenyon Review? Thinking back to where my classmates went to school, Hamilton drew more preps, and Kenyon attracted the artier kids (but not as arty as Oberlin). I also would have assumed that Kenyon was better known on the west coast? But maybe that is my English Lit bias showing through.

A few years back we had a DD look at both schools as well. DD was convinced that she would attend one of the two. That was until we took her to see Wake Forest and it all changed from then on. DD now a senior at Wake and loves it. What caused the change? We were never sure but one thing we do advise is that you take DC to see these two schools in JANUARY. We did. Both places differ substantially from what you will see this summer. Good luck!

If my kid wants to work on the west coast, which has more name recognition out there?



That would be Hamilton w/out doubt.

Really? I think most people on the west coast would consider both schools to be good liberal arts schools without dicing which one seems marginally better. If you really want to work on the west coast and have some name recognition for a small liberal arts college, go to a West Coast liberal arts school like Reed, Occidental, or a Claremont school.

Anonymous wrote:If my kid wants to work on the west coast, which has more name recognition out there?

That would be Hamilton w/out doubt.

If my kid wants to work on the west coast, which has more name recognition out there?

Because it is a bit more selective, I think of Hamilton as somewhat more academically rigorous. I know several kids who love Kenyon- a very solid school too. I think Kenyon may be a bit more os an artsy/Music vibe. Kenyon Review is well know as is it's writing program. I believe Paul Newman was a Kenyon grad

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be excited that he has things narrowed down to two schools that are so similar. Seems as if he knows what he wants. Both great schools. Hamilton closer to DC and a little less isolated. I think Kenyon is a little better known here but not much.

- Sister went to Kenyon and I applied to Hamilton but chose Colgate instead

By chance are you a dentist? Four out of five dentists choose Colgate.

That's Trident.

Anonymous wrote:I would be excited that he has things narrowed down to two schools that are so similar. Seems as if he knows what he wants. Both great schools. Hamilton closer to DC and a little less isolated. I think Kenyon is a little better known here but not much.

- Sister went to Kenyon and I applied to Hamilton but chose Colgate instead

By chance are you a dentist? Four out of five dentists choose Colgate.

It sounds like your daughters looking for a small liberal arts school some other schools I might suggest looking at that are also competitive and elite-
Wesleyan, bowdoin, amherst, conn college, Williams, bates..we just went through this last year

My own daughter look at Hamilton and though she liked the school itself , she did not like how isolated and remote it was

I went to Hamilton and it is a terrific school. I felt very well prepared for life post-college, had a job in my field by graduation day, and when I eventually went on to grad school the program was easy by comparison. Most of my classmates are doing very well. Hamilton is snobby though. I don't know much about Kenyon.

One niece went to Hamilton and graduated recently; her sister is a freshman. Both of them loved it! The older niece is now doing nonprofit work in Africa. It seems like a marvelous school, and we are checking it out for our DD who is interested in SLACs.

We visited both and know kids at both. Hamilton is a little preppier than Kenyon. Both cute, but tiny towns. They are both pretty isolated but is sounds like that's what he wants (one of my kids wanted that, the other did not). Hamilton is a little more selective than Kenyon. Hamilton tends to draw a lot of people from the NY/NJ/CT, Kenyon is a little more geographically diverse. I loved Hamilton, one of my DCs liked it and the other loved Kenyon (although they both went elsewhere).

It sounds like your DC is interested in small liberal arts colleges. So was mine. You may also want to look at Oberlin, Dickinson, Bates, Colby, and Haverford. Lots of great small schools.

I would be excited that he has things narrowed down to two schools that are so similar. Seems as if he knows what he wants. Both great schools. Hamilton closer to DC and a little less isolated. I think Kenyon is a little better known here but not much.

- Sister went to Kenyon and I applied to Hamilton but chose Colgate instead

These are the 2 schools my DS says he is most interested in. Is he comparing apples and apples, or is there a distinct difference between them in terms of vibe, reputation, academics, etc.