I think you have some super bright kids at these schools who for whatever reason (eg some transcript imperfections) didn’t make the cut at Top 20 SLACS. Also those who opted for merit given the quality of education is basically comparable.

Anonymous wrote:My kid’s friend at Wooster is having a hard time with it being so isolated. Socially it’s tough if you don’t have a core group of good friends because there’s nowhere else to go if you need to get off campus and be around people who aren’t your classmates. At least that’s what we are hearing. It also has Greek life which seems kind of crazy for such a small school. All the more socially divisive.

We live in Michigan. My kid's friend transferred out. She did not find her people and was unhappy there because it was an isolated, small town setting. I would express caution about this as well.

My cousin's family went there and he has donated a reasonable amount of money there. So I'm not an anti.

Our DC applied to Denison and Kenyon. She is a 4.3, great ECs, Test Optional, and strong essays (Imo). She withdrew her application to Denison, but got into Kenyon wth $30K a year off, which shocked me.

I have heard nothing but great things about Kenyon, but DC is going to William and Mary (in state) to save money.

Best to you!

It might be better to visit these schools when the students are there-fall or spring. Your child will get a better vibe than touring an empty campus during the summer.

I'd throw Ohio Wesleyan in the mix. Nice campus set in a cute town with actual stuff. Not as quaint as Dennison or as remote as Kenyon. Wooster was also pretty solid. Oberlin is flakey. Kenyon and Dennison are probably the best two from an academic perspective. If writing is your kid's thing, Kenyon is the best choice.

I have only been to Denison and Wooster. Both are nice. I like Denison better. Granville is very nice but small. It is about 5 miles from Interstate 70 and then about 25 to Columbus. But there are certainly things along the way. I got to Wooster by driving on country roads. So, it seemed pretty remote. The town was nice too. Might be a little bigger than Granville.

My class of '24 daughter applied to all 4 last year. Strong GPA (4.8 something? I forget), tons of APs, good activities. Test optional.

Here are her merit aid results:

Wooster - $40k/year
Denison - $25k/year
Kenyon- $25k/year
Oberlin - $35k/year

I’m a native Ohioan who attended an SLAC in the Northeast. I loved my time in college and am glad I experienced a new part of the country. However, I wish I hadn’t been so quick to dismiss/overlook the Ohio SLAC’s. Ohio is underrated and cities like Columbus and Cleveland have a lot to offer.

For both ES and art history Oberlin is the strongest of the Ohio LACs. They give good merit, too. Definitely visit, since there is a distinctive vibe, but I'd put it at the top of this list.

Oberlin was much less "hippy" than I expected when we visited. We liked it a lot, but impression was that academic excellence varied by discipline. STEM, music, and certain humanities seemed strong.

Are you new here? Denison is the new Oberlin.

Anonymous wrote:I'm an anti-Trump Dem. And I think Oberlin is a woke, virtue-signaling progressive commune. Read about the bakery incident - they will deny it but when I read about it I was just nodding my head because that is exactly what Oberlin is.

Though it isn't 100% that way - there is a decent number of more normal kids who end up there for whatever reason.

Denison is great. Kenyon is also a nice school.

You again with your ancient history. And you’re no Democrat.

We toured all four and Oberlin fell off the list, especially with the bakery incident. But also, the admissions talk was weak, tour was mediocre and they kept trying to take photos of our tour group, with permission, but still offputting. Cute little town, but far enough from Cleveland, I can't imagine students go there often at all.

Denison also fell off the list, although it was my favorite. Nice town, great town/gown relationship. Students had wonderful things to say about the college president. Maybe too heavy a pre-professional vibe? Art buildings at the bottom of the hill? Vibe was off? Worth a visit, I liked it.

Wooster was probably her favorite and we were impressed. Friendly admissions staff. Walking distance to cute downtown. Beautiful science building. Offered 42K in merit. But in the end, she wasn't sure about their senior thesis requirement.

Kenyon was by far the most remote. Great tour and guides. Bougiest snacks in the admissions office. A bit of east coast prep school vibe to the students she met? They gave her 25K in merit. Mediocre submitted test scores, perfect GPA, interesting ECs, for what it's worth. Kenyon would have flown her back out for admitted student day. Definitely visit them all, as they vary a good bit.

Denison has a pretty campus, is not far from Columbus and has a solid career placement office. Also offered decent merit. DC ended up wanting to go to a larger school, but Denison was high up there on the list.

Anonymous wrote:I'm an anti-Trump Dem. And I think Oberlin is a woke, virtue-signaling progressive commune. Read about the bakery incident - they will deny it but when I read about it I was just nodding my head because that is exactly what Oberlin is.

Though it isn't 100% that way - there is a decent number of more normal kids who end up there for whatever reason.

Denison is great. Kenyon is also a nice school.

I can't imagine why anyone would choose Oberlin after the bakery incident.