Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut college or Kenyon for an undecided humanities student focused on English, political science or history? Are they similar, what would be pros and cons of each?

OP, is your kid preppy and from an independent school. If so, your DC will enjoy the social life much more at Conn College. Kenyon's preppy kids are vastly outnumbered by the artsy odd-ducks that make up a large chunk of the student body.

OK, Muffy, 1962 is calling you home. Time to put on those Bass Weejuns and wait for mummy to pull up in the station wagon.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re both good schools. OP’s kid should visit both campuses, determine which one is a better fit, and go for it.

This. Assume costs are similar or don't matter, your child will get a feeling of which one is right after visiting both

I question the wisdom of this. I feel like impressions formed on a campus visit can be misleading, often just based on the tour guide. Perhaps objective criteria should be more heavily relied upon versus emotional reactions?

Kudos to you for having a kid who was able to do that. DC1 fairly able to do so, but still swayed by impressions from visit. DC2 wholly unable to do that and some application decisions were influenced solely on tour impressions.

Actually I didn’t. ED1 application decision was in retrospect based on positive interaction with coach and not much else. Eventually rejected but in retrospect that seems like a good thing. Just having been on a bunch of these tours, the personality of the random freshman volunteer on the tour can really influence your impression. You are potentially introducing a lot of cognitive errors/biases into the decision process. Like maybe you were interested in the school because it is strong in the area you intend to study but during the tour you saw a kid with an annoying haircut so you decided it wasn’t a good “fit.”

Right. But how many 17 year olds can tease through all of that, set aside those emotions, and remove the cognitive errors/biases? My guess is the number doesn't cross 50%, maybe even 25%.

Often their strongest points of reference at that age are their peers, so that's what they are working with when making decisions, especially about where they will live for four or more years. Did Colby seem more multifaceted to me than to my quiet DS who didn't like the vibes of the tour guide lax player? Yes, but I'm not the one going to school with cliquey sports guys, so I get his evaluation filter.

Ironically, our guide at Colby was really interested in showing us the LGBT center and all that, leaving the opposite impression that the school was super woke. Plus every kid declared "their" pronouns. So the point is, these tours are really colored by the random kid giving the tour, or maybe the other kids who happen to be on the tour, and are not very reliable as a basis for decision making. But it's hard to avoid-- you can't not see the school. I think a better way to gauge the culture of the school is to get to know a lot of real students there and spend time there.

That's my point. This could have been the next tour over, but if the kid is on "this" tour, not "that" tour then it is what it is.

Agree on spending time there, but that was pretty hard when our DCs were touring during COVID - lucky even to get on campus; forget about spending the night.

Yes, I think we are in agreement. Maybe it is almost better just to visit the campus when school is on break? Just to see it physically. Or at least try to maintain an objective attitude while on the tour. It’s a tough one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut college or Kenyon for an undecided humanities student focused on English, political science or history? Are they similar, what would be pros and cons of each?

OP, is your kid preppy and from an independent school. If so, your DC will enjoy the social life much more at Conn College. Kenyon's preppy kids are vastly outnumbered by the artsy odd-ducks that make up a large chunk of the student body.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re both good schools. OP’s kid should visit both campuses, determine which one is a better fit, and go for it.

This. Assume costs are similar or don't matter, your child will get a feeling of which one is right after visiting both

I question the wisdom of this. I feel like impressions formed on a campus visit can be misleading, often just based on the tour guide. Perhaps objective criteria should be more heavily relied upon versus emotional reactions?

Kudos to you for having a kid who was able to do that. DC1 fairly able to do so, but still swayed by impressions from visit. DC2 wholly unable to do that and some application decisions were influenced solely on tour impressions.

Actually I didn’t. ED1 application decision was in retrospect based on positive interaction with coach and not much else. Eventually rejected but in retrospect that seems like a good thing. Just having been on a bunch of these tours, the personality of the random freshman volunteer on the tour can really influence your impression. You are potentially introducing a lot of cognitive errors/biases into the decision process. Like maybe you were interested in the school because it is strong in the area you intend to study but during the tour you saw a kid with an annoying haircut so you decided it wasn’t a good “fit.”

Right. But how many 17 year olds can tease through all of that, set aside those emotions, and remove the cognitive errors/biases? My guess is the number doesn't cross 50%, maybe even 25%.

Often their strongest points of reference at that age are their peers, so that's what they are working with when making decisions, especially about where they will live for four or more years. Did Colby seem more multifaceted to me than to my quiet DS who didn't like the vibes of the tour guide lax player? Yes, but I'm not the one going to school with cliquey sports guys, so I get his evaluation filter.

Ironically, our guide at Colby was really interested in showing us the LGBT center and all that, leaving the opposite impression that the school was super woke. Plus every kid declared "their" pronouns. So the point is, these tours are really colored by the random kid giving the tour, or maybe the other kids who happen to be on the tour, and are not very reliable as a basis for decision making. But it's hard to avoid-- you can't not see the school. I think a better way to gauge the culture of the school is to get to know a lot of real students there and spend time there.

That's my point. This could have been the next tour over, but if the kid is on "this" tour, not "that" tour then it is what it is.

Agree on spending time there, but that was pretty hard when our DCs were touring during COVID - lucky even to get on campus; forget about spending the night.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut college or Kenyon for an undecided humanities student focused on English, political science or history? Are they similar, what would be pros and cons of each?

OP, is your kid preppy and from an independent school. If so, your DC will enjoy the social life much more at Conn College. Kenyon's preppy kids are vastly outnumbered by the artsy odd-ducks that make up a large chunk of the student body.

It's fair, if your kid is repelled by the presence of creative kids on campus, Kenyon is not a good choice. Between pink polos with popped collars and pink hair, Kenyon seems to fall somewhere in the middle, but if you need 100% pink polos, there are probably better fits and maybe Conn is one.

But even if you are a total mainstream prep, isn't kind of sad to go to a college where everyone is totally conventional in their style and personality? Don't you want some variety floating around?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re both good schools. OP’s kid should visit both campuses, determine which one is a better fit, and go for it.

This. Assume costs are similar or don't matter, your child will get a feeling of which one is right after visiting both

I question the wisdom of this. I feel like impressions formed on a campus visit can be misleading, often just based on the tour guide. Perhaps objective criteria should be more heavily relied upon versus emotional reactions?

Kudos to you for having a kid who was able to do that. DC1 fairly able to do so, but still swayed by impressions from visit. DC2 wholly unable to do that and some application decisions were influenced solely on tour impressions.

Actually I didn’t. ED1 application decision was in retrospect based on positive interaction with coach and not much else. Eventually rejected but in retrospect that seems like a good thing. Just having been on a bunch of these tours, the personality of the random freshman volunteer on the tour can really influence your impression. You are potentially introducing a lot of cognitive errors/biases into the decision process. Like maybe you were interested in the school because it is strong in the area you intend to study but during the tour you saw a kid with an annoying haircut so you decided it wasn’t a good “fit.”

Right. But how many 17 year olds can tease through all of that, set aside those emotions, and remove the cognitive errors/biases? My guess is the number doesn't cross 50%, maybe even 25%.

Often their strongest points of reference at that age are their peers, so that's what they are working with when making decisions, especially about where they will live for four or more years. Did Colby seem more multifaceted to me than to my quiet DS who didn't like the vibes of the tour guide lax player? Yes, but I'm not the one going to school with cliquey sports guys, so I get his evaluation filter.

Ironically, our guide at Colby was really interested in showing us the LGBT center and all that, leaving the opposite impression that the school was super woke. Plus every kid declared "their" pronouns. So the point is, these tours are really colored by the random kid giving the tour, or maybe the other kids who happen to be on the tour, and are not very reliable as a basis for decision making. But it's hard to avoid-- you can't not see the school. I think a better way to gauge the culture of the school is to get to know a lot of real students there and spend time there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut college or Kenyon for an undecided humanities student focused on English, political science or history? Are they similar, what would be pros and cons of each?

OP, is your kid preppy and from an independent school. If so, your DC will enjoy the social life much more at Conn College. Kenyon's preppy kids are vastly outnumbered by the artsy odd-ducks that make up a large chunk of the student body.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re both good schools. OP’s kid should visit both campuses, determine which one is a better fit, and go for it.

This. Assume costs are similar or don't matter, your child will get a feeling of which one is right after visiting both

I question the wisdom of this. I feel like impressions formed on a campus visit can be misleading, often just based on the tour guide. Perhaps objective criteria should be more heavily relied upon versus emotional reactions?

Kudos to you for having a kid who was able to do that. DC1 fairly able to do so, but still swayed by impressions from visit. DC2 wholly unable to do that and some application decisions were influenced solely on tour impressions.

Actually I didn’t. ED1 application decision was in retrospect based on positive interaction with coach and not much else. Eventually rejected but in retrospect that seems like a good thing. Just having been on a bunch of these tours, the personality of the random freshman volunteer on the tour can really influence your impression. You are potentially introducing a lot of cognitive errors/biases into the decision process. Like maybe you were interested in the school because it is strong in the area you intend to study but during the tour you saw a kid with an annoying haircut so you decided it wasn’t a good “fit.”

Right. But how many 17 year olds can tease through all of that, set aside those emotions, and remove the cognitive errors/biases? My guess is the number doesn't cross 50%, maybe even 25%.

Often their strongest points of reference at that age are their peers, so that's what they are working with when making decisions, especially about where they will live for four or more years. Did Colby seem more multifaceted to me than to my quiet DS who didn't like the vibes of the tour guide lax player? Yes, but I'm not the one going to school with cliquey sports guys, so I get his evaluation filter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut is a fine college.

But it’s inarguable that Kenyon has a stronger and more distinguished reputation, is higher ranked, is more competitive to gain admission to, and gets higher marks from its graduates.

DCUM probably attaches too much importance to architecture, but Kenyon gets the nod there too. There’s nothing wrong with Connecticut’s attractive campus, but Kenyon has one of the prettiest SLAC campuses in the country.

As for location, Kenyon is in the middle of the sticks and about an hour from Columbus, and Connecticut is a gritty faded small city about an hour from Hartford or Providence. Notwithstanding the east coast provincialism on DCUM, most would consider that a wash. I don’t think most would consider being within a couple of miles of the Long Island Sound something significant enough to affect one’s choice of college (it certainly hasn’t done anything to reverse New London’s declining fortunes).

Coastal Connecticut is actually an underappreciated region of America but it really shines in the summer (when school is out) and the appeal is perhaps more from a retiree/boating perspective, perhaps similar to the Chesapeake

Anonymous wrote:The Fiske Guide To Colleges gives each school the same academic rating & the same social rating, but the quality of life is better at Connecticut College--again, according to the Fiske Guide.

Some folks enjoy being close to the ocean.

Close to Conn College is the US Coast Guard Academy. Often they attend each others social events.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut college or Kenyon for an undecided humanities student focused on English, political science or history? Are they similar, what would be pros and cons of each?

OP, is your kid preppy and from an independent school. If so, your DC will enjoy the social life much more at Conn College. Kenyon's preppy kids are vastly outnumbered by the artsy odd-ducks that make up a large chunk of the student body.

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut college or Kenyon for an undecided humanities student focused on English, political science or history? Are they similar, what would be pros and cons of each?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re both good schools. OP’s kid should visit both campuses, determine which one is a better fit, and go for it.

This. Assume costs are similar or don't matter, your child will get a feeling of which one is right after visiting both

I question the wisdom of this. I feel like impressions formed on a campus visit can be misleading, often just based on the tour guide. Perhaps objective criteria should be more heavily relied upon versus emotional reactions?

Kudos to you for having a kid who was able to do that. DC1 fairly able to do so, but still swayed by impressions from visit. DC2 wholly unable to do that and some application decisions were influenced solely on tour impressions.

Actually I didn’t. ED1 application decision was in retrospect based on positive interaction with coach and not much else. Eventually rejected but in retrospect that seems like a good thing. Just having been on a bunch of these tours, the personality of the random freshman volunteer on the tour can really influence your impression. You are potentially introducing a lot of cognitive errors/biases into the decision process. Like maybe you were interested in the school because it is strong in the area you intend to study but during the tour you saw a kid with an annoying haircut so you decided it wasn’t a good “fit.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re both good schools. OP’s kid should visit both campuses, determine which one is a better fit, and go for it.

This. Assume costs are similar or don't matter, your child will get a feeling of which one is right after visiting both

I question the wisdom of this. I feel like impressions formed on a campus visit can be misleading, often just based on the tour guide. Perhaps objective criteria should be more heavily relied upon versus emotional reactions?

Kudos to you for having a kid who was able to do that. DC1 fairly able to do so, but still swayed by impressions from visit. DC2 wholly unable to do that and some application decisions were influenced solely on tour impressions.