School Review: Kenyon College

A few weeks ago I flew down to Gambier, Ohio to visit Kenyon College as part of a program called Cultural Connections. The program is for minority students who have applied to Kenyon College for the upcoming academic year. Kenyon is making an effort to diversity their campus, and this program is one of the ways they're hoping to achieve that.

I was at Kenyon for two nights and two days and I loved my experience there. I'll give a quick rundown of what I did during my time there.

Saturday: I met a host and moved into his dorm room. His friends and I went to nearby Mount Vernon to eat at a Mexican restaurant. When we got back my host took me to a sorority party, several apartment parties, and Village Inn, Gambier's bar. Between all of the commotion, I was able to explore the campus a bit on my own.

Sunday: There were various panels that the Cultural Connections students attended this day. We also had a very nice dinner where we were able to speak with our respective admissions counselors. After dinner, a bunch of the prospective students explored the campus together. Oh, and I moved in with a new host on this day.

Monday: The Cultural Connections students had the opportunity to attend two classes of their choice on this day, which was a great experience. I then went on a campus tour with two other Cultural Connections students. Then I had to go home.

I loved my time at Kenyon. To be honest, I didn't have a strong opinion on the college before my visit. But they offered to pay for my flight to visit, so I thought, "why not?" My visit completely changed my perspective on Kenyon and now it is one of my top choices!

The social life was the first thing I got to experience. I'm not typically one to party, but I found myself having a lot of fun on Saturday night. I was surprised that there were so many parties going on, especially when my host told me that the weekend I was there was a "boring" one. The parties were very inclusive and I felt extremely welcomed everywhere we went. I guess drinking and partying is the main form of entertainment for Kenyon students, which is understandable since there's not a lot to do in Gambier.

On the other side of the spectrum, I also enjoyed the classes I attended. I took an English class called Monsters and Monstrosity and was very impressed by the level of discussion in the classroom. The class was talking about an eighties movie called Aliens or something like that, and were very exploratory in their analysis. The professor was very enthused and really seemed to love discussing the movie with the students. The second class I took was a political science course called Quest for Justice. I really loved this one. Again, the class was discussion-based and there were no boundaries in the discussion; people seemed very willing to express their opinions. The teacher was good at keeping the discussion on track and ensuring that no opinion was shot down. There were strong republican and democratic voices in the room and both had their share of time to debate issues.

What I loved most about Kenyon was the people. Whether it was at a party, a panel, or in a classroom I always felt welcomed at Kenyon. At home even. The students and faculty at Kenyon seemed so down to earth and open. I was very sad to leave when Monday rolled around.

My fingers are crossed that the response I receive from Kenyon is an acceptance, and I hope that acceptance comes with a nice financial aid package.

Old Kenyon, a residence hall. Old Kenyon is the oldest building on campus and was the first Greek Revival-style building to be built in America.

Ransom Hall, the admissions building.

Middle Path

The church. This is the church John Green based the church in his book "The Fault in Our Stars" on.

Left, Olin Library. Right, Horvitz Hall (the studio art building on campus).

Peirce Hall, the dining hall on campus.

Olin Library

Rosse Hall, where John Green recently gave a seminar.

The Science Quad

Ascension Hall, an academic building.

Mather Hall, a residence hall.

Middle Path, looking at Old Kenyon.

A residence hall.

Leonard Hall. Half of the building houses Greek societies, the other half is dorm rooms.

Watson Hall, a residence building.

Either Bushnell or Manning. Both are identical residence halls.

The basketball court in the Kenyon Athletic Center. The KAC is ranked #1 among college athletic facilities.

Inside the church. This photo was taken at around two a.m.

A map of campus.

The graveyard on campus.