My D21 goes to Wooster and loves it there academically and socially, so I can give you lots of info about it. I will say that I have heard nothing but good things about Kzoo, and any positives I highlight about Wooster, I’m sure Kzoo has a lot of similar things going on. I actually think you can’t go wrong with either choice.
We walked around Kzoo in fall '20 but ofc, it was completely remote and no one was on campus. As I recall, Wooster’s campus is considerably bigger than Kzoo (about 4x) and imo prettier (very subjective). My D21 would not apply to Kzoo bc it was too small for her, so we didn’t really evaluate it and I can’t fairly compare them. I also don’t personally know anyone who has attended, although I do know someone who was deciding between it and Knox (she chose Knox instead).
One of the biggest reasons my D21 chose Wooster was the independent study (senior thesis) project, because she has always planned on grad school. I know most schools have the option for a senior thesis project, but it is ingrained in the culture of Wooster in a different way, it is a thing every single student must do to graduate, and they think about and plan for it from their first year. I.S. Monday, (the day in March when all independent study projects need to be turned in) is a huge celebration day on the campus, and actually, nationwide, as alumni have IS Monday Happy Hours in different cities. There is then a big showcase of all the IS projects on the campus in April. It’s a big, big deal there.
Regarding gen eds, she has been required to complete 2 credits in each of 3 broad areas, but they aren’t restrictive in any way, and are a way to broaden the educational experience. They aren’t cumbersome to complete and she has found her classes outside her core major/minor/pathway classes quite interesting.
I can’t speak to how much more fun K’zoo is over Wooster, but my daughter has a lot of fun. She is involved in Greek life, which is quite low key and not similar to greek life at big schools. It’s more just social clubs and they have a lot of themed parties with other groups. One fraternity in particular that she socializes with seems to have a lot of international students in it. She has a lot of friends from different backgrounds. There is a student activities group that plans tons of stuff for students (find WACWooster on instagram for examples), both on campus and off. My daughter also goes to sporting events with her friends, lots of basketball and hockey games this year. There are lots of student groups to be involved in at Wooster and it seems like most kids do a lot of different things, from dance to volunteering to Model UN.
Wooster opened a new student center this year, and it’s beautiful. The science building at Wooster, if you haven’t seen it yet, is absolutely gorgeous. The academic buildings overall are just quite impressive. The libraries are beautiful, one in particular, my daughter said if she had seen it on the tour she would have committed then and there.
However, there are at least a couple dorms at Wooster that need considerable renovations, and the rest I would describe as “fine.” Every single year in the fall there are issues with bats in two of them (not ones my daughter has lived in, though). The parents freak out about the bats far, far more than the students do, however. The food is fine, much better than last year when the student center was under construction, but Idk if the students would describe it as great. Again, the parents seem to complain more about it than the students.
The professors are amazing, they have offered guidance, opportunities, and connections and it’s been exactly the reason she chose a small LAC over a big school. I am certain Kzoo would offer similar experiences, as would virtually any LAC. (Ironically, my D23 is likely going to UIUC and it makes me a bit sad that she won’t have these types of experience, bc she absolutely won’t. But for her intended career, it matters less).
Lots of research, funded internship, and study abroad opportunities, ofc. My daughter just applied for a funded Social Justice Internship for this coming summer to work with different local organizations around Wooster. The Sophomore Research program has lots of opportunities to work with professors, particularly in the sciences.
Regarding transportation, there are two airports equally close to Wooster, Cleveland and Akron. My daughter has taken flights out of Akron more often than Cleveland. Wooster runs shuttles to and from both of them for breaks, although how convenient that is just depends. For her, she usually gets rides from friends to the airports.
Anything else you want to know, just ask! I hope someone who has a lot of knowledge about Kzoo chimes in too!