Quick review of tours over winter break:
Kenyon College: The consensus- very friendly, beautiful campus and very close-knit student body. The campus has “middle path”, a walkway that stretches from one end to the other and is 2/3 of a mile long, with the town of Gambier in the middle. The town is almost too cute (think a Hallmark movie set plopped down in the midst of a traditional campus setting). We ate in the cafeteria and the staff were very friendly, plenty of vegetarian options and a good variety of locally-sourced food. Academic buildings were impressive and the students on our info panel seemed engaged in a wide variety of activities and research. My kid said if there was a downside, that it almost seemed aggressively friendly. It’s definitely a place where everyone knows each other. Stayed in the Grand Hotel in Mt. Vernon, which was lovely and only 5 minutes from campus. Mt. Vernon was bigger than we expected, so Kenyon students do have access to a Walmart, some restaurants, etc. Overall impression: UP
Kalamazoo College: We checked this one out as a target/likely because my DD really likes Carleton, and it checks lots of the same boxes: trimester system, near a city, strong study abroad program and leans liberal. Wow- it was a pleasant surprise! A traditional (and very pretty) campus, good sized dorm rooms, brand new pool and athletic buildings. The academic buildings weren’t as nice as some we’ve seen, but the library was great, as was the student center. Open curriculum called the K-Plan offers lots of flexibility, particularly the ability to study abroad without worrying about meeting your major’s credit requirements. All students take foreign language and PE. The students we talked to were really excited about their classroom experience and exchange programs. We didn’t realize that it’s located right next to WMU- so even though it’s a small school, students have direct access to big D1 sports, a college town with plenty of fun things to do, and 20k more college students right next door. K College was pretty impressive, my DD said she’ll “most definitely apply”. Overall impression: WAY UP