<p>jttoppers,
Hey Kenyon tour guide, I got accepted earlier today and I’m really excited. I was wondering what were the hardest things in transition from high school to college and more specifically Kenyon? Also, what made you choose Kenyon over the other schools was it a specific academic program or something else?
First of all, congratulations!!! To answer your question, the hardest part of the transition from high school to college for me was learning how to redistribute my time. It is tough when there is no one making you go to sleep by midnight or telling you that you can’t watch TV on your computer all night. I think a lot of students get caught up in the first couple months of being away from home. You really just need to relearn time management skills. Your advisor and your professors know this, however, and they are pretty good at making sure you are on top of everything.
I guess the hardest part about the transition to Kenyon for me personally was maybe just living somewhere that wasn’t Colorado. I’ve lived there my entire life and Ohio is very different. The rural nature of the campus can be tough for first year students, but the way I like to think about it is that we picked Kenyon knowing full well that it was isolated. It would be tough to hide that fact. Therefore, you aren’t caught off guard when you get here. Honestly, I really like living in Gambier now. We have such a strong community here and I wouldn’t change Kenyon’s location for the world.
All and all, I think Kenyon does a great job helping students make the transition. Orientation is really well organized and you’ll learn more than you’ve ever wanted to know about your programs of interest, extracurriculars, and the social scene.
Now, to get to your second question. I chose Kenyon in a bizarre way. I visited twice (once the summer before my senior year for a tour and interview and again for an overnight during the fall of my senior year) and I got this feeling the second time I was here. It is tough to describe. I felt really comfortable here and I did not want to leave after my overnight. I was actually on another college overnight when I had a weird moment of clarity and decided that while I liked the college I was visiting at that moment, I knew I was going to be happiest at Kenyon. It was almost like I was thinking to myself, “Yeah this college is pretty cool, but you already know the you are going to chose Kenyon.”
I’ve said it before, but I think the most important factor to consider in choosing a college is the aspects that make that college unique. Once you get into the top-tier schools, academics are pretty much guaranteed to be excellent. There are some opportunities here that helped me make my choice as a science student. First year students are allowed and encouraged to start doing research (which is really rare). There is a summer science program that allows students to stay on campus and do an entire summer of research. The graduate school and professional school acceptance rates were high, and, more importantly, Kenyon has a great system of preparing students for every aspect of life after Kenyon.
I’m sorry I can’t give you a single reason. At this point, I would suggest you just go with your gut. I’m sure you were accepted into a lot of great colleges, and trust me when I say you will be fine at any of them. You now just have to decide where you think you will thrive.
If you have any other questions (maybe more specifics?) just let me know!
Kenyontourguide</p>