Is Kenyon a good fit for me?

ChaosParent23
Tue, 10 Nov 2020 21:52:10 +0000

A few thoughts as a Kenyon parent:

My son is a Soph who is a Gay Hispanic Non-Latino. I 100% disagree w/ the comment that a LAC isn’t a good fit for an LGBTQ+ student. I’m not at all concerned about you fitting in. Literally, no one cares. My son’s friend group has LGBTQ, Straight, boys, girls, kids of every color, kids from every corner of the US and a few around the world, poor kids… ok granted, lots of rich kids. No One Cares. Are you a good person and a good friend? That’s all that counts. And if you’re still apprehensive, Kenyon has a 5-Star rating on the Campus Pride Index. It was also named one of 40 Best of The Best for LGBTQ+ Friendly.

Now the writing thing… that’s where a potential red flag comes up for me. If you decide to major in a STEM, you’ll have far less writing than say a Humanities/Social Sci/etc. major. But you’re still going to be expected to do a good bit of writing. Keep in mind Kenyon’s distribution is a little different in that not only do you have to complete 2 classes in each of the 4 disciplines, but those two classes must also be in the same Department. Kenyon is striving for depth as well as breadth.

Kenyon is stunning, especially in the fall. My son’s first comment when he stepped foot on campus was “I feel like I went thru the Platform 9 3/4 to get here!” But yes, it’s pretty isolated. Then again, given the times we live in… that’s not necessarily a bad thing! So far this year, Kenyon has had ONE student test positive for COVID-19.
There are some very nice dorms/apartments, but most are more in the ‘eh’ category. Serviceable enough, but not great. The Village has basically everything you need. My son has gone to Walmart maybe 3 times in a year and a half. Wiggins, Gambier Deli, and the Bookstore is where alot of his money goes.
And the new library should be done soon!!

Personally, I see Oberlin as a little more artsy than Kenyon since you have the Conservatory. And while my son also really loved Davidson, he felt it was a bit more on the conservative side for his taste.