Son, a senior, applies to Kenyon. Has test scores above average for Kenyon, a turnaround story with a 4-plus GPA while taking mostly AP courses his last three semesters, has won a citywide writing award and top English award; Kenyon seems worth a shot.
Kenyon within days offers a grant to cover airfare from West Coast for a campus visit. Wow.
Middle-class parents, unable to afford such a visit on their budget, happily accept.
Kenyon football coach, head of a losing program, emails son to ask if he has film of his football experience. What? Son played freshman football mostly as a benchwarmer, then quit after soph year because he was disgusted by the coaches reliance on shame and humiliation. Its all there in his essay and common app bio. Did you read any of it?
Son emails football coach to tell him hes not that great a football player, is a small guy, but would love to try out. Starts weightlifting regimen. Loves idea of going to Kenyon.
Football coach is never heard from again.
Son arrives at Kenyon for campus visit. While son is away, father watches Kenyon video in which football coach says hes bringing lots of potential recruits to campus. Uh-oh. Guess it wasnt sons writing skill they liked.
At Kenyon, football player/guide greets son, is surprised by his diminutive size. Takes son on perfunctory campus tour.
No adult from Kenyon football staff or athletic department bothers to meet son, say hello or shake his hand. No adult from Kenyon admissions staff bothers to meet son, say hello or shake his hand.
Football player/guide ditches son, but shows him where dining hall is so he can eat lunch alone.
After returning home, son doesnt seem that excited about Kenyon anymore. Wonders why he should send a thank-you note, since no adult ever welcomed him there, but writes one anyway.
Kenyon admissions director sends marvelously upbeat letter, hoping Kenyon will be a good fit for you. Great! Although close reading indicates its a form letter, naive sons and parents spirits are high. Son improves yet again, to a 4.5 GPA for senior fall semester, all AP or IB classes, after a 4.2 for his junior year. Son had frosh and soph slacker years with a 2.99 GPA the years he was playing football – but Kenyon knows all this.
Kenyon rejection arrives.</p>
<p>Suggested sequence of events:
BEFORE effusively inviting a sensitive, impressionable 17-year-old to visit your school at your expense as a football recruit, please have your admissions and football staff actually read his application to determine what it says and whether you really might want him there.</p>
<p>Yeah, Kenyon’s admissions process was really weird this year. I’m a published author and donated over 45,000 dollars to a major charity whose executive director wrote me a letter of recommendation with grades and test scores well above their averages and an 800 on the writing section. I was waitlisted. I’m not sure what’s going on with them this year and I’m sorry to hear about your son’s bad luck.</p>
<p>Given a rejection (and not a waitlist; so bridges burned are irrelevant), I would copy and paste this in an email and send it off to your state admissions rep at Kenyon…and please CC your son’s GC…</p>
<p>That is what’s would advise any of my students who have been dealt with in this way by a small school of Kenyon’s reputation and caliber…</p>
<p>Parent46 : I had similar experiences with Kenyon. My S did receive admission - but there was terrible lack of communications from the college . Materials were sent to the college for an Arts scholarship, that were never acknowledged; letters were never replied to ; during in-person communications with different admissions staff they all said that they would get back to us about the portfolio sent, but never did; later when I went to the admissions office, they said that they never received the material. Three days later, during a follow-up phone conversation, another admissions staff said that all material sent to them was in fact in the student’s folder, but they could not be sure if they were looked at. The student got NO scholarship, although he got substantial scholarships in similar Art competitions from other higher ranked colleges. His heart is set on Kenyon becuase of overly friendly reception during overnight visit - I am having a hard time swallowing the fact that I have to fork out nearly $60K/year for UG education at a college that may have the ranking, but whose treatment of a prospective student is less than commendable. He’s following a Science/Math track with Arts minor - I wonder abotu Kenyon’s strength in the Sciences as it si such a new field for them. I shudder to think what might be their responsiveness once the student actually joins the college and then seeks help for any needs from the college ! Any inputs, watchouts would be highly appreciated</p>
<p>I’m published in a scientific journal after completing a three year science research project on the effect of Twitter communities on those suffering from Anorexia Nervosa. Waitlisted.</p>
<p>Kenyon’s campus is beautiful, but small. Reading this thread reminded me of our visit several years ago. Apparently it’s still business as usual. Teaches one that a visit to small LACs is mandatory, because the guide books rarely share negatives.</p>
<p>Why are you reactivating this thread all these months later? Plus, what does small size have to do with the OP’s complaint? ALL small LACs (and there are a ton of them) have a “small campus”. Kenyon’s did not strike me as any smaller than other schools with less than 2,000 students… and we have been to tons of them. Do you have some similar story to share, or just wanted to knock Kenyon?</p>