Denison University Top Questions

Denison is a beautiful school. Its in the quaint little town of Granville, just 30 minutes outside Columbus, which is good if you ever get tired of quaint and little. The layout of the school is really nice, and even though it is small, only about 2100 undergrad, its laid out to make it appear and feel larger. The seasons are beautiful. Denison is a very arborous campus, and the trees turn great colors in the fall and spring. It is Ohio, however, and it gets pretty cold in the winter months, especially since Denison is built on a hill. At least the snow is pretty, most of the time. One of the best things about Denison is since the campus has such a gorgeous landscape, during the warm months a lot of people spend time outside on the quads, playing frisbee, laying out, cooking out, drinking, etc. During these times there is a real sense of community, which I think is awesome. Denison is also known for having a strong academic reputation. Class sizes are small, which I like, and the ratio of student to teacher is something like 11:1. Students get a lot more personal attention and help from teachers, but this also means that since class sizes are so small and teachers get to know all of their students, attendance is usually a priority and teachers tend to deduct points for not showing up to class. The living situation at Denison is sort of interesting, since students live on campus all four years. It's like dorm-style living, but every year you upgrade and by the time you're a senior, most students get to live in apartment-style dorms. It doesn't bother me, but some students have problems with not ever really being able to have their own space. It's just something you have to consider in making your decision about college. When I tell people I got to Denison, I usually get one of two reactions. The first is "Where is that?" and the second is "Wow, that's a great school, you must be smart." Even though Denison is small, a lot of people I meet who have heard of Denison know someone who went there and are impressed by the school. Actually, Steve Carrell and Jennifer Garner are Denison alums. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Denison is a great school. I had an excellent experience there. It sure isn't perfect, but I'm positive that it is one of the finest institutions out there. The faculty is incredible, the students are great, the campus is wonderful. The most important thing to remember is that my experience at Denison is really what I made of it. Of course there are ups and downs everywhere, but stay focused on the ups and it's great. My biggest disappointment was the winter weather. Central Ohio is greeeeeeey in the winter.

Denison's main perks: the perfect college town, professors who are intimately engaged on campus, and a close community due to the residential requirement.

The best thing about Denison is meeting people and then having the opportunity to get very close with them because of the size of the school. I would change the way students are treated by security- like we're in high school. I never think it's too large, sometimes I think it's too small, but sometimes it's just right. When I tell people I go to Denison, they either have no idea what it is or they say "ahhh" in a way that is supposed to imply "you have a lot of money." I spend most of my time hanging out in various locations with my friends, such as the quad (if it's nice out), or someone's dorm room. What college town? Granville is too small and clearly resents Denison's presence. The administration? Where to begin? I don't feel like opening up that kettle of fish. There isn't really a ton of school pride, probably because our school isn't solely marked by its athletics, like a big ten school might be. However, students definitely show up to football and lacrosse and soccer games when the weather's nice. Denison is extrememly unusual...Denison is it's own world, like a bubble. When I'm at Denison, (and this isn't necessarily a good thing), I have no idea what's going on in the world or even what's playing on the radio because I get so entirely consumed by the Denison bubble. It's fun sometimes, but it sucks you in, and I've found it's very difficult to merely explain this phenomenon to someone who is not a part of the Denison community. One experience I will always remember? Besides just hanging out with the amazing people I've met at Denison, the events this previous fall concerning the forum and the anti-harassment movement will be something that I will absolutely always remember. Frequent complaints: parking (it sucks), the food (it sucks), security (security hates the students), and it's unfair that we have to live in dorms as seniors. There should be some sort of apartments or options to live in houses, (besides the three that are available to the 500-some students).

Denison is a small school, but I really like it that way. I am from a small town and I feel very comfortable in the small group atmosphere. Because it is so small, most people have at least met the majority of the people in the school.

There is very little diversity at Denison. It's a small school, which is nice if you like community... you know people in your classes, your profs know you, and you can get everywhere on campus in 10 minutes or less (usually). Granville is a cute town. Denison is separate from it, on top of a hill, but the town can become like a home away from home as well, if you want it to be. The food is pretty good at Denison, but you definitely get tired of it, especially at the end of the semester. It seems to be better than many other colleges i've visited, but still doesn't seem appealing after eating it all year. Freshman can have cars! :)

Personally, I find the size of the school quite acceptable. My high school was small, and I could never get used to walking around campus and not recognizing anyone. When I walk to dinner, the library, or to class, I always see people I know. It makes you feel much safer than if you walk around and don't see anyone you've met before. I know everyone on campus either first-hand or second-hand. You could pick anyone at Denison, ask me if I knew them, and if I didn't, one of my friends would. When I tell people at home that I go to Denison University, if they are not major upper class, they don't know what I'm talking about because I grew up in an extremely rural area where kids grow up to be farmers and if they go to college, it'll be a state school. However, if I tell someone who knows about Denison that I'm a student there, their reaction is always "Denison? That's such a nice place to go. Very prestigious." If they don't say it out loud, the way they act says it for them. Personally, I find this reaction irritating because even though it's a nice school, it's just a school and it says nothing about me personally. All of the stereotypes (everyone's rich or extremely smart) do not really apply to me. I'm just a normal kid, and I happened to end up at Denison because of the English program. That's enough for me. Granville is actually rather quaint. The people go out of their way to make their yards look gorgeous. Even though there are no real food options in town, and shopping at a department store or mall are out (unless you drive fifteen minutes to Newark or Heath...and Easton is in Columbus only half an hour away), it's BEAUTIFUL. People are really nice, and when you walk into town, they're willing to say hello as they pass you on the sidewalk. Some people find it small, but I find it relaxing, peaceful. In November, there was a school meeting (for some reason I can't remember the proper word) discussing prejudice on campus. There were people who felt as if they were being put down because of race or gender or sexual preference. Acceptance is really important on campus, and if you are prejudice, I suggest you either don't go to Denison or you learn to keep your mouth shut. Some things are over the top, it's true...the way people respond to things as simple as "Your parents won't let you have a car? That's gay!" makes you very cautious. If you were to say that in the wrong company, you'd get several dirty looks, I promise.

In my mind the best thing about Denison is the people. Everyone is very friendly, polite, and willing to help you with anything, and not just the students, some of the staff have become close friends of mine as well. The campus size is just right, walking to class everyday I see at least five of my friends. It is so nice to see familiar faces everyday.

I love the people at Denison more than anything. Everyone is very friendly, eager to learn, and studious while also being fun. I love the small school and the fact that we can know everyone on campus, or no one. Granville (the town that Denison is in) is the cutest and prettiest town ever. The residents of Granville love the Denison students and are very welcoming all the time. Personally, I don't really think Granville would exist without Denison, but with Denison there it has grown and become an amazing village. During the fall of 2007, Denison experienced some serious problems with racism and sexism and had to have an all-campus forum to resolve the issues. Throughout that semester I believe our campus changed a great deal and has become even more welcoming and accepting than ever before.

The best thing about Denison is our sense of community. It's a small school, approximately 2,100 students and completely residential. Everyone is on campus all the time and there is a lot of interaction between students. On the way to class you'll always see people you know. The town of Granville is quaint, but not very active. There are two bars and a really good frozen custard place, but not much else. Even though there is not much to do in town there is always lots going on on campus and Columbus isn't far away either.