Kenyon College Top Questions

In general, Kenyon students are predominantly white, left-leaning, open to new experiences, and in the top 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of their graduating high school class. Beneath that, though, you'll find an astonishingly diverse population. Kenyon is not the place for those looking to party hard and study later, nor is it the place for those who really want to feel like they're out there "in the real world." Kenyon students are looking for a haven from the outside world where they can focus on bettering themselves and their community without the detractions presented by a big city or a state school. The students come from all over the country and the world, and all of them are eager to learn about what the world has to offer. Students come from all financial and social backgrounds, and the dining tables are more likely to broken down by interests rather than stereotype. Most everyone at Kenyon is politically active and very opinionated, so those who love having intelligent debate fit right in. The majority of the campus is very liberal, and intolerance of any kind is severely frowned upon. Students are Kenyon to learn for the sake of learning, not to put another notch on their path to a six-figure CEO position. Although Kenyon students often end up with such jobs, that is never the main reason why they attend the school.

Kenyon is very tolerent sexually and racially. We are VERY economically friendly here on the hill. We like to walk and we don't really drive anywhere because its only a little over a mile from one end of campus to the other. Kenyon students wear jean or sweats with flats. Heels are a no no. Most kenyon students are from the tri-state area, Ohio, and surrounding Ohio states. And also, odly, LA. Students interact with each other, we do not really have huge divides in people. Most students tend to be well off financially. Kenyon is a very potically active and aware campus. We were on the news nation wide for the last elecations. We are more concerned over our present life and education and not as focused on future earnings.

Diversity is the Holy Grail of the Kenyon Admissions Office. Try as they might to draw in students from a wide range of backgrounds, the same throngs of Mid-Western/Mid-Atlantic, Middle Class/Upper-Middle Class, Caucasian/Non-Hispanic, and Christian/Apathetic fill the halls. Then by harping on so much about multicultural affairs, the administration inadvertently clusters the coveted 12{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} together and fosters the very separation that they hoped to dispel. The greatest diversity in the student population is in its opinions. And even may occasionally seem startlingly uniform.

Kenyon's student body does seem rather homogeneous. The high tuition makes it harder for minority groups to afford to go to school there. As with any college, sports tend to be the more important of the extra-curricular activities. However, the "jock" stereotype doesn't really happen at Kenyon. Sure, there are some people who fit into that category, but that can be found anywhere. Most Kenyon students are smart and outgoing, even if a little awkward. The joke is that Kenyon students are all crazy in some way. You'd have to be if you voluntarily sent yourself to rural Ohio for 4 years. Clicks do happen, like the jocks, the grunge kids, the artists, the theater kids, etc. But each group is nebulous enough that you can move from one to the other. Of course, it doesn't matter if you're in a group at all. Most Kenyon students are liberal. I don't know if it's just Kenyon, or if college students tend to be more open-minded in general, but Kenyon is really great about embracing diversity. However, there have recently been prejudicial attacks on certain minority groups. The most recent was anti-Semitism, but there has also been some severe homophobia. But when these things happened, the Kenyon student body was outraged. It's impossible to think that every person at Kenyon is open-minded and non-bigoted. But those types of ideas definitely aren't acceptable at Kenyon.

Lack of racial diversity, but plenty of other diversity. Students wear anything from sweats to dresses to class. Liberal student body.

I feel out of place at Kenyon. Most of the kids here have been extremely heltered and seem to have no interest in observing a world different from their own. It''s a very preppy sort of place, and there's a WASPy sort of sloppiness to the appearance of many, mostly sweatpants and J Crew. I have been criticized for my own eclectic style of dress, which then bears the question "are people reeally judging you base don what you wear?" and apparently some are, which is kind of pathetic. I have found two extremes: people can be really, really sweet or incredibly judgmental. In such a small place, word travels fast, and if your reputation is at all disputed, then you might have a problem.

I just wish there more who looked and act like me on this campus. That is all

I have could experiences with racial, religious, LGBT, socio-economic and other groups on campus. Students will wear anything to class. Different types of students do interact. Kenyon students are from all over, ad most are politically aware and active.

I think there are representations of most groups-- enough so no one feels left out. politics: mostly liberal, democrat, those are the ones who voice their opinions the most. 4 tables in dining hall: one with all girls, one with all guys, the other two coed.

you'd feel out of place if you don't understand what it is to have a personal connection with everyone in every part of your daily life. to me, it's not just the professors and classmates, but also the women who work at the market, the stray dogs who wander around, that guy at the post office window, and the shuttle driver.

Racial groups are sparce on campus, as well as soci-economic groups. Financial aid should be awarded to far more students than it is, considering the price of Kenyon. Students are predominantly left, which gives the campus a liberal pull. Many students who come to Kenyon are intraverted, as we see on middle path as students walk past each other silently, and in their own little worlds.

Religious and LGBT groups, as well as other groups from dodgeball to a film making club are very active on campus. Each semester a fair is held so that students have the opportunity to get information on all the groups. While groups such as frats and sports teams tend to stick together, none of them are exclusive and the members have many friends outside of the group as well. Since Kenyon draws wealthy students and artsy students, classwear is anything from a dress and heels to ripped jeans and flannel.

The Kenyon campus is very open. Students, professors, as well as administrators take part in the LGBT community. Every student has his/her people which they can hang out with and relate to. Most students dress presentably to class. However, everyone has their days and sometimes their bad week. I guess a lot of the students here come from wealthy backgrounds, however, I think Kenyon does a good making all of the students fit in.

raciaL: i'm one of like three mexicans religious: there is a church on campus but I don't know one person who has bene to it socio-economic: upper-middle class; upper class out of place: minority from a lower socio-economic class different types of students do not interact tables are separated by one sport you play most kenyon student's are from the east coast. predominantly left

Kenyon is mostly white, but I don't think this has a huge effect on diversity. I have met rich kids, middle-class kids, and poor kids from all over the country - in most cases, I have not found that their race was a defining feature in their character or sense of self. Most of my friends are international students, so even though they are light-skinned, I have learned a lot about diverse cultures, from Chinese to Romanian. Most students wear what they are comfortable with wearing - I have seen skirts, Uggs, leggings, skinny jeans, t-shirts, baggy pants, worn-out sweaters, jeans, sweatpants, boots, sandals, and more. For the most part, only kids who put time into their wardrobe put time into noticing what other people are wearing. Most people do not care enough to judge other people based on their clothes, unless they smell. Since Kenyon is small, students from all age groups, all grades, all ethnicities, etc. interact in class, in their dorms, and extracurricular activities. I can usually find people to eat with at any meal, even though they are not the same people each time. A lot of students come from the East Coast and most students are liberal-middle, politically. Most students do not have a life-long goal of becoming really rich, although some may dream. Kenyon is very generous with financial aid, but because tuition is so expensive and Kenyon only has a limited amount of money to give, there seems to be a huge pay gap that is a small reflection of what is happening in the economy nationwide. Middle-class families who make too much money to qualify for financial aid can't afford to come to Kenyon, so there are generally more rich or poor students than middle class students.

Kenyon is not especially religious. There are not a huge amount of non-white people here, but we're working on it, and it's respectable. I would feel comfortable sitting down at any table of friends (not so much at a frat or team table). Kenyon leans to the left, but is blessedly free of the uniqueness contest I saw at so many colleges like Sarah Lawrence.

Because Kenyon is an expensive, private, liberal arts college, it's mostly made up wealthy white kids. The "minority" percentage of students is about 14{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. However, we have the Unity House which does lots of LGBT programs, the Snowden Multicultural Center, Black Student Union, etc. There are black and white kids in the gospel choir. Students hail from all over the country and a number of foreign countries to, and I'm willing to guess that about the half students come from private schools and half from public high schools. There's definitely some snobbery. For instance, I had a friend here whose dad is the vice president of a major company. Once when we were in his car, my friend asked me what I thought of his car. I said, "It's really nice," and it was. He actually said, "Yeah, this is what happens when your family does very well for itself." However, most people don't shove it in your face if they've got money. Personally, I went to a public school with 2,200 kids. Fights in the halls were common. You don't find too many students from that kind of high school here. I think the people who feel most out of place here are the ones who barricade themselves in their rooms and don't make an effort to get to know people. People aren't just going to come to you-- you have to go to them. At the dining hall, most people sit with the people who live on their hall. I don't mind eating meals by myself sometimes; it's not seen as weird. Students are very politically active. They're overwhelmingly democratic and liberal. I'm sure there were people who voted for Bush in 2004, but I only knew one person and he didn't make it common knowledge.