Kenyon College Top Questions

The first thing my friends from other schools say when they visit Kenyon is how shocked they are that everyone's so nice. And we are. Sure, you'll find the occasional curmudgeon, but for the most part Kenyon people will do what they can to make you feel welcome. Within the first week of my freshman year, some of the people on my floor had taken to calling ourselves the family--and, two years later, we're all still friends. And we're very different people.

Very white, mostly wealthy (either private schools or high-tax bracket public schools), and mostly moderate-liberal politically. People pretend to be more liberal than they are. Most people would feel accepted by some group or other since it's a diverse set of kids in terms of interests. One nice thing is that it's regionally diverse, though there are large pockets from the coasts. It's impossible to call it a preppy or a hippy school, but it is not a very attractive school, maybe because everyone meshes together and there is no "look". People don't dress up - the best way to stand out at a party is to wear what you would wear to go out at home, i.e. try hard to look like you don't try hard. I wish people just looked nice and didn't wear sweats all the time. Would it kill guys to wear tuxes to "formals"?

I think a very conservative student might feel out of place, just because the campus is strongly liberal. This is not to say that everyone is liberal--there's a Republican student group as well as Democratic (and Libertarian). People seem very free to just be themselves, not caring what they look like. I know I try to look put together for me, not because I'd be out of place if I didn't. Politically, it's a very interesting campus--a few years back students waited for 13 hours in the rain to vote in the presidential election, but almost all of the student government positions run uncontested.

We are center-left, New York Times reading, student body that opposes the Republican Party. We're open-minded to different life-styles.

The student body is very eclectic. There is a very active LGBT group on campus, as well as an Asian group, Black Student group, and visual/performing arts groups. There is a group for every student to fit into. Most people are open to interacting with different minorities, but it feels false when it does happen; like they feel they have to. Most students wear jeans, T-shirts, sweatpants, and sneakers to class. Most kids here are from wealthy or upper-middle-class families in the Northeast/Midwest/California. They are mostly liberal with a few conservatives and libertarians mixed in, but they're not politically active. Nobody talks about future plans because life changes and plans change every day that it's hard to get locked into one way of where you're going.

Kenyon students are varied. A lot of people are lazy when it comes to broader issues, but that's definitely not always the case. We care, but we're disorganized. Some students are extremely active politically, and others don't want to be bothered with the issues right now. I'm involved with the LGBT community on campus, specifically the politically active branch, and getting others involved can be difficult. This is partially because Kenyon is generally a very welcoming community, so people forget what it's like off the hill in the real world. A lot of people are upper middle class, but not everyone. There isn't a lot of racial diversity, but the number is growing. There are religious groups and an active LGBT group on campus, all of which are very warm and welcoming.

Kenyon is admittedly very "white bread." We get a lot of east coast prep school kids. I mean, there are minority kids, there are "scholarship kids" who don't fit the typical profile, but on the whole, Kenyon students are rich and white and imported from Connecticut. I have to admit that as a public school kid from the Midwest, I sometimes feel out of place (ironic since the school is in Ohio) or intimidated by how much money my friends have! That being said, it really has little impact on day to day social interaction. Not to beat a dead horse, but the Kenyon community is a very level playing field. I don't know anyone who wouldn't be friendly with anyone else based on their background. As far as what people wear to class--sweats, leggings, and pajamas are all totally common sights in a Kenyon classroom. People who get dolled up to go to a party on the weekend look kind of foolish, in my opinion. I feel dressed up I bother to put on jeans in lieu of sweatpants. And it's such a small community that sooner or later, everyone's going to see you at your worst, so you quickly learn not to care about appearances.

Kenyon isn't diverse. They're trying, but you can't really force that sort of thing. It used to be more socio-economically diverse, but because of the acceptance rates and the types of students they're seeking, that's going away, too. LGBT and religious diversity is pretty good, and both groups have an active presence on campus. For the most part, all different groups or cliques get along, because it's so small and everyone goes to the same parties and has the same classes. It used to be that most students would wear pajamas or casual jeans and t-shirts to class, but it's getting more dressy (and hipster), especially for women. As far as four tables go, that's a big part of Kenyon. The swimmers sit together, the betas (mostly football players) sit together, the circle table (mostly minority students) sit together, and then there's everyone else. Most Kenyon students are from New England, Washington D.C. or Ohio. Students are pretty politically aware, but there's also a definite bubble culture wherein its very easy to ignore the rest of the world.

Kenyon is a very laidback campus; some people are so laidback they slip into apathy about "issues" of politics, religion, race, etc. However, there are still students who care quite deeply about these issues and, if nothing else, discuss them quite heavily. Basically, we are a small school, but somehow, there's a niche for everyone. If you really like the big city and the anonymous nature of it, though, then Kenyon will be a very tough place for you. That said, we have loads of people from large cities here, and they love it! Kenyon provides students with the chance to make their own place at the school; you just have to do it!

Tables are probably indie kids, nerdy dorks, jocks, and fashionistas. One of my favorite things if not my favorite thing about my shcool is that you can look however you want and there will be a general consensus that that appearance is not all one is. You can dress like a teeny-bopper or a typical football player and it still be an easy possibility that you are brilliant. Everybody at Kenyon knows that. I love that about my school.