Kenyon College Top Questions

That we are smart, interested in learning and quirky enough that we don't mind going off to college in the middle of nowhere in Gambier, Ohio.

They're hipsters/cerebral/outdoorsy.

I have heard several stereotypes mentioned, most of them apply to all "private liberal artsy" colleges. That people there are all rich and preppy, that a lot of people are only accepted because they are generation students or because their families donate a lot, that there is a lot of drug usage, that people drink a lot, that people don't study, that people study too much, that there is not a lot of diversity, that it is a "New IVY" and has a huge swollen head about it.

it's hard to stereotype because the campus is so diverse (in terms of personalities, not race). At my previous college (Reed in Portland OR) the student body was so homogeneous that the term "reedie" had a specific meaning, whereas at Kenyon there is nothing like "kenyonite" because the term would make no sense when there is no prototypical kenyon personality traits.

Kenyon is one of if not the most beautiful campus anywhere, on a sunny spring day. The faculty is brilliant and are eager to work with and help students on anything. The current dean of students (Tammy Goscial) is a total b****. She doesn't seem to be in tune with the students at all. Everyone is very friendly and smart. There is almost no exclusivity. There is a stereotype that Kenyon girls are ugly and that the people can be sort of quirky.

That Kenyon is a very politically active campus.

-Very liberal, but not as liberal as Oberlin students -snotty rich kids -uniformed, we live in a bubble -very intellectual sometimes to an obnoxious degree -drink a lot

Those stereotypes seem to be in the middle of an evolution of sorts. There seems to be this nostalgic notion of the Kenyon that was, the quirky but smart, rich but modest, fun as hell but studious and passionate - replaced by smart, wealthy, immodest, workhardplayhard jerks of today's hyper-competitive college admissions atmosphere.

I think the ridiculously high tuition at Kenyon College leads to the conception that Kenyon students have feelings of entitlement; our pretty, secluded campus does spoil us quite a bit. And of course the majority of us are Obama-supporting left-leaners, which I think is par for the course at a small liberal arts college.

Intellects, Hippies, Preppy Kids, Smart Kids, Fuck-Ups

I heard that Kenyon students were the nicest, most friendly people around. At first I thought to myself, "That can't be true," but I got here and it really was.

People often think that Kenyon isn't a very diverse place. However, I believe that diversity shouldn't just be measured by skin color; it should be measured by political inclinations, favorite activities, academic interests, and other areas.

One stereotype is that we "party" like crazy!!!!

When one thinks of Kenyon, one might think of a bunch of English majors with Mid-West manners guzzling beer on the weekends, fraternities and ( of late) sororities, kids that talk about school outside of school, perferably sitting on the lawn( that is, when its nice out), cornfields and the Amish(!), Ohio ( insert your own sterotypes here lol), the middle of nowhere, and since im from L.A, bad bad weather....bad!!!

That they are uptight and too good for the local people to interact with.

-Kenyon students are privileged and sheltered -Kenyon is laid-back and hippie-ish: you will be shunned if you talk on a cell phone on Middle Path

When people see that Kenyon is in Gambier, Ohio, a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, they often assume two things: there must be nothing to do there and I bet that they're bunch of hippies. Who else would live in a rural Ohio village with fields of corn surrounding the two roads into town where the college is known for its English program? It must be a bunch of hippies who just smoke a lot of pot. And if these people are interested enough to visit the campus, they'll see that not only are there people tight-roping between the statues outside of Rosse hall and lounging on the abundant green lawns, there are a lot of people in pastel khaki shorts and popped Polo shirts. Hippies AND prepsters? Kenyon must be really weird.

That we are liberal hippies living in the middle of nowhere. Also, Kenyon has a reputation for its amazing English program and therefore everyone here is a humanities person not into the sciences.

Kenyon is a liberal school in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. This leads to a great sense of community among all students--who are thought of as neo-hippies.

That we're all rich.