^List of some of the best. The point of the article is that they don’t lend themselves to ranking and many schools, even ones that you might not associate with writing, have some excellent programs. So true!
But folks, it is November tomorrow. The ED deadline is looming, and the OP is trying to choose between two schools which have presumably come from a larger list. Why muddy the waters by suggesting the neither could be right? These are two great options, have been visited, and offer what OP is looking for.
In terms of overall reputation (which definitely should NOT be the litmus test), Colby is just a shade higher.
IMO, however, you need to think fit, because when you get to the level of these two schools, the outcome is going to be better based on where you will be happiest. Yes, Kenyon gets the nod for creative writing classes, but there have been many outstanding writers who graduated from Colby. The athletic facilities at the two schools are totally a wash (with the exception that Kenyon’s was built in 2006, I think, while Colby’s opens in 2020).
One relevant differential is financial aid. Kenyon has merit aid while Colby does not. This is why one person I know (with similar stats to yours) who was dead set on Kenyon opted for applying RD to Kenyon. The GC felt there was a pretty good chance of admission to Kenyon ED or RD, but a greater likelihood of merit aid in the RD round. I don’t know if this is true, but you might want to ask your GC about it. This might counsel in favor of ED to Colby, but then again, if you get into Colby ED you would be committed to attend.
The good thing about indecision is that it means that you probably will be happy at either school, so you are in a good place. You can always flip a coin.
The list from post #19 was made by a very recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania encouraging teens to sign up for his summer camps and other offerings for young writers. He ranks 13 schools & then includes a list of 15 additional colleges & universities noting that these are just some colleges & universities which offer solid creative writing programs.
1)Emory University
2) Virginia
3) UPenn
4) Princeton
5) WashUStL
6) Yale
7) Bucknell University for poetry
8) NYU
9) Kenyon College
10) Stanford University
11) Emerson College
12) Middlebury College
13) Davidson College
Additional 15 colleges & universities:
Barnard College, Bennington College, Bryn Mawr, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia, Harvard, Hollins University, Oberlin College, Sewanee: The University of the South, Skidmore College, Univ. of California at Berkeley, Univ. of Chicago, Univ. of Iowa, University of Michigan & Univ. of Miami.
While OP has stated an interest in creative writing, nowhere has OP indicated that he or she will major in this area or pick a school based on creative writing opportunities.
One perspective is that exposure to a highly intelligent community is a great way to develop & improve not only one’s writing skills, but also one’s communication skills whether written or not. In this respect, Princeton University should be at least tied for the top spot.
Excellent writing & meaningful communication is not just about one’s writing style or talents, but is about intelligence & insight & thoughts communicated in an effective fashion.
OP: You need to get out & explore more of the world based on your assertion in the opening post in this thread:
“I love the Midwest (where I’m from). Kenyon’s got scenic Ohio.”
While this may well have been an attempt at humor, there is a chance that it was not. With that fear in mind, you really, really, really need to apply to a school outside of your geographic region, in m opinion.
Kenyon does not offer merit to all students. I think it’s more like their top 10-20% of applicants. And I’m guessing it’s more likely to get merit in RD.
And remember that Colby is pretty difficult to get to from the Midwest. Have you visited? It’s a flight to Portland and then over an hour drive. I would consider that in your decision. We really liked Colby when we visited and we are also from the midwest but it was just too much of a hike. Our S is at Bowdoin and it’s closer to the airport. Still a hike from Chicago but just a bit easier to get to than Colby. Our S also applied to Kenyon RD and was accepted with $20k merit. That location wasn’t ideal either. He could fly to Columbus but then it was an hour drive. If you can drive to Kenyon from home, then that’s more convenient.
I agree that it’s a great time to get out of your comfort zone and try another part of the country but consider how often you think you’d want to get home and if convenience for getting back and forth is important.
(So, this thread grew a whole lot faster than I expected, so I’m going to respond to a few comments at once.)
Thank you both so much for the advice. This thread has given me a ton of great new material to consider. In terms of geographic location, I don’t particularly mind a trek. The midwest is certainly beautiful, but so is Maine, and even with the added difficulty of making the trip, it might be good to see another part of the country.
Thank you for the tip. I’m incredibly fortunate to say that my family and I don’t need to worry about money when it comes to the application process or tuition. But you’re undoubtedly right that both places are wonderful, and I’ll likely love whichever one I (hopefully) wind up going to.
That’s really helpful. I checked the website, but I failed to notice the secondary list containing the additional 15 colleges. That’s helpful. As is probably clear given that I came to an online forum for help, I’m not the most decisive person. So, to ensure that the decision doesn’t become any more convoluted or difficult, I think it likely best I limit it to Kenyon and Colby. I’ve visited about 16 schools including Middlebury, Bates, Bowdoin, Oberlin, and other such overlaps with Colby and Kenyon (and I’ve investigated many more online), and after having given it lots of thought and consideration, these were the two schools I found the most connection with. I really do appreciate the suggestions, though.
In terms of pursuing creative writing academically, I’m certainly curious about it at the moment, though I’m hardly dead set on it. Among the many, many tours I’ve taken over the last year, one of the unifying factors has been the seemingly universal story of “I came here thinking I wanted to study [major], but then found after one class that I instead wanted to major in [totally different major]!” But, even if I find that it’s not the right academic pursuit for me, I would no doubt like to continue it as a hobby, and a bright, intellectual community would no doubt help with that. As I’ve said, I think Colby and Kenyon are the two I should choose between (rather than adding one more factor to an already packed decision), but your tip certainly helps me consider Colby for creative writing a bit more. Even if their program isn’t as stellar as Kenyon’s is, the bright community could still no doubt give me the sort of environment in which I could grow and continue pursuing one of my passions. Thanks!
@merc81: Interesting list of 28 “overlap” schools (“the company we keep”), but not believeable.
Stanford, UCal-Berkeley & NYU ??? University of Michigan ? Every Ivy except for Harvard, Columbia & Penn ? Seems more akin to name-dropping than to direct competitors.
Think that I’ll stick with Fiske Guide To Colleges with respect to overlap schools–although Kenyon College does not use the term “overlap”.
Note that at this time Colby appears to be equivalently selective to Bowdoin. By U.S. News methodology, Colby registers a selectivity rank of 8th in its category, with Bowdoin following (closely) at 13th.
@merc81 hm. Not to split hairs and I guess this is heresay but lots of kids on CC last year got into Colby and not Bowdoin. And lots of kids we know from the NE who we know would say Bowdoin was a harder admit from their school than Colby.
Colby’s process is a little different since they do not have a supplemental essay and consider demonstrated interest. So, they are turning down lots of candidates to protect yield and I think that affects their total acceptance rate. I don’t think they turn down high stat kids just because they are high stat, but it seems they do turn down kids who haven’t shown enough fit and interest.
@homerdog: Your observations point toward a weakness in USN methodology. Their assessments tend to be too limited and rigid to identify important distinctions in some cases.
I should say though that USN’s selectivity rank relies on a few factors, including standardized test scores and high school rank. In this sense, it is what it purports to be, an approximation of the relative difficulty of admission for the colleges considered.
I’m sorry if I missed that someone else responded to this specific issue – Kenyon does not offer ceramics as part of its academic program but rather as an extracurricular, community based program. Kenyon had about 3 wheels and tiny, narrow space squeezed into a community arts space. My kid who was excited about continuing with ceramics in college as perhaps a studio arts minor was very disappointed in the ceramics opportunities at Kenyon.
I’m pretty sure Colby doesn’t either. Many college fine arts programs don’t. They have sculpture but not ceramics or wheelthrowing or many other areas of art that they deem more crafts oriented than “fine art” like weaving/textiles, woodworking, metalwork.
That’s extremely helpful. Thank you so much. I will absolutely take that into my decision. Much appreciated!
Colby luckily has a 24-hour ceramics studio, and prides itself on its pottery club (they brag that for less than $30 a semester you get unlimited access to a metric ton of clay). The fact that either college has any pottery opportunities at all is great, but I’m really astounded by Colby (hardly the first time I’ve said that about either college).
My son was rejected at Bowdoin and attends Colby. We are in New England and Bowdoin is considered a harder admit here. Colby has exceeded all expectations for my outdoorsy son. Fantastic classes and community. Good luck!