Colby vs. Kenyon

I too consider Bowdoin a tougher admit. But I also know several kids who got into Bowdoin but not Colby as well as kids who got into both and chose Colby. And kids who got into Colby but not Bowdoin and who chose Bowdoin when admitted to both. In many ways, very similar schools, and my guess is that most students at either would have been very happy at the other but there are some differences around the edges. Post grad, the BBC (or CBB) alum seem to recognize each other as kindred souls.

Colby’s acceptance rate is so low in part because it receives a ton of applications. It gets more applications than most any other LAC. They have done a great job of marketing and courting applications with fee waivers, outreach, test optional, no essay etc. It’s a great school, very strong academically, beautiful campus, but the acceptance rate can be construed as being in part manufactured

Steering away from the Colby/Bowdoin discussion and back to the original topic of this thread:

My daughter is a senior at Kenyon. She is an English major with a creative writing concentration, and a studio art minor. The breadth and depth of offerings in the Kenyon English department, and of writing courses in particular, would be hard to match anywhere. The opportunities are so plentiful that even in four years one could not exhaust all possibilities.

There have been many mentions of Colby’s new athletic center. Kenyon’s athletic center is among the best of any LAC nationwide. Considering that you did not mention a particular interest in athletic centers, I wouldn’t imagine this to be a deciding factor. Nonetheless, Kenyon’s is spectacular. Kenyon will soon have a brand new library, which might be of more importance to you.

In light of the your interest in creative writing, I’m curious as to how Colby made it into the final two given the colleges with stronger, national reputations in this area. (In the Northeast region, you’d have choices such as Hamilton or Vassar that are more oriented toward this interest.) However, Colby would be excellent for the study of English literature in general (and therefore would probably be at least good for creative writing). This, combined with its emphasis on environmental initiatives, might make it a good choice. Even at that, though, you might find that it lacks Kenyon’s artistic flair.

@apple23 I agree with all of that. We met a creative writing major on one of our visits to Kenyon and learned a lot. Kenyon is such an amazing place for writers. And the athletic facilities are GORGEOUS. Probably the nicest we saw of all LACs we visited. I loved Kenyon. When we visited the second time, I went to a dinner with other parents and professors. I was impressed by everyone I met that night. Those profs love their job and are super impressive.

Yes.

And yes.

My DS just faced the exact same decision for his ED1 application. Two outstanding liberal arts colleges with beautiful campuses. Both have outstanding facilities, wonderful professors, and tight knit campus communities. After initial summer campus tours and fall overnight visits he felt that they were both really great fits for him. I think for him the new athletic facility and the Davis connects career center is what ultimately tipped the scale slightly in favor of Colby. Either way you cannot go wrong. Best of luck.

If you might have missed it in your research, look into Kenyon’s Craft Center, which offers two levels of classes in pottery.

https://www.kenyon.edu/directories/offices-services/student-engagement/clubs-organizations/craft-center/

https://www.kenyon.edu/directories/offices-services/student-engagement/clubs-organizations/craft-center/history-of-the-craft-center/

@thelampposts I hope all went well whichever way you decided to go! I just found this thread because daughter is very interested in Kenyon…somewhat wish we’d investigated Colby as well!