Didn’t see a thread for the class of 2025 so I thought I’d make one. 
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Thanks for making this thread.
Are there any accepted students on CC? Lol
Also, if any current students are willing to share their experience on campus so far this year, I would appreciate it.
I’m not a student but a parent of a sophomore at Denison. If you are wondering about how they are dealing with COVID, there is a lot of information on the website under “Our Plan for Spring 2021.” Classes start on Monday, so students have been arriving back on campus over the last week or so. Denison has welcomed all students on campus this year and they have been able to keep the number of cases quite low. Classes are a mix of in-person and remote. Last semester, some students were feeling a lack of social activities/social interaction, so this semester, the school has increased the amount of testing they are doing and are hoping they will be able to loosen up on some of the restrictions. A lot of Denison students play varsity sports, so that has been a big issue, but the school has been working on ways that competitions can go forward this spring in some form. (Of course, the virus isn’t really cooperating with any of this at the moment.) On the student experience, I hope some students will chime in, but I can say that my son really loves the school. For him it has had the right balance of serious academics, serious sports and good people, including faculty, administration and students.
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Thank you for the information. We have been visiting the website and watching youtube videos, but I wanted to confirm the student experience is matching the school’s marketing. In your experience, does Denison put as much emphasis on the arts as it does on athletics?
Yes, Denison does put a lot of emphasis on the arts as well. I was surprised when we first looked at the school to realize how many of their famous alumni were from art-related fields, including Michael Eisner, the former Disney CEO, who funded the new Eisner Center for the Arts at Denison, and Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner, both of whom maintain strong ties with the school. We looked at the theater and dance offerings pretty carefully, as my son initially thought he might want to major in theater, although now he’s moved off in other directions. In general, I think the school describes itself pretty well on the website and in the admissions materials. Adam Weinberg, the president, has a very clear vision of what a liberal arts college should be, and he works to communicate and execute that vision. He’s really a terrific asset for the school and has been effective in involving the students in how they are dealing with COVID, soliciting and implementing ideas from the students and getting good buy-in. I also really like Weinberg’s approach to diversity, which focuses on actually getting people to do things together rather than just coming up with some good diversity statistics.
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Just another happy Denison parent here, also parent of varsity athlete, who was very interested in continuing with both his fine arts and his music. Our experience is yes, the fine and performing arts at Denison are taken very seriously and are a big part of the student experience. The facilities are amazing and the range of performances is impressive, from the Vail Series to regular visiting artists.
In terms of athletics, I would say it does not dominate campus experience, at all. Competitions are usually attended by a bunch of the athletes’ friends and family (but rarely even that for a mid-week competition) – hardly packed stands full of rowdy fans. The athletes compete to keep doing what they love, not to be “BMOC” or some other elevated campus status.
What my kid, and we, loved about Denison is that there really is a broad range of kids, and that the college emphasizes living “across” difference – not just having isolated pods of different “types” but genuinely engaging with difference.
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Thank you for the helpful information. While D21 has been to the campus several times, it has been hard to gauge the feel during Covid.
Thank you for the helpful information.
My child is just beginning the second semester of sophomore year at Denison as a pre-Med major. She has taken a couple of art classes as GEs first year and really enjoyed the classes. Other than sporting event she attended with us when we went to Big Red Weekend last year she has never gone to another. She does have friends that are on various teams just not her priority. None of this is a prerequisite for who you are friends with at Denison which is one of the many reasons she is so happy there!
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When I was writing my last message, I was thinking whether to include Hal Holbrook in my list of famous Denison arts alumni (I’m not sure whether your student is interested in performing or fine arts), but I thought maybe people no longer know about him. And then today the papers are full of stories about his passing. It was interesting to read that he actually developed his one-man Mark Twain show while he was a student. Anyway, if you have any other questions, I am happy to answer as far as I know.
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I applied for regular decision and was wondering when I should be expecting a decision.
The Denison website says by April 1 on one page and by late March on another page. The last couple years have been in mid-March.
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I believe RD decisions usually come out mid-ish March. Denison doesn’t usually wait until the very end of the month, though of course, this year is full of unpredictability.
Hi!
I recently filled out the Enrollment preferences form and received a confirmation email saying that they would get back on an admissions decision by mid-March.
I’m applying as an international student.
Same
Do they do rolling admission or are all the decisions released on the same day (mid March)?
alr thanks so much
As best I recall, RD decisions tend to come out around the same time. Denison does do “rolling admission” for ED applicants, but RD tends to be more clustered around a single time.
Decision dates are finally out. March 4 at 6 P.M EST.
Good luck y’all!
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Parent of a gainfully employed (in a pandemic), very happy Denison grad. I am perhaps annoying for my over-the-top support for Denison, but Denison really is an extraordinary place. My kid found it transformational, just the way parents dream college will be for their kids. Lovely campus, in a charming village, 25-30 minutes from the state capitol and an energetic city. Dedicated, caring faculty and administration – President Weinberg is a star – plus challenging academics, broad array of majors, incredible performing and fine arts as well as athletic facilities. Nice kids, diverse (relative to most LACs) community. And good merit money made it affordable for our family. My kid, and his friends, were heartbroken to leave their “home on the hill” last spring. From what we have seen, Denison has (cross your fingers) managed through the challenges of the pandemic, invited everyone back to campus last fall, and worked hard to create social and community experiences for students. It’s not perfect, no place is, but it really is an exceptional and special place.
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