Wanted to add that my son is a first year. He is very, very happy at Denison. We are Jewish but not observant and he finds he has more Jewish friends than at home, actually. I am so glad we threw this on our list at the last minute.
@homejodi my daughter was accepted with 35 ACT and 3.95 UW GPA with 6 APs completed and 4 more this year, so I don’t think it’s a yield thing. It does seem fairly random which schools kids get into, and the high stats definitely don’t guarantee admission anywhere.
We visited and she interviewed and emailed the admissions person for our area to introduce herself, so had a decent amount of demonstrated interest, which may have helped.
For all you have said you “were rejected because of your high stats” get over yourselves. Denison again hit a record in applications with a 29% acceptance rate and is no longer in the category of rejecting top stats for yield. My daughter is a freshman at Denison and can attest that there are boatloads of valedictorians and top scorers in her classes. Her roommate got into Brown for example but chose Denison because of a generous aid package (Denison topped a billion dollars this year in their endowment and gives away a lot of scholarships). Denison has an amazingly close-knit community with a dynamic long-term growth plan and is fast becoming a highly selective LAC.
I agree @frustun. I’m glad that very soon I’ll never hear artificial complaints of “yield protection” again. Schools have different criteria, which is a good thing. Looking forward to our visit next week!
I am new to CC… what is T20 and what is LL?
@Midwestmomofboys we are looking for an experience/input here. My son is now deciding between Denison and Oberlin. They’re both good in what he wants to study (physics and film), have diverse student populations and are in similar small towns in Ohio. Was equally impressed with the teaching in the classes he visited at each. He is super liberal politically and does not want a big frat scene. Both schools offered good merit aid (but $6k more at Denison), and Denison offered $2800 work study, but bc Oberlin is more expensive to start with, would cost us $16,000 more per year. Denison has had a reputation as a party school - is that still the case?
@tallgal2boys Wow, great options, congrats to your son! The “old days” when Denison was a lax bros, frat boy, school are over, I would not call it a party school. There are certainly parties and drinking, which is pretty much the case everywhere, but my sense from my kid is that is there for those interested but it’s easy enough to pass on it. The arts scene is thriving, and with the Eisner Center opening, that should contribute to more energy on South Quad (the arts quad, down the hill) on weekends. What we like about Denison is that there really is no “single” kind of student there – there are social activists, serious artists, bluegrass players living on the Homestead, athletes etc.
Also, T20 refers to top 20 schools (generally on US News ranking) and LL means likely letter – a letter from admissions office to applicant indicating that they are “likely” to get in, a way to let the applicant know before the actual admissions announcements that the student will be admitted.
Thanks so much - this is all really helpful. He is really on the fence, but we won’t do Oberlin unless we can negotiate more aid out of them. $16k/year difference is significant for us. We don’t qualify for need but also can’t afford to pay $65-$70, like so many families. He has been on the Denison campus but will go back for an overnight in a few weeks. Hopefully that will be what makes up his mind. He did find the students very friendly and welcoming on his previous visit - when he sat in on a physics class, the professor invited him to stay for the lab. Then the students called him over and welcomed him to participate in the lab with them.
I’ve found it very interesting to see the schools with their acceptance rates rapidly going down, and other good schools have become somewhat less selective. And the acceptances seeminly nonsensical. My son’s friend got rejected from Maryland and Ohio State but in to Michigan and UVA, plus a LL from Harvard. Go figure.
@tallgal2boys I agree with @Midwestmomofboys completely on the “is Denison a party school” question. My daughter is a freshman and she says for those who want to party, there are plenty of opportunities; on the other hand, for those who don’t, there are tons of kids who don’t and lots of non-alcohol events. Denison has a huge diversity in types of kids so most kids find their tribe quite easily.
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My son has committed to Denison! We are very pleased and think he will really like it there. He had a great visit last week and it really “clicked” for him, so he chose Denison over Oberlin.
Congrats @tallgal2boys !! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I definitely encourage you and your son to attend June O, a great introduction to campus life.
Thanks so much! He is registered for June O and has applied for outdoor orientation in August.