I’m a rising senior and I’m currently narrowing down my college choices.
How is Gund Gallery? I am planning on majoring in art history, and because Gund Gallery is fairly new, there is little literature on it. From what I’ve seen on their website, they have a huge focus on 20th and 21st century art. How much pre-20th and 21th century art do they have? Also, how are the art history courses?
How is the food here?
Kenyon has a small endowment compared to its peers like Oberlin or Vassar. Why is this and does it actually impact students? If so, how?
Is there a huge partying
What is there to do on campus? I am really interested in lectures from guest speakers, documentary screengs, outdoor activities, etc.
How are job prospects post-graduation and how well does Kenyon help you in this process? e.g. career center, alumni network, etc.
Is it easy to learn a wide variety of things here? I have always been super humanities-oriented, and I would really like to explore STEM. It’s very weak right now, and I want to be able to build a strong foundation in college by having good professors who would be willing to help me. I don’t want to “specialize” and neglect STEM.
As a lay person I can say that we were very impressed by the Gund Gallery. It is heavily focused on recent art and I don’t remember seeing anything pre 1980 in there (and perhaps not pre-2000). It is not a large collection (at least not what’s on display). What impressed us was that the pieces were both accessible to lay people and very interesting in their own right.
Any chance you can visit the school? That’s the best way to get answers about these questions especially the food (I liked it, but tastes vary).
to answer some of your questions:
2- the food is alright, nothing great. it is all you can eat and no swipe system so thats an advantage
3- party and drinking scene is big on weekends and wednesday nights, but if not into that a bunch of kids who stay in and groups who do things on the weekends
5- always a lecture, movie, or something going on every week and theyre all interesting and informative, also have a great outdoors club that organizes hikes in the surrounding community and plans trips on spring break.
6- Kenyon alumni always like to help out current students and there is a career development office that helps students connect with alumni for internships and jobs.
7- Kenyon professors are the best around (in all subjects) and the reason why kids go there. Always open for office hours and willing to help students anyway they can
Hi there! I’m a rising senior art history major at Kenyon and I have worked at the Gund Gallery since I was a freshman in 2012! I agree with the person above that I highly recommend visiting Kenyon if you have chance so people like me can share the school we love with people interested like you!
This year is the Gund Gallery’s 5th anniversary, so it is very young but is growing well and fast. I love working there and I am very proud of everything I get to do there. You are right, the focus is 20th and 21st century contemporary art. It’s a great gallery, a wonderful space with interesting shows, though I admit I am a bit biased. Being an art history major and working at the Gallery is one of the most well-rounded and rewarding experiences I could have asked for in college. The art history classes are fantastic, the professors are brilliant, supportive, and so warm. They will be there to help you find answers every step of the way. Office hours are one of my favorite places to go and I am often there 3x as long as I plan enjoying their company.
I like the food, and it’s quite good for a college dining hall. Options outside the dining hall are limited since Kenyon is in a rather rural area, so keep that in mind. The chefs are really friendly, always welcome to suggestions for new meals and more than happy to work with people who have allergies or dietary restrictions to make sure everyone is well fed. It’s admirable.
I don’t have an answer as to why Kenyon has a smaller endowment, but this is reflected in fewer scholarships mostly from my experience. They can’t offer as many scholarships, and the ones they offer are rarely if ever give someone a full-ride. But it’s also important to note that Kenyon is big on looking at fit for a candidate as at academics/qualifications, so keep that in mind if you apply. Sorry I can’t give you more about that, I have absolutely no idea.
I would not say the party culture is huge, but it is there. I’d say it’s more of a niche community of people who go really hard, and then there’s a spectrum from people who will never/have never drank/smoked/partied all the way to those who drink every day of every weekend. What I like about the party culture is it’s built on respect for others’ decisions. You won’t be pressured to do anything you don’t want to. You’ll be offered a drink, but if you say no, they’ll say “Great, have fun!” and move along. I found that very comforting, personally, as someone with a lot of concerns about peer pressure and a prevalent drinking culture. This can vary based on your experience and with whom you surround yourself.
There is always something to do. There are tons of clubs running events, from movie screenings to parties to guest speakers, etc. There is also always making your own fun, hosting your own movie and/or game nights, having chill nights with friends, or just staying in and having a self-care night.
As a current student, I don’t know much from my own experience about post-grad job finding. I know my bosses where I work have offered numerous times to write references and make recommendations wherever they can and the CDO is also a very viable and helpful option for many. I’ve never used it, but I probably will need to do so this year. I do a lot of research on my own as to possible jobs and internships, and my friends around me have done the same to find their own opportunities in the past.
I cannot stress enough how wonderful the Kenyon professors are across the board, in every field. We have a surprisingly strong STEM department for such a small school, but they are far and beyond some of the best you can find. I am also very humanities based, but I found that my professors in all my various classes were 100% supportive and there to help me succeed.