I am a junior completely in love with Kenyon college. Unfortunately, I got a C in calculus first semester junior year, which I know is terrible… (I’m a humanities/English/creative writing person). This brought my UW GPA down to 3.75. Are my chances ruined?? I expect to get good SAT scores well within their range.
Please help!! I just found out I was wait listed at their summer writing program and these nerves are killing me.
I think its hard to say with such limited info. But, ill say that one bad grade won’t kill you!!! Make sure your scores are good, and think about ED if you REALLY love it.
I would not say that your chances are ruined. Can you visit, interview and show interest? Hopefully you will get into the summer writing program off the waitlist. If you are a good fit and the school knows you really want to attend then one C should not keep you out provided the rest of your transcript and ECs look good. Apply ED1, that might help.
One suggestion we heard from several schools was that if you struggled in a particular class then perhaps the teacher of that class would be a good person to write a rec. This would be provided of course that you had a good relationship with the teacher, you made a great effort, and you sought assistance when you struggled with concepts. This teacher could address your strengths as an advocate for yourself and your ability to handle adversity. Just a thought…
Also, keep your options open. You love Kenyon, but there are many other great schools for writers. My daughter (also an English/humanities/creative writing person) loved Wesleyan, Vassar, and Hamilton, and would have been really happy at Bates, Bowdoin, Grinnell, Mt Holyoke, Oberlin, Skidmore or Bryn Mawr. Sewanee and Emory are schools that come to mind for writers as well. My D will be attending Kenyon in the fall, but I bet she would have loved any of these schools.
Ok, thank you so much! Just for some more background, I go to a very private, competitive liberal arts school. I’m a very white middle-class girl. My ECs are good, especially in athletics. I run cross country and track and Ive been in touch with the coach briefly. I’m also an all-around good citizen–I volunteer at my local arts store, am the editor of the school paper and have a good relationship with teachers.
I know that there are so many wonderful schools, but Kenyon just seemed like the place for me! And my transcript isn’t perfect other than that–I’ve gotten a few Bs and such. Kenyon has just gotten so competitive! Is it a school that values rigorous, intellectually challenging courses or easier As? I’m new to this college search and would love some feedback about Kenyon’s admission process! All this help is appreciated. 
I go to an atypical school by the way. It’s tiny and very arts focused. We don’t have AP, but do get college credit for many courses, and I’m taking the most challenging academic course load (think a lot of humanities).