Hi there! My son is on the quiet side, definitely not a partier, loves to watch and play sports for recreation but will not be playing in college. He is not artsy, which is a word I often hear used to describe Kenyon students. Would love any feedback regarding if a non-artsy, sporty kids who isn’t actually on a team will fit in at Kenyon? He’s most interested in studying history/political science. Thanks so much!
My daughter graduated from Kenyon in 2020. She was not into team sports, but crossed paths with many athletes as she had a work study job in the Lowry Center, and regularly exercised there as well. She found Kenyon to be a warm, welcoming community where students of all different interests supported one another, from artists to athletes and everything in between. She loved Kenyon.
I’d recommend you consider academics first. Kenyon is very strong in history and political science. Look into the Integrated Program in Humane Studies as well. With respect to social fit, I think he’d find others with similar interest in sports. The Lowry Center is phenomenal, and there are many opportunities to participate in club sports should that interest him. Team sports that tend to be strong include soccer, field hockey and lacrosse, and of course swimming. Football seems
to be on the upswing. I think your son would find what he is seeking both academically and extracurricularly at Kenyon.
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Has he visited? Kenyon is usually a school people have a strong reaction to. It’s gorgeous and quite isolated. The little town of Gambier is truly one little strip. But on our visit we found it buzzing with energy, even on a rainy, cold March. I think your son as you’ve described him would find good company at Kenyon, but definitely visit (or visit again) before deciding.
My D22 chose a different school but she did like Kenyon a lot (and for me it’s “one that got away”) She too wanted to study history and political science and found the curriculum interesting and thoughtful.
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Second the idea of visiting each LAC.
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Why is he considering Kenyon? 
Inquiring minds want to know. 
Thank you - we are visiting in a couple weeks - looking forward to it!
He is looking at Kenyon because he is interested in small, liberal arts schools without a very dominant Greek system.
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Thank you so much, I really appreciate your response- warm and welcoming sounds good to me! And will definitely have him check out the Integrated Program in Humane Studies, thank you for the suggestion.
My son (and I) felt the same way about Kenyon as @Wjs1107: although my son ultimately chose a different school, he still has warm thoughts about Kenyon. I would agree that Kenton’s insular, rural setting contributes a good deal to its culture and that a visit will either result in a clear positive or negative
I’d also suggest taking a look at Williams and Hamilton for similar environments.
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Just wanted to add that my daughter (a junior) is a history major at Kenyon and is very happy both with the History department and the school overall. She’s more on the artsy side, but some of her friends are not. It’s very true that this is a welcoming environment for students with a variety of interests and personalities.
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Thanks. 
Yes, if one seeks isolated locations. Student life at Kenyon strikes me as the Midwest version of Connecticut College.
I was referring specifically to rural locations. Kenyon’s campus, like Williams’ and Hamilton’s, has an insular feeling, not exactly isolated as there are towns within reasonable driving distance, but insular and surrounded by nature. This environment appealed to my outdoorsy son, but it’s not for everyone.
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Agree with your strategy of visiting to assess vibe. Ideally check out Denison as well while you’re in the area.
Denison’s Greek life is popular in comparison to Kenyon’s, however:
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-frats
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-sororities
Nevertheless, a visit to Denison while in the area might be interesting.
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Thank you! I think we will def look at Hamilton as well.
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Yes, will prob check out Denison campus but was concerned might be too Greek for my son
There are lots of kids who aren’t part of that – it’s a pretty mixed crowd. It felt more mixed to DS than Kenyon.
@Midwestmomofboys might be able to comment.
Kenyon was the first school both of my kids visited. One chose a large university instead, and the other chose Denison, competing against Kenyon in his sport so that we were on Kenyon’s campus multiple times (10+).
Kenyon for a quieter kid certainly works, and the school has a strong academic culture and reputation well beyond theater, literature and the Kenyon Review. There is non-residential greek life at Kenyon and, at least when my kid was considering it, the housing system held spots for members from each greek life organization so that members could live together in the halls.
My Denison athlete kid was not in greek life and most of his friends were not either. My kid really enjoyed that his experience was not “siloed” – he had friends across all sorts of student “types,” including artists, musicians, activists, student gov, organic hippies living at the “Homestead” etc. I’m happy to answer Denison questions by PM or on a different thread, I don’t want to distract from the Kenyon-specific conversation!
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thank you!
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