<p>My son is deciding between Bates and Kenyon. Both are great schools. At Kenyon he would be playing football. How hard is it to balance athletics and academics at Div III? Otherwise the schools seem very similar.</p>
<p>You are right, both schools are similar. Kenyon, however, is probably less preppy than Bates and probably has better athletic facilities than Bates. And Kenyon is probably less cold.</p>
<p>Bates, however, has probably better food than Kenyon. Or at least that is what my impression was.</p>
<p>Division III athletics are set up so kids can keep this balance. If he finds out it doesn't work he can always drop the athletics.</p>
<p>Kenyon and Bates, pretty even. But I'd do Kenyon b/c of football, great way to make friends, have fun, and diversion from academics.</p>
<p>I have heard on several occasions that athletes tend to fare very well academically in college. If your son had the brains/grades to get into both Kenyon and Bates, I'm sure he's a smart kid who won't want to let his grades slip. Plus, at least at a lot of schools, athletes get a lot of help from advisers so they can learn to manage their time and workloads efficiently.</p>