My daughter (a 2020 high school graduate) received almost identical financial packages from Macalester and Grinnell (a mix of need-based and merit aid) and a more generous package from Kenyon. So, for us Mac wasn’t more generous than some of its peers. Great school, we loved our visit, but Kenyon was also a better fit for her interests and is a little closer to home, so she chose Kenyon. Macalester didn’t have an EA option that year, interestingly.
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Yep, this is a good example of how it’s not going to be the same for everyone. (Although I did get a better initial package from another school as well, but after the chat with finaid, Mac was comparable.)
I hope your daughter is enjoying Kenyon! Really great school. (I’m an Ohioan by birth so will always have a soft spot too! Hehe)
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Thanks! She loves Kenyon (a very different location from Mac for sure, but she enjoys the bucolic campus, has made great friends and is busy with her classes and activities). Kenyon was also quite accommodating with reviewing our financial aid request (we wanted them to raise the merit part, because it’s more stable, which they did). We considered negotiating with Macalester for more aid, but at that point it was becoming clear that Kenyon has more depth in one of her areas of interest (playwriting) and may be a better fit overall. We know a family who indeed successfully negotiated with Mac for a better merit offer.
Oh, I see, you’re from Ohio. We’re in East Central Illinois, so it’s a little easier to get to Kenyon by car in one day, which was a factor, too (at least for me :)).
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Oh yes, Kenyon is absolutely wonderful for all types of creative writing (not that Mac isn’t, it’s just particularly noteworthy there, like int’l studies and econ are here).
I actually live in North Carolina now, but spent the first 9 years of my life in OH! Not in a place as rural as Kenyon, but I can definitely say I like the flatness and the dryer weather in the Midwest! And yes, it’s nice to be able to drive there (I cannot-- wish me luck at the airport tomorrow, it’s going to be insanely busy).
Good to hear that negotiating with Mac for aid isn’t an outlier!
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Good luck with your travels and happy Thanksgiving!
Kenyon is actually located in a surprisingly hilly part of Ohio, the campus itself is on a hill. It’s a beautiful area. Mac’s urban location was a big plus, but when she received her offers, the pandemic was just starting, so being in a more isolated location didn’t sound so bad… But in the end it’s campus life that matters the most.
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#16
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Any ED decisions yet? My S applied EA, but I expected to hear some ED chatter by now?? In any event, good luck to everyone this month.
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My son received the acceptance letter today.
According to the letter, 230 students applied ED1.
Good luck!!
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Congratulations!! My D also applied EA, no word yet.
Thank you!! My son applied ED. EA decisions will be released by Dec 20. I hate waiting. My oldest son went thru this process last year, and he applied to 12 schools all with RD. It was so painful to wait. We did not considered the early applications. That was a mistake.
Good luck with your daughter!!
Anyone know how this compares to previous years?
According to last year’s letter, there were 200 ED1 applicants in 2020.
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Congrats!! Can’t wait to welcome him and c/o '26 to campus!!
My son got ED acceptance notification at 3pm today. Also got 15k/year merit scholarship, which was a nice surprise. Good luck to all.
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Did you get acceptance/merit scholarship notification by email or in the applicant portal? Appreciate some insight! Thanks!
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Congratulations!! We also received $15,000.
Was your son recruited?
Merit scholarship and need base grant notifications came together with the acceptance via portal.
Thank you!! Very excited. Looking forward to visiting the school again in Spring. Hopefully we can see you to say hi!!
Yes, all the info came from the portal. Yes, my son was a recruited athlete for baseball. We visited the campus in August for a normal tour and then the coach met us afterwards and gave us a more baseball-oriented tour with some of his current players. The experience really persuaded my son as he loved the campus and he thought the coach and players were very welcoming and genuine.
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We are from Southern California. We visited MAC this April to meet coaches. My son is a hurdler. It was very cold and still snowing in April. We were very impressed with the care given by the coaches, and also supports for Athletes’ academics, nutrition, workout program, injury recovery program, etc. Facilities were impressive, and individualized workout program by pads was amazing. You can tell they care about students very much.