<p>My son and I just got home yesterday from our visit.....(it takes us a while to get back home; we were only there overnite on Thurs.) These, in no particular order are my thoughts on the visit. If you, prospie or parent, attended, please share yours...
-All Denison staff were really friendly and helpful and never made me feel like they didn't have time for us even though there were 185 students/families there for these days.
-my questions were always answered fairly directly
-it still looks pretty preppy in both current and prospie students but there is diversity there; as could be expected those students in the arts portion of campus looked markedly less JCrew
-lots of those students involved in helping with this event were in the Greek system but they for the most part seemed more tolerant and well rounded than the (my) admittedly negative stereotype.
-advisors in both the internship program and especially the off campus studies were really great. Both these programs are truly integrated in the student's education not just an add on. (at a more prestigious LAC we are familiar with this is unfortunately not been the case in our family's experience.)
-lots of the prospies in this group had many excellent LAC and Ivy choices that they were still considering. this leads me to conclude that the stats for this entering class could end up being pretty impressive.
-Something somewhat cryptic is happening with the Honors' Program. I think this has to do with the raised academic profile of entering Denison students; at any rate, it is sort of being phased out in its current incarnation. No one seemed really sure what will happen with the resources it brings to campus.
-I think all of us parents learned a lot from each other as we had many good conversations about our kids' experiences( this lot and older siblings) with admissions and finaid
-It was definitely worthwhile
-Whits' custard was yummy and the Granville Inn was cute and comfy.</p>
<p>Thanks for your observations. In your opinion, is this a poor choice for your B+ hard working, middle class and non-preppy kid? I am getting the sense that this is more a school filled more with students from weatlhy families that were in prep schools as well as top flight kids who could gain admission to Johns Hopkins, Colgate, Colby, Duke, etc.
Am I completely off base? I am interested in getting a better sense of this school.</p>
<p>I actually asked our admissions counselor at Denison a similar question about the % of public to private school grads in the entering classes. She said that it is overwhelmingly public school kids. Actually I think the reason they are getting so many highly qualified students is because they are very generous with their merit aid and at least understanding for need based aid. The true prep crowd doesn’t have these concerns about $ that the rest of us do.
This admin. counselor admitted that 12-15 years ago, the prep school crowd and ethos predominated at DU but by choice and design this is definitely changing. They are using the college’s resources to attract a better caliber of student. Believe me when I tell you that this is really a concern of mine; possibly more so than of my son’s, and I felt that all my questions in this regard were answered to my satisfaction. I would be really naive if I thought that there is not partying on campus or that mine won’t ever do that, but, I also felt like this was a place where academics were important and where they were really interested in helping kids develop their intellectual lives not just their popped collar technique.</p>
<p>Not sure if this is helpful, but my daughter graduated last year. She went to a public high school, and did not aspire to be a prep. (Not one collared shirt, popped or otherwise, is in her wardrobe.) She never felt out of place, and had an absolutely wonderful experience at Denison. Her best friends and eventual roommates came from different parts of the country and different backgrounds. They all seemed to work hard and make their classes a priority - and they were all employed fulltime within six months of graduation.</p>
<p>I think the prep factor comes into play because Denison was known as a preppie outpost 10 years ago, and prospective students and parents still tend to be on the lookout for J. Crew and Lily Pulitzer to gauge whether it’s a dominant factor on campus.</p>
<p>As a parent, I always found the financial aid office exceptional, something I appreciate more and more.</p>
<p>And I’m glad to hear Whit’s is still going strong!</p>
<p>Hello, I am a Denison Graduate not so long ago. Let me try to answer some of your questions.</p>
<p>Denison is preppy. Think JCREW and popped collars. There is a smallar “artsy” set of kids, but 90% of Denison is preppy. A lot of kids come from money, but there are also those who come from modest and middle class backgrounds, although the majority of kids have money as evidenced by a majority of students not receiving financial aid. </p>
<p>Most kids come from public schools in well to do suburbs although some do come from prep schools. It seems that the makeup of students are 1) From Ohio 2) From Chicago 3) From New England. I would say that 75% of the makeup of students are from those 3 areas although you get your occasional student from New York, California, and another country.</p>
<p>The staff is amazing. The professors are amazing. Only bad thing is that they lack majors in getting a job like accounting. Instead it’s all liberal arts so you better be planning to go to law/med/grad school which most students do.</p>
<p>When I went to Denison it was my number 1 school. When I arrived I was shocked to find that Denison was the “safety” school of many East Coasters and Chicagoians who didn’t get into Ivy League Schools and they joked about it.</p>
<p>I come from a middle class family with a blue collar background. Needless to say, at first Denison was a shock for me lol. People commented about how I dressed, but I quickly changed after my first year there. I switched to polo (brand) shirts and khakis/jeans with flip flops very quickly! It’s a place where you want to fit in instead of standing out. That being said I knew lots of kids who were of modest backgrounds and lots of kids with rich backgrounds. Some of the students I didn’t even know were well off until I saw their home! Of course you always get that idiot who flaunts his wealth with designer clothes, purses, car, and flat out says their rich. NUTSHELL: Regardless of your income level, Denison will change you to fit into the polo, khaki, preppy style. It happened to me and a lof of other kids too. </p>
<p>It’s a good school with great staff no doubt. I truly believe I received a much better education than most. Let me put it this way: My public grad school was soooo much easier than my undergraduate degree at Denison. Denison is truly a great educational place for your kid.</p>