<p>i did an overnight at kenyon and really enjoyed the classes and my visit. but i had no idea what to make of the students, i just can't decide if i'd love it or hate it. the students all seemed really really nice, but i wasn't so sure about the social options. i've heard kenyon has a "work hard" "play hard" type of philosophy, but i don't party or drink, would there be any social options available for me? also is there a lot to do on the weekends/what do you do? gambier seemed pretty small to me and i really loved it and thought it was cute, but being from boston i'm not sure if i'd be bored after the first year, let alone 4. any thoughts on this would be great-thank you :)</p>
<p>I think if your choosing a college the play-hard is going to be there no matter where you go, and I wouldn't worry about it. There are lots of students at Kenyon who don't drink, and there's plenty to do if you don't like to party. There are movies, college sponsored comedians and speakers, sports games, plays, singing groups, bands, and whatever else you can come up with to do. You're going to go to a college with at least a thousand other similarly aged people; if in such a situation you end up not being able to find anything fun to do aside from chugging a bunch of beer and dancing like crazy, no offense, but you're ****ed for like (I'm sure you're not). The other thing I'd say is that a LOT of students go to college having never drank or gone to a party. You may discover when you get to college that going out to a party on Friday or Saturday night can be fun, no guarantees but that happens to lots of people.</p>
<p>I think factors like professor accessibility, location, campus feel, cost and dare I say reputation, it does make a difference when you're looking for a job, are really the most important when choosing a school. You'll have lots of fun wherever you go.</p>
<p>Also on the weekends-</p>
<p>Most people stay on campus.
There's plenty to do including all the things mentioned on the list in the above post.
Occasionally people go to Columbus or Cleveland to shop or go to a sports game as well.
I like Boston a lot. I considered going to BC, Tufts and Northeastern, but in retrospect I don't think think the appeal of being in a city was really logical for a few reason I didn't have the experiences to recognize at the time. First, you're going to be pretty focused on school work most of the time and unless you were to go NYU or another college that's really spread throughout a city, maybe BU fits that description a little bit, actually I don't think there's a college in the country that really fits that description, my guess is you wouldn't leave the campus a whole low. Second, unless your parents are willing to give you a lot of cash every year to spend as you wish, being in a city isn't going to add a whole lot. Going to off campus events can be very pricey which means that it's a nice special occasion thing, but not something one should expect to do every weekend. That brings me to my conclusion which is that really what being in a city saves you is a few hours of driving every month. I said that I thought location was important, and I think it is to the extent that it can impact a person's mood and affect travel expenses. Obviously there's a big difference between going to school in Gambier and going to school in Berlin, but I'm not sure there's a huge difference between going to school in NYC and going to school in Gambier, at least if the schools are otherwise identical. Then again it's true that some people just need a city even if they can't explain why just as I'm sure some people just can't stand being in an overcrowded environment even if aside from that they don't know why.</p>
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You may discover when you get to college that going out to a party on Friday or Saturday night can be fun, no guarantees but that happens to lots of people.
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<p>This is very, very true. But I think--with much respect to foolsgold--that it perhaps glosses over the fact that some of us have very strong convictions that make us choose not to drink and don't really have intentions of changing that any time soon. </p>
<p>That said, I'd be curious to hear some more viewpoints about this issue, as its a major consideration for me personally in choosing a school.</p>
<p>"Play Hard," certainly. "Work Hard," well for the last four weeks of the semester, sure. If you like to talk/argue/complain about Kenyon you'll keep occupied. There is, however, a great deal of boozing. Anyone who tells otherwise is lying. If you don't drink, you MUST have a very close circle of friends who don't drink (or who don't drink more than once a week). </p>
<p>A former, locally legendary Kenyon Dean of Admissions was once asked (by a prospective student) what, precisely, there is TO DO at Kenyon. The Dean snapped back, "There is NOTHING to do here, and I don't think you should come." The college ought to blazon this across all of its admissions material. The point is that you're not supposed to have anything to do. You're supposed to do your homework.</p>
<p>Kenyon is good in that most students stay on campus for weekends even, so there is usually something not involving drinking going on for those that choose not to have a drunken evening. Though to be honest many of us went to a play/movie etc and then drank with friends or went to parties later on anyways.</p>
<p>I am pretty sure I have said this before...basically if you are outgoing and not too shy to seek out others(who share your moral/social views) then you will have no problems fitting in at Kenyon. If you are shy, college is a good time to break out of your shell!</p>
<p>I am applying as an international student. How is the international student body at Kenyon?</p>
<p>Hi. My son is a junior at a public school in Ohio. He is very bright, enriched and AP classes, high GPA, strong but not super SAT (retaking next week). My biggest concern is fitting in. We are a family that strongly believes in being happy, but not in material things. We are of modest means, and I don’t want him to be somewhere where he feels like the “poor” kid. He’s not a North Face kind of guy. Good news is that he does get along really well with many different types of people, but be frank: is it too preppy for a normal kid from Ohio?</p>
<p>I am attending Kenyon with a whole lot of financial aid. My family is also of very little means, and I could not be happier with my choice. It is an incredible place and I honestly don’t think money is an issue at all. We band together as poor college students. Don’t let the price tag scare you away.</p>
<p>No one really cares about how much money you have, and a lack of it will not be a limiting factor in getting the most out of Kenyon.</p>
<p>Thank you two for the input. That is encouraging! Best of luck on your college careers!</p>
<p>I sometimes wish I could be back at Kenyon…'06 grad in the working world now.</p>
<p>When I was applying to colleges I pretty much assumed there would be drinking wherever I went, maybe more so at bigger universities, but overall pretty consistent at small colleges. Kenyon is more of a party school than I expected, and more of a party school than some peer institutions (I’m mostly comparing to Tufts because I was just up there visiting). At the same time I have a friend who didn’t drink a drop her entire freshman year and had a great time. You can go to a sober event, you can go to a party and not drink (typically a hilarious experience), you can stay in with close friends, or you can decide to party, there’s a lot of options. </p>
<p>FACT: Private colleges tend to have a decent number of rich students from private schools. I’m from public school too with a ton of financial aid, and it just doesn’t matter much if you don’t let it.</p>
<p>THE INTERNATIONAL KIDS ARE AWESOME.</p>
<p>In 2005 a Kenyon student died in a rural field of acute alcohol poisoning:</p>
<p>[Death</a> on campus](<a href=“http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07091/774236-51.stm]Death”>http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07091/774236-51.stm)</p>
<p>From the article, it looks like the college has tried to address the binge drinking problem at Kenyon, but it sounds like the “play hard” euphemism for binge drinking persists.</p>
<p>Every year at orientation the friends of the kid who died come back and tell his story. We haven’t forgotten and we won’t forget.<br>
Kenyon might be a party school, and that’s not going to change, but there are certain things as a result of that incident that make Kenyon safer than other places. We have a very strong good-Samaritan policy, and students are never afraid to call for medical help when it is needed. Everyone, especially students, are adamant about making sure that you stick with friends at parties. That kid died because he passed out in a field alone in winter, people just assumed he had made it home. It’s a part of our community to look after each other now.</p>
<p>Would person who sent me the private message (suburban Columbus parent) please resend? I accidentally deleted before I could respond!</p>
<p>First of all, Kenyon students have always looked after each other and will continue to do so. The student in question was helped back to his dorm room and thought to be secure; however, he got up and went out to party again later…probably not something his friends thought of after tucking him in (surely thinking he would be sleeping it off until morning).</p>
<p>If you read the article linked on this thread you will see that this student was not a first time drinker and in fact his parents were concerned about him. He should have known his limits…it takes a lot of drinks to reach .43 In addition, he also used pot and ritalin…combining those substances with alcohol (especially lots of spirits) can have very bad effects and severely impair logic and reasoning, something I am sure the student had also experienced before based on information from his facebook profile. Many were at fault for potentially aiding his death, but the ultimate responsibility rests on the student to make the right choices.</p>
<p>Lastly, kids party hard at every campus, a certain percentage do not grasp the idea of limits and tragedy results.</p>
<p>I know a couple of kids at Kenyon, and from what I can tell, their experiences there have not been the most social ones. Even though Kenyon is a very academic and motivated school, would you say that kids also like to have a good time on the weekends? I don’t need to be drinking every hour of the day, but I also want to make sure that i’m getting a taste of the “college experience”. I LOVED kenyon when i visited and i JUST got in, so im trying to decide if its the right school for me!</p>
<p>how cold does it get?</p>
<p>not that cold, January and February can be long, but people will be wining about the temperature if it’s bellow 30 during the day. It’s no where near as cold as Middlebury, Colby, Carleton, Bates, Bowdoin or any other college in northern new england or the northern plains. January is the coldest month; the average high is 33.</p>