Reasons why you should not go to Kenyon

Colleges and Universities A-Z Kenyon College
1

<p>I am a soon-to-be-graduating Kenyon senior, and with exams coming next week, I’ve begun to reflect upon my time here at Kenyon. As my college career comes to a close, I have come to the conclusion that I would never choose Kenyon if I could go back in time 4 years and make my college decision again. It is not that I have had a miserable time at Kenyon, far from it. Rather, I think that Kenyon has a number of real drawbacks that are hidden from prospective students and that would have turned me away from the school if only I had known. So here is a list of the things that suck at Kenyon.</p>

<li><p>The internet - Kenyon has a bandwidth management policy. That means: online games are blocked, Peer to Peer applications are blocked, bittorrent is blocked, irc is blocked, streaming video is blocked, and all sorts of random things like AIM file transfers or iTunes podcasts go extremely slow. If you consider yourself to be a heavy internet user, you will hate Kenyon. If you manage to get an apartment as an upperclassman you can get cable internet instead, but this is far from guaranteed. With OCS and some unfortunate lottery numbers, I never managed to get into a housing option where cable internet was available.</p></li>
<li><p>The town - yes, Gambier is very pretty and tranquil. However, being in the middle of nowhere will suck much more than you might realize. Want to purchase something you can’t find at Wal-Mart? Good luck - the nearest Barnes and Noble, Best Buy, and shopping mall are all 40+ minutes away by car. Want to get a job? Good luck - the limited supply of on-campus jobs goes quickly, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything paying more than $6/hour. </p></li>
<li><p>The Kenyon Community that admissions sells you is a lie. This is not to say that you won’t make great friends at Kenyon - you probably will. But this is a community where your stuff WILL get stolen if you don’t lock it up. This is a community where vandalism IS a big problem. This is a community where real tension exists between local residents and students because of noise and litter issues.</p></li>
<li><p>In a million tiny ways, the administration generally sucks. I could relate a dozen funny (now) stories about the arcane bureaucracy that you have to navigate through at this school sometimes. While some departments (the registrar) are competent and cheerful, many administrators seem either hostile, incompetent, or both. To give just one example, I tried calling Residential Life over the summer once to ask a quick question. Once I identified myself as a student, the woman on the phone interrupted me to say “We’re busy right now, call back in a week” and hung up on me. Ridiculous. This is a direct result of #2 - in order to attract professors, Kenyon needs to provide jobs for their spouses. Administrators are hired because of who they are married to, not because they are competent or qualified (not true for all administrators, but true for many).</p></li>
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<p>That said, I’ve had some great classes with some great profs and met some great people. I just think you would be able to find all that at another school that didn’t have so many aggravations.</p>

2

<p>Also - I will check back on this thread a bit later to answer any questions you prospies and future freshmen might have. It seems like most of the Kenyon posters on this forum are unwavering Kenyon boosters, which is fine, but I think some of you might appreciate a more balanced perspective.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
But this is a community where your stuff WILL get stolen if you don't lock it up. This is a community where vandalism IS a big problem. This is a community where real tension exists between local residents and students because of noise and litter issues.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>This is a problem at colleges like Middlebury (stuff stolen) and Bates and Grinnell (tension between local residents and students). And I tend to think that Kenyon's one is pretty mild in comparison to these schools. And given the fact that the new $70-million KAC is accessible to any residents in Knox County, I am pretty sure it will bring the community together.</p>

<p>And with regard to the Internet, LBIS has sent a letter to 2010 saying that the "internet is mostly used for academic purposes". Thus, I come to expect that to happen (restricted use of internet). By the way, does Kenyon block any sites? I hope it doesn't because it will make it sound like Pensacola Christian College (PCC).</p>

<p>And with regard to Gambier and its rural location, I don't think admissions has been hiding the fact that Kenyon is in the middle of nowhere. In fact, it is precisely this rural location that draws me to Kenyon. Perhaps it's because you haven't done a thorough college search years ago. I hope to be able to seek inspiration while working towards my aspirations in this picturesque and charming village.</p>

<p>With regard to the low-wage jobs offered, someone told me that this has to do with the low cost of living at Kenyon which makes sense. I haven't had my share of problems with the adminstration yet. But I did contact a few profs and I have to say that they are warm, nice and accessible!! </p>

<p>Anyway, thank you so much for your candid response!</p>

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<p>By the way, you should be really glad that John Kerry is coming to Kenyon for commencement - something not many people can dream of!! :D</p>

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<p>The mods moved my other thread from a different forum, sorry for the double post.</p>

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<p>Kenyon_10...only in time will you learn for yourself.</p>

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<p>Oh Kenyon_10, I remember the days when I was as naive as you.</p>

<p>To answer your question, no, we don't block any websites.</p>

8

<p>Thanks for bringing up your thoughts about your Kenyon experience. </p>

<p>I'm very excited to be part of the incoming freshman class despite the various cons that you've decided to bring up. I am sure my experiences at Kenyon College will be full of both positives and negatives, however, I believe that is the case for all students at all schools. </p>

<p>I hope this doesn't come off as "naive". Some of us understand Kenyon is the perfect fit for us, I'm sorry it hasn't been your's. I sincerely believe Kenyon will still be considered my perfect fit in the years after I graduate as well, because I've met Kenyon students graduates unlike you and HinJew. I'm sorry Kenyon hasn't been what you wanted it to be. My wish is that it won't be the same for me.</p>

9

<p>Thinking that Kenyon is a good fit for you is not naive - plenty of people enjoy their time here. I just wish I had known about the list of cons above before I came, so I could have avoided Gambier like the plague.</p>

10

<p>As tomorrow is my last day of class at Kenyon and I have a final to avoid studying for...here are some thoughts</p>

<ol>
<li><p>We can't download illegal files, better for us in the long run. Kenster takes care of that to some degree. The lack of streaming video bandwidth is annoying. I have heard that the college may have a cable company take over all residential access in a few years.</p></li>
<li><p>If the internet is so important to you, try buying items from it. It works pretty well.</p></li>
<li><p>Just like the real world, having skills will get you a job and get you paid more. </p></li>
<li><p>Things get stolen everywhere. Use common sense and items are less likely to go missing.</p></li>
<li><p>In general locals seem pretty damn friendly to Kenyon students.</p></li>
<li><p>The administration sucks...yea, people everywhere suck. Be proactive and deal with it.</p></li>
<li><p>Research your next move so you don't have to suffer.</p></li>
<li><p>Kerry sucks for doing a terrible job in the election. I am not elated that he is coming here.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>kenyon_10: although i don't go to kenyon, i think it is a very decent school. however, i think your earlier statement concerning other schools like a theft problem at middlebury or tentions between townies and students at grinnell and bates were simply subjective. you do not attend those schools so how do you know such problems are pronounced. i have read many of your posts and i know you LOVE kenyon but by no means it is the best school and certainly no better than those schools you mentioned. </p>

<p>middlebury- top10<br>
grinnell- top15
bates- top25
kenyon- top40</p>

<p>i think people tend to assume that all top40 lac's are equally good but the fact is if you compare them with their counterparts (research universities) you will see clearer that they're simply not so. just my personal takes...</p>

<p>middlebury- columbia
grinnell- uchicago
bates-emory
kenyon- lehigh</p>

<p>i dont want to start another arguement about 'the college bible' usnews ranking etc.</p>

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<p>The reason I mentioned those schools is because I have read them somewhere.</p>

<p>For example, Middlebury: <a href="http://www.middleburycampus.com/media/storage/paper446/news/2006/05/04/News/Campus.Sees.Spike.In.Theft-1899922.shtml?norewrite200605050131&sourcedomain=www.middleburycampus.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.middleburycampus.com/media/storage/paper446/news/2006/05/04/News/Campus.Sees.Spike.In.Theft-1899922.shtml?norewrite200605050131&sourcedomain=www.middleburycampus.com&lt;/a>

[quote]
The end of April brought a rise in theft at Middlebury College, with eight reported incidents from April 17 through April 25. The eight thefts make up one third of the total reported thefts on campus since the beginning of 2006. - From Middlebury Campus

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yeah, I didn't base it on my perception but rather on objective reporting. Thanks.</p>

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<p>there're pros and cons for every college and i don't think people should get offended when cons of their colleges are discussed. kenyon_senior did the right thing for pointing out some uglies about his school. very few students or alumni will tell you these facts. i, for one, will probably not say bad things to discredit my school even though i may abhor them. his comments truly benefit those thinking of applying to kenyon.</p>

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<p>I agree. Come to Kenyon and spend 4 years here. Then you can comment on how awesome or bad it is. I think the same can be said for any school. I turned down a top 10 LAC to come here, and I feel fine about it.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
there're pros and cons for every college and i don't think people should get offended when cons of their colleges are discussed.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Precisely! I wasn't offended by the way if you were to take a closer look at my post. In fact, I even asked Kenyon Senior further questions so that I can perhaps gain a better understanding of Kenyon. And my reply about Middlebury and other schools was to show that "look, this is not just a problem over here at Kenyon but it happens everywhere" and to give other students another perspective.</p>

<p>I wasn't protective about Kenyon. I believe I have been quite objective in my posts on this forum with the exception of dealing with asinine and ludicrous people. And similarly, my comments will also truly benefit people who are thinking of applying to Kenyon, Middlebury or perhaps other schools. And at the same time, I believe my comments would have eased qualms of students heading to Kenyon this Fall. </p>

<p>I disagree with you about:
middlebury- columbia
grinnell- uchicago
bates-emory
kenyon- lehigh </p>

<p>And I will explain why without using the US News ranking. Imagine there are two pools of applicants: One who hankers after freedom and prefer big classes and the other one who perhaps prefer closer personal attention from faculty members. And I guess it is fair to assume that these two pools of applicants are similar in many aspects: test scores, ECs, personal qualities etc etc with the exception of preference of college environment. </p>

<p>So over at both types of colleges, the top ones will usually take in the best candidates. But wait. Williams/Amherst's class size is at best half of that of HYP. And Colby's class size is at best 3 or 4 times smaller than that of Berkeley. So what happens then? The better applicants found themselves in "lower-ranked" schools like Kenyon who could have made it into Emory or UVA in the "big research uni" group. Simply put, Liberal Arts Colleges have fewer places than the big mainstream universities and as such, the places are more "coverted" in the sense.</p>

<p>I believe that statistics do not lie. Comparing the test scores (which I find it highly controversial but oh well, it's the best one can use to compare), </p>

<p>Kenyon: Verbal: 610 - 700, Math: 630 - 730, ACT™ Composite Scores 28 - 31
Virginia: Verbal: 600 - 710, Math: 620 - 720, ACT: 25 - 30<br>
Cal: Verbal: 580 - 710 Math: 620 - 740 (2 schools that are supposedly better)</p>

<p>But again, I hope we will not go into the fringe of "who's better". That's just my eccentric thinking and not everyone might agree with me. Cheers! :D</p>

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<p>and that's why i said 'my personal takes'... i'd probabaly choose kenyon over other big name schools like osu, miami(ohio) or even lehigh.</p>

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<p>besides the internet being regulated, is the actual speed of the internet slow?</p>

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<p>Speed comes and goes. Also, the network is known to go down.</p>

<p>I also think it is completely unacceptable that the school does not provide television reception (or in our case, cable jacks) in every room. Even if we choose not to watch, we have a right to the access of television for information without having to rely on the 1 television per residence hall.</p>

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<p>i cant actually recall the network going down this year. it went down all the time last year but it seems better this year and we have to login less. also i wish we had tv too but it would be brutal, i waste enough time as is, cable in my room would only make it worse. you can download nightly news broadcasts off their websites now if going to cnn.com doesnt float your boat.</p>

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<p>besides i think it would be a pain in the ass for the cable company to try and wire every single room and then deal with which room decides to pay and which doesnt. its probably an all or nothing thing and i honestly dont want to give kenyon any further excuses to raise tuition.</p>