I’m visiting Denison this summer, and considering there won’t be any kids on campus, I need some help. I know Denison has a “preppy” reputation, but to what extent? Is the whole school just a bunch of Vineyard Vines/prep school/frat type kids? I probably identify more with the hipster/indie scene politically and socially, but it’s not like my whole wardrobe is from thrift stores. In fact, on the surface I’m pretty well-dressed, just not in the Polo/Vineyard Vines catalogue sense. Are there Denison kids that appreciate indie music, discuss books and ideas, and are liberal? How conservative is the Denison student body? Will I meet an eclectic student body, or one that sort of follows the crowd?
Other schools I’m considering are Kenyon, Grinnell, Oberlin, and Vassar. Denison is more of a safety. How does the Denison student body compare to those of the other schools I’m considering?
Ok, for what it’s worth, as a parent and one-time visitor at Denison, here are our impressions. We have also visited Kenyon, Grinnell and Oberlin a lot, with 2 kids visiting, overnights etc., and have visited Vassar once.
Denison did not strike us as particularly preppie, at all. Much more just like regular looking kids, very little Vineyard Vines etc. We were pleasantly surprised by the racial and ethnic diversity campus (much more than at Kenyon and Oberlin, where we have visited numerous times, with both of our kids). We ate lunch in the cafe by the bookstore, as opposed to the dining hall, and saw lots of kinds of kids, not a single dominant type. Our experience was that Denison is probably the most comfortably diverse school we visited. With an amazing arts building, and what seems like a vibrant music scene, it did not seem like a jock/preppie school at all to us. My kid is an artist, athlete and musician, someone who seems pretty middle of the road on the surface but is quite liberal and quirky underneath, and he felt very comfortable at Denison.
My D is a a liberal, non-prep, artsy, nerdy English/theatre major. She just completed her first year at Denison and it turned out to be a very nice fit for her. She loves Jack White (is he indie…I don’t know). She is also anti-drug/alcohol. She visited Kenyon, did not like the vibe, so did not apply. She was accepted to Oberlin with merit, but again, there was something that drew her to Denison (other than having a lower COA than Oberlin). I would agree with @midwesmomofboys (liberal and quirky might well describe my D, too), I think Denison is more diverse. I also think it’s less liberal than both Oberlin and Kenyon, but that’s all relative. Academically, my worry was that she might not be challenged. That is not the case. She received high marks her first year, but she worked hard. My view is that she will continue to thrive at Denison. I can’t comment re: Grinnell or Vassar as they did not make her short list. Good luck!
…is an interesting phrase. At first I thought you were saying that Denison was the most diverse school you visited, which surprised me, b/c it is not particularly diverse either racially or economically, and of course, neither are Kenyon or Oberlin- both Grinnell and Vassar are considerably more diverse racially and Vassar is the most diverse of the lot economically.
But then I went back noticed the ‘comfortably’ part, and wondered whether you mean that the student body seems the most comfortable with it’s own diversity, or that the it was the most diverse school that felt comfortable to your family/sone?
“both Grinnell and Vassar are considerably more diverse racially”. Unless my figures below are incorrect, I don’t believe that statement is true. Denison has a much lower percentage of international and Asian students, so the % of white students attending is higher than Grinnell and Vassar, so maybe that’s how you drew your conclusion. And how does one determine economically diversity? When my D did her overnight at Denison, the % of Posse scholars attending was amazingly high.
Denison – Hispanic (8.9%), Black (6.5%)
Vassar – Hispanic (10.9%), Black (6.1%)
Grinnell - Hispanic (8.1%), Black (5.7%)
Oberlin – Hispanic (7.3%), Black (5.5%)
Kenyon – Hispanic (5.5%), Black (3.2%)
@collegemom3717 Sorry my phrasing was opaque. I meant to communicate that Denison was both a visibly diverse community in terms of race and ethnicity as wells a community which worked – the cafe tables were filled with mixed groups of kids. Kenyon, on our visits, seemed noticeably more homogenous.
Of course, I don’t want to judge diversity of a community simply in terms of appearance. But Denison’s reputation as an homogenous, preppie haven is outdated.
thanks, @Midwestmomofboys - that is what I was guessing you meant.
@sschickens, the first three are mid-70’s% white, which to me is less diverse than the mid-60’s% white of the second two.
Economic diversity from here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/09/upshot/09up-college-access-index.html?_r=0
Denison is no slouch at economic diversity- but the college access index is notably higher for Vassar & Grinnell.
Note that I am not being critical of Denison- as @Midwestmomofboys says, Denison has moved on a long way- I am just trying to be accurate. With LACs in particular, I am a firm believer that fit is everything: all of the top tier offer great opportunities and they have somewhat different personalities. We all do our best work in places that suit us & I am always happy to hear that a student has found that place for themselves!
Funny story, my D (pasty white girl) went to a very diverse public high school. As I stated above, when we attended the assembly prior to the overnight at Denison, I noticed how many Posse kids were there, mostly Hispanic. I was impressed. After the session, my D said to me, “I’m not used to being around so many white kids”. So diversity is in the eye of the beholder. Either way, she loves Denison, so it’s all good!