Hi I’m recently admitted to Kenyon and I’m planning on visiting in a bit, however, in the meantime I was wondering if people familiar with the school could offer me some input!
I plan to major in International Relations and maybe a minor in virtual art.
I’ve heard some rumors about drinking/sexual assault on campus and was wondering if Kenyon student/alum could comment on that.
I’m also a little worried about the diversity (I’m Asian) and if I would be able to spend 4 years in rural Ohio.
I can’t see the common data set - it just shows section C and you need B to see how many Asians but this is on their website.
33% of students identify as domestic students of color or international student and 27% of professors.
If ethnicity is a concern, why did you apply? Or did you not realize?
You can see a Clery report to see about crime - but certainly ask when you are there.
That will be your best way to get a feel. Go with your questions and don’t be afraid to ask.
That said, sexual assault can happen anywhere. Often, but not always, it’s associated with alcohol. Make safe choices, walk with others, etc. - no matter where you go.
My daughter is a junior at Kenyon, and I’ve posted quite a bit on various Kenyon-related topics here. She’s been very happy there, both academically and socially. Stimulating classes, great supportive professors, and lots to do on campus (theater and music performances, sports events, etc.). She found Kenyon rigorous, but she still has time to pursue her hobbies and spend time with friends. She’s not a partier, her friend group is better described as “dnd nerds” :). I’m sure many students go to parties/drink but it’s very easy to avoid it and still be engaged socially. Haven’t heard of any sexual assault incidents. They happen at every school, unfortunately, but it’s not some kind of a particular issue for Kenyon, as far as I know.
This is not a particularly diverse college, but they’re trying to improve the situation. My daughter has some Asian, Hispanic, and mixed-race friends, and they seem to be very happy there. In general, it’s a friendly and welcoming community.
As for 4 years in rural Ohio–between classes, clubs, extracurriculars, spending time with friends and (for some) working, there’s no time to be bored. The campus is beautiful and the surrounding area is quite nice (in terms of nature). Columbus is less than an hour away. There are many study abroad/study away opportunities. (But I understand the location is not for everyone).
This is not to say it’s a perfect school (no school is), but overall we have mostly only good things to say about Kenyon (my husband and I are both professors at a large research university and we’re very impressed with the school).
Kenyon is in the Village of Gambier, which has a population of under 2,400 people. More correctly, the Village of Gambier is in Kenyon College. The village is about as safe as any college campus, and likely safer than the campuses of most large colleges.
If you want something larger, Columbus is an hour away, and it is a city of close to a million (second largest in the Midwest).
Gambier is some 90% White, and Kenyon college has far less diversity than its peers. 76% of the domestic students of the class of 2026 are White. Even Denison, which is not that far away, does better - the domestic students of its class of 2026 are 70% White. Oberlin does slightly better - 69% of the domestic students of its class of 2026 are White.
In other Midwestern LACs, Macalester’s class of 2026 is 61% of its domestic students being White, as does Carleton.
On the other hand, I’ve heard that Kenyon students are pretty open and accepting. SO while you may be in a minority, it’s unlikely that you will have issues with being a minority. Gambier is also known for being pretty accepting, so going out in the town will also not likely be an issue.
Sexual assault and drinking are unfortunately common enough in any college, and Kenyon does not have a bad reputation in that regard. So I wouldn’t worry about these being worse than at any other college. Well, drinking is likely more common on campus than it would be in cities, but only because in cities there would be other locations for students to drink, and fewer would drink on campus.
Interestingly niche grades colleges for crime stats. I would think Kenyon, being isolated, is safe.
But the schools gets a very low grade on safety - a C+.
That simply tells me the oP should find out more or find out why. And they can do so by pulling reports or on their visit by asking questions and also stopping in to chat with campus police who will have lots of data. Or by pre setting an appointment.
That’s very strange, my daughter has been there for almost 3 years and always felt very safe (and we’ve visited several times and felt the same). Not sure where that Niche grade comes from…
That’s why I say it requires further study. When we visited, I didn’t see anything amiss.
But OP brought up concerns initially and Niche seems to support.
Since she brought up concerns, I wouldn’t dismiss it. But I would investigate to see if it’s unfounded or not.
If my kid chose Kenyon (too isolated), I’d have not batted an eye.
Here’s the Clery report from two years ago - like most schools, it seems mostly drug and alcohol related - although not many.
And yes there is sexual violence - and that can never be justified - but we don’t know if it’s date rape or violence from a stranger. Neither justified - but obviously they happen in different settings - knowing someone vs. not, etc.
Me too - until I looked. I never would have thought this about Kenyon - but my guess is if OP looks at other schools on her list, she’ll find similar - especially they types of crimes (drugs and alcohol being most frequent) - and often times use leads to sexual assault.
I want to see how many asian kids but you need section B of the CDS and it only opens to section C. They do say 33% are people of color.
I hope OP has a good visit and digs deeper.
Based on everything i’ve ever read on the CC, I imagine they’ll be impressed.
Current student here. Congrats on admission - hope to see you on the hill!
First of all, to address the crime point - there is not violent crime on campus. We had two apartments broken into last spring over break, when no students were on campus, but not much was taken - in fact, I don’t think anything was taken from one of them. I would say that a majority of that C+ crime grade comes from the fact that cars in one of the student parking lots had their catalytic converters stolen this fall. Again, not violent crime.
Sexual assault happens on any college campus, but it is by no means a recurring or prevalent problem here at Kenyon. And while students do drink, there is no pressure to do so, and the college even has a rule that if you / a friend are drinking underage and need medical attention, you won’t be punished as long as you seek help before you’re caught.
As for your question about diversity, Kenyon, like many peer schools, is largely white. However, students are incredibly accepting. We also have several organizations for students of color - KAI, our Asian identities group, would likely be of the most interest to you. They host events just for members and also for everyone on campus. I know multiple people who are members, and they absolutely love it. Particularly, also, you mention you want to do International Relations - Kenyon’s program for that, International Studies, is definitely within our most diverse majors / programs student-wise.
Yet Niche also reports that “100% of students say they feel extremely safe and secure on campus”.
The issue with many of the crime reports that Niche uses is that they rely on the crimes that are self-reported. Ironically, these are more likely to overreport crimes at relative safe campuses. Colleges which do not take violence against women seriously generally both have higher bars for what they consider “sexual assault”, are less likely to record them, and are less likely to put them on their Clery Reports, while, at the same time, students are less likely to be safe.
Many of the colleges that are on Niche as being “safe”, and on other sites as well repeatedly, pop up in the news as having mishandled sexual assault case reporting for years. I’m not going to mention any by name, since this is the Kenyon thread.
Basically, colleges which care more about their reputation than about the safety of the students, especially the women, often have a “safe” ratings. Conversely, colleges which take a no-tolerance attitude are more likely to report cases that other colleges would not report, or would not report as sexual assault, and so create the illusion that these campuses are not safe.
I agree with the points others have made here. Our D is a very happy sophomore at Kenyon and has never felt unsafe. Gambier isn’t perfect, but it’s a lovely small town, and the community overall is very welcoming. Most people have strong feelings about Kenyon when they visit, so it’s great that you’ll have a chance to see the campus for yourself. Our daughter was ultimately sold on Kenyon when she had the chance to speak with some students who shared her academic and extracurricular interests. The admissions staff even put her in touch with a faculty member who spent about an hour on the phone with her, talking about possible academic and career paths. Best of luck – please feel free to reach out with any questions.