The good news is that F & M accepted her. Sadly, she really has lost interest in F & M and isn’t excited about this news. The bad news, she is waitlisted at Bates. She needs some really good advice, as she is just missing the mark. She is a really good artist. Should she maybe send in samples of her artwork? She had thought of this back in December, but decided not to because several colleges said they wouldn’t consider art unless it was juried. Waitlisting limbo is the pits!
My daughter also loved Bates. She ended up loving Kenyon more and switched her app there to ED2. She will be at Kenyon this fall. Have you looked at the art building at Kenyon? It is only a few years old, and phenomenal!
@Lindagaf Many of us have been following your journey. Is it too much trouble to list where she was accepted and where she was waitlisted? Maybe posters will have some fresh, new insights to help you and your daughter figure out what’s next
Sure, accepted to Geneseo, Clark, Dickinson, F & M, Whitman, Uni of Rochester, Kenyon. Waitlisted at Oberlin, Carleton, and Bates. Still waiting on Tufts and Brown, but she is pretty realistic about her chances. Carleton and Bates have always been right at the top of the “within the realm of possibility” pile:-) I reckon Bates is the top. She is going to have to decide if she wants to put in the effort to get off the wailist. They aren’t going to just pull a random name out of the hat. She is remarkably unfazed though. I think despite the waitlists, she is happy that she hasn’t actually been rejected, bless her heart.
Haven’t re-read the whole thread, but a kid who loves Bates would be very happy at Kenyon and Dickinson. We have visited all 3 multiple times. While there are differences, there are more similarities.
Congrats to her.
As expected, denied at Tufts and Brown. She is totally fine, becuse look at all her amazing choices. Just when we thought she was going to have a relatively easy time deciding between Dickinson and Rochester, Kenyon has suddenly become much more intriguing. In all honesty, I never thought she would be accepted there. But they must like her, so am I doing a disservice by not at least letting her visit?
I posted on the Kenyon forum, as my main concern is this: is Kenyon worth the price? Is it even a good idea to visit Kenyon and have her possibly fall in love with it? Please, any thoughts and insight are appreciated. She has one month to decide, and we thought the hard part was over 8-|
What’s your budget range (from savings/income), per year?
How much do her top 5 choices cost?
Are her top choices based on visits (or which of her top choices are based on visits?)
Can you state the reasons why some colleges were crossed out, in case we see common points between the cast out colleges and the still-under-consideration colleges?
I definitely think you should let her visit Kenyon if you can imagine paying for it (I suppose you let her apply because you could, although it’d require sacrifice - am I wrong, was it a “we’ll cross that bridge if we get to it” application?)
I agree a student who likes Kenyon would like Dickinson.
@MYOS1634 to the rescue!
We can pay for college, we have savings. As I mentioned previously, my husband is very much about value for money though.
At this point, her top choices are Roch, Dickinson, and now Kenyon is coming back into the picture. Sneaky people, they sent her an actual book, a book that instantly caught her attention.
Applying to Kenyon was very much like this: this college sounds cool. It has everything you are interested in, including art, and it has a good reputation. The students are smart. Apply, and let’s see what happens.
My D is very concerned about being one of the “smartest” kids at any college (as in, she doesn’t want to be the smartest kid), but she most definitely wants to be with smart kids, not that the kids at any of these colleges are not smart. She wouldn’t have applied otherwise. She doesn’t like to be noticed, and wants to be in the middle. That’s just how she is. So even though she knows that Clark and Geneseo are good schools, she is well up in the 90th percentile of their stats and she doesn’t feel happy about that. They are off the table now that she has “better” options. Even at Dickinson, she is pretty high up. At Roch, she is comfortably above the 50th percentile, same with Kenyon.
There was a movie filmed at Kenyon awhile back: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/02/08/liberal-arts-puts-kenyon-college-spotlight
If it’s affordable, I’d visit. D has two close friends there, if you want to PM me any specific questions I’ll do my best.
^I recommend that movie. 
I love it. It’s as much about what a college education is about, as a reflexion on growing up for those in college and those who graduated. The actors are all very good. Oh, and there’s a love story that sneaks upon you.
After the visit, you might be able to ask Kenyon to reassess their offer based on Dickinson’s offer?
Those have a lot in common although Kenyon is stronger.
URochester is a different environment.
Yes, U Rochester is a different kettle of fish. I doubt she will go,there, but she has to at least consider it.
This is so weird, she and I were just taking about how she is suddenly wondering why she didn’t investigate Kenyon more thoroughly. She is now going to present my hubby with reasons why she needs to go visit. And I am going to call them tomorrow and find out about how she gets there.
Of the schools she’s accepted at, my favs are Whitman and Kenyon followed by Dickinson.
Love, love, love Carleton and think highly of Bates. Stay on the waitlist at both. Have her get an art portfolio together and send it to both waitlist schools (kind of wish she had done this initially but oh well).
@doschicos , you and me both! She will not submit her art, I just tried to get her to do it for her waitlist emails. Not only is she shy, she is pigheaded. I am going to pm you, if you don’t mind.
I’m in perfect agreement with @doschicos, for whatever it’s worth. Great choices!
@Lindagaf Please feel free to PM. One of my kids submitted an art portfolio as part of the application process and I do think it helped.
@Lindagaf definitely go see kenyon if it’s affordable. I assume you already saw dickinson and rochester? if you drive to kenyon try to stop at dickinson, as it’s on the way. even if you saw dickinson, another visit would be helpful. my guess is she will know what she wants after these visits
We have visited Dickinson and Rochester twice now. Those two aren’t comparable. I think I will fly her out to Ohio if it happens. Not interested in driving ten hours for a two day trip.
Definitely visit Kenyon – it has a distinct feel, smaller student body than Dickinson, much smaller surrounding town, obviously. For what its worth, my kid loved Kenyon, he thought, then he visited Dickinson and realized there were aspects of D’son he much preferred, such as the bigger campus feel, the housing options which included the smaller homes, the converted factory into art studio and “urban” style housing, and that Carlisle itself had more going on. Kenyon is a drop-dead gorgeous place, the dining hall is to die for, a marriage of perfect collegiate gothic with a modern, beautifully integrated extension. The athletic facilities are beautiful. But on later visits, my kid came to learn enough about himself to realize that he didn’t want a community which was that small, in terms of number of students, in a village that was that tiny. Also, a disappointment for him was that Kenyon’s studio art program does not include ceramics – ceramics is done only though a coop-community program so the facilities are worse than his high school.
No one can say for your child which will feel right, but as long as finances work, worth a look.
Congrats to her.
enjoyed skimming these posts! i’m a HUGE fan of visiting schools after receiving acceptances, so I definitely encourage the Kenyon visit. otherwise you’re effectively comparing apples and oranges (knowns and unknowns).
Also, as for art. I know from experience that it can make a difference, perhaps even in a waitlist situation. D was a B+ student and admitted to several schools that we were surprised at - she was at or slightly above their 25% mark for test scores. late in the game she was admitted to st olaf off the waitlist almost certainly due to her portfolio.
if your d is serious about those WL schools, she just needs to consider whether it’s worth it to exhaust every possible avenue. she’s not likely to get off of any WL, but adding the portfolio could do nothing but help.
She will visit Kenyon. I think my husband wants her to be responsible for making the choice, and she can’t do that without visiting.