Kenyon College

Kenyon College
"Valiantly bear the cross"

Background Information: Kenyon is one of the nation's finest liberal arts colleges, a small school where academic excellence goes hand in hand with a strong sense of community.We bring together 1,600 young men and women to study with nearly 200 professors on an exceptionally beautiful hilltop campus in central Ohio. Our curriculum is rooted in the traditional liberal arts and sciences, and enriched by interdisciplinary programs. We set high academic standards and look for talented students who love learning. Small classes, dedicated teachers, and friendly give-and-take set the tone. Kenyon welcomes curiosity, creativity, intellectual ambition, and an openness to new ideas. We see learning as a challenging, deeply rewarding, and profoundly important activity, to be shared in a spirit of collaboration. (Kenyon website)

Initial Thoughts: I am so excited to visit Kenyon. I love going to liberal arts schools, and I have heard nothing but good things about Kenyon, so my interest in the institution is definitely piqued. Based on the pamphlets and literature that I have read regarding Kenyon, I expect to be surrounded by incredible beauty. If not, well, then some schools should take their pointers from Kenyon in how to "sell" their school to prospective students. I'm a sucker for good writing, so it only makes sense that I should fall in love with "the writer's college" and home of the Kenyon Review.

The Campus

• Layout: Kenyon is defined by its Middle Path, a long footpath that serves as the heart of campus. Branching away from the Middle Path are the academic buildings, residence halls, and other multipurpose facilities. The Middle Path serves as a meeting place for students and professors, a place to stop for a bit before heading off to their respective destinations. Aside from the Middle Path, another thing to know about Kenyon's layout is the fact that it is incredibly spacious. There are a lot of open spaces, and a lot of walking trails. Bike racks are everywhere on campus, and students use it frequently (according to a friend, you would be lucky to score a space!) because Kenyon is somewhat spread out -- from the rolling hills to downtown Gambier.
  
  
• Architecture: To put it simply, Kenyon is basically a medieval-looking [summer] camp for incredibly intelligent people. The buildings look very old, and instead of having typical red-bricked buildings, Kenyon has a lot of white bricked antiquated academic buildings. Another thing to know about Kenyon is the fact that Gambier is Kenyon -- it exists for the College -- so it is only fitting that the College itself is dispersed throughout the town. Some of the houses in downtown Kenyon dub as academic departments.
  
  
• Scale - Kenyon was more spread out than I expected, but I imagine that it shouldn't take much longer than 15-20 minutes to get from one end of the campus to the other. Kenyon is very walkable, designed to make its students and visitors to take notice of the natural surrounding around the College.
  
  
• The Student Center - Curiously enough, Kenyon does not have a student center. Rather, the resources one would hope to find in a Student Center are found spread throughout the campus. There is no single location for these resources. You can either find these resources "on-campus" or off-campus in Gambier (literally across the street).
  
  
• Student Living: Most students choose to live on-campus at Kenyon all of their four years. Living “off-campus” and living “on-campus” is basically the same thing when it comes to Kenyon since Gambier exists for the College. The College itself is dispersed throughout the city of Gambier, so much so that they seem almost synonymous with one another. As for residential living, Kenyon is divided up into a northern end and a southern end. According to a current Kenyon student, the North end of campus houses most of the first-year students, and then the more “studious” Kenyonites. The South end of campus, on the other hand, is home to Old Kenyon and the fraternity and sorority hall.
  
  
• Notable Attractions - I had heard rave reviews about Old Kenyon in my readings, but I didn't find it to be incredibly impressive. Yes, it was lovely and fine, but my favorite sight at Kenyon has to be the waiting room inside of the Admissions Building. I know that's an odd thing to remember, but the room was so beautiful and reminiscent of a study you would find inside a castle. I just found it to be very medieval and very, very lovely. Everything at Kenyon is permeated with literature and higher learning, and as a whole, Kenyon was almost poetic. No, it is not the prettiest campus I have seen this summer, but it certainly leaves an impression. It is very serene, and definitely accomplishes its aim to be a sanctuary upon a hill.
  

Final Conclusions: I have to be honest and say that I expected Kenyon’s college to be much more than it turned out to be. Based on the pamphlets and literature about Kenyon, I had (unrealistically) high hopes for Kenyon – hopes that fell a little short when I got there. Don’t misunderstand; Kenyon is still a very lovely place. It is very in-tuned with its natural surroundings (lots of trees and open spaces), and geared towards providing a sanctuary upon a hill. I guess if I had to describe Kenyon in one word, it would have to be “scenic” – if you are an outdoorsy person, I think it is safe to say that you will love Kenyon. If you are a lover of big cities, and thrive on a fast paced living environment, you might want to look elsewhere.

The drive up to Kenyon had a lot of narrow roads, and it had been quite a long while since I had been in rural Ohio (Gambier is very close to an Amish settlement). Yes, Kenyon is a bit small and a bit isolated, but it is definitely filled with the best and brightest. Some of these students (and professors!) could have gone to Ivy Leagues but didn’t. You have to wonder why this is, given how sought-after and revered the Ivies are within academic circles.

I must admit that I had to step back and ponder the question myself. Why would they choose Kenyon? After a bit of thinking and reevaluating, I think one of the reasons is because Kenyon is a very genuine and supportive community. It is very harmonious -- the physical surrounding and the school, the school and its students, the students with one another. It seems like Kenyonites are not particularly concerned with labels; rather, they choose to help one another engage in what you should go to college for – to learn as much about the world as you can, to figure out how you can contribute to it, and to leave with the confidence to start answering the “big questions” you asked while in school.

Photostream of Kenyon: see the campus in pictures!

Still not convinced? Experience it for yourself! Schedule a visit today!