Day 3 - Ohio Six Tour - Denison and Kenyon

Kenyon College

I apologize for the delay in getting this post up. Traveling home after a long day of tours and then returning to work resulted in things being a little behind schedule.

Our final day of the Ohio Six tour included visits to Denison University and Kenyon College.

Denison College

My impression of Denison is that it is a wonderful and vibrant place that is also nimble enough to make changes when they are needed. Case in point, they have launched 7 new majors recently, 5 within just the past year. These include relevant modern day interdisciplinary majors like: Data Analytics, Non Fiction Writing, and Financial Economics. They also just broke ground on a new performing arts center, a gift from Michael Eisner, of Disney fame (and also Denison Class of 1964). As part of our information session, a quote was shared that Andrew Delbanco made about the purpose of college being to help people become reflective citizen. Denison sees this as its mission and they seem to be doing a very nice job. For some context, the Robin Williams character in Dead Poets Society was based on a real life Denison professor.

Denison is small - the average class size is under 18 and the entire campus has about 2,250 students. It is a relationships based school, with strong career services, and an ideal location with a small town that is situated only about half an hour from a major metropolitan area (Columbus). Maybe more than any school in recent memory, Denison's President, Adam Weinberg, is fully integrated into campus life for both faculty and students. Our tour guide sends him texts. He has memorized the student body and can address most of them by first name. Another panelist emailed him to talk about his career path and a face to face meeting was arranged.

They admitted that the decisions garnered by Denison don't always make sense. They aren't solely driven by test scores or GPA. Instead, they say they are seeking the kind of students you'd want your own kids to date or be friends with. They do have Early Decision and the odds of admission are significantly higher through this path (as is true at many schools, so not a huge surprise there).

The physical campus is situated on a hill, so if you aren't a person who enjoys walking uphill, that might be a detractor. But otherwise, for students seeking a dynamic and friendly small liberal arts college, this is one to investigate.

Middle Path at Kenyon

Our final stop on the tour was Kenyon College. Kenyon is a good home for quirky kids who don't necessarily stick to just one 'subgroup' socially. Their fraternity brothers are also artists. Their athletes might also be in the orchestra. Those who are not intellectually curious need not apply and yet those who constantly obsess to get perfect grades will probably not be happy here either because grade grubbing isn't looked upon highly. This helps the applicant pool be self selecting and they are perfectly fine with that. Many of their overlap peer schools are located on the East Coast.  In fact, when I myself was walking around the campus physical plant reminded me very much of Middlebury in Vermont - expansive quads with mainly historic academic and residential buildings. There is also a dirt walkway called the middle path going down the center of campus connected the school to the nearby small town (with a post office, bookstore, and food establishments).

Only about 11-12% of students at Kenyon are from Ohio, so their is a national presence on campus. Their flagship program is often considered to be English/Writing but, as with most super high quality liberal arts schools, I'm not sure you can really go wrong in any discipline.

Thank you so much to the Ohio Six for hosting me (and my other school counselor colleagues). I learned so much and will now be able to better advise my students about this Ohio college options.

Day 2 - Ohio Six Counselor Tour - Oberlin and College of Wooster

Interior of the Library at College of Wooster.

Today we had the chance to see Oberlin College and the College of Wooster.

I was fortunate enough to already have had the chance to visit Oberlin this fall before NACAC, so you can read about that campus here. I can confirm that all the great things I saw in the fall were still there today and I was again reminded of why so many ElRo students have applied to Oberlin (the most of any schools that are a part of this tour). I did also get the chance to see the interior of the new music building, which was a lovely space.

College of Wooster

In the afternoon we made our way to the College of Wooster. I'll sum it up by saying: I was super impressed with this campus. The vibe is a unique combination of academic seriousness (warning-- if you aren't looking to grow as a student, don't look here) and a lighthearted point of view (students, faculty, and staff all shared a jovial sense of humor).

The tagline of College of Wooster is "America's Premier College for Mentored Undergraduate Research." Every student completes a senior Independent Study (I.S.) project prior to graduation. This is an opportunity to conduct research and work one on one with a professor on a long term project (this work lasts approximately 18 months). The seniors we met had fascinating projects. The fact that it is a universal shared experience at a school that admits a little over 50% of their applicants is a testament to the idea that with hard work and diligence a space for diverse learners can in fact be a place with a very high level of academic rigor.

About one third of students at Wooster are from Ohio (in contrast, Oberlin's Ohio representation is under 10%) but there is also a growing international population and I was struck by the racial and ethnic diversity that I saw on campus. It was my favorite kind of diversity where students were intermingling and it felt like students from multiple backgrounds could find a place on campus. I specifically asked our tour guide if she felt one type of student dominated the campus (theater kids, athletes, members of the Greek community, political protesters, etc) and she said that there really was room for everyone.

While I'm certainly no fan of rankings, a point of pride at Wooster is the fact that only two colleges have been ranked every year as a top school for both undergraduate research and a capstone project: Princeton and College of Wooster.

Located about one hour from Cleveland, Wooster has a lot to offer. For more information, I encourage you to read the chapter in Colleges That Change Lives. They also offer both merit and need based aid, so it is a great way to round out a list of liberal arts colleges and potentially get a fair financial aid package.

Our final day of the tour is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to our last two schools!

Day 1 - Ohio Six Counselor Tour - Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan

Yesterday, I arrived in Columbus, Ohio in advance of the three day Ohio Six Counselor Tour. (For those unfamiliar with the Midwest, Columbus is about a 90 minute direct flight from New York City. I've had longer commutes to work on days when the MTA is acting up.) Today was day one and we had the opportunity to visit Wittenberg University and Ohio Wesleyan University.

Wittenberg University is a small private college of a little under 2,000 students located a little under one hour away from Columbus. The three most popular majors are Biology, Education, and Business, though they offer a wide range of liberal arts degrees. The first session I attended gave us a closer look at the brand new COMPASS: Sweet Success Center. This is a new space that brings together Academic Services, Disability Services, Student Success and Leadership, and Student Employment. In what is definitely a campus event first for me, we had to dust off some dog hair from the chairs which was left over from a service dog training meeting the night before. I was VERY impressed with the level of attention given to supporting students. If you want to go someplace that can help you craft a truly integrated support system, this is your place. For example, students who are struggling to be accountable with their studying can opt into a swipe system at the library that will help them log their study hours (with said hours emailed to their coach/advisor/or any other person they are getting organizational help from on campus). I got the sense that there was a really intentional and personal approach to student support. On paper, I think the hardest pill for many New York City students to swallow might be the fact that this school is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. However, before even stepping foot on campus I could see their pride flags hanging from the light poles in the parking lot, so before you make assumptions about what kind of values or politics can be found on campus, evaluate if you might be the one who is closed minded. I experienced the campus, faculty, staff, and students to be welcoming to people of all faiths (or those with no faith at all). From an ElRo specific perspective, I think part of what might make Wittenberg most attractive is the fact that it would be a target or likely for most of our students. Plus, added bonus is that it is testing optional.

We then spent the afternoon at Ohio Wesleyan University, a Colleges That Change Lives school located about 30 minutes from Columbus. Right off the bat one thing was clear - this was one seriously energetic staff. They were a well oiled machine, right down to the red and black clothes they were wearing (the school colors, of course). At 175 years old, Ohio Wesleyan has three founding principles that it sticks to to this day: 1) A commitment to the liberal arts 2) A foundation with Methodist principles but being open to all 3) Emphasizing how important it is to consider the public good, seeking to have graduates that look to be positive global citizens. A huge portion of students (55%) earn at least one credit abroad, so this is a place looking to push students beyond the scope of small town Ohio. Ohio Wesleyan is also keenly aware of the ways students need to remain competitive and relevant in the career marketplace so they are rapidly adding new majors like Business Administration, Social Justice, and Data Analytics (all still rooted in a Liberal Arts foundation). This school has positioned itself as a place seeking big thinkers and idealists with lots of energy. We heard from a dynamic panel of current students and toured the length of the campus (situated as a long and skinny rectangle, with the town and basic amenities all within walking distance). Like Wittenberg, OWU is another potential fit for virtually every ElRo student - including the possibility of merit aid for many if not most applicants from our school. A theme for the day: it was also testing optional.

Tomorrow is another jam packed day with two more campuses. Thank you to the schools for putting together this great opportunity!

Thanks SUNY Potsdam!

Earlier this week, I attended an info session at the SUNY office on 42nd street hosted by SUNY Potsdam. We have had a few ElRo students enroll at Potsdam in the past, but this was a wonderful re-introduction to the campus and offerings.

Let me start by saying that absolute best part of SUNY Potsdam: it is testing optional. Only one other 4-year school in the SUNY system (SUNY Delhi) can say the same. That means Potsdam understands that for some students, their academics are a better representation of their potential than their test scores. I'm eager for the day that more SUNY schools follow suit.

Despite being about 6.5 hours away, 40% of students are from New York City. A common criticism I've heard of schools upstate is how the campus culture is so different from what city kids are used to. Here, while the location is certainly not in a large city, at least your fellow classmates are likely to be able to relate to the adjustment required to small town life. Potsdam is also located near SUNY Canton, St. Lawrence University, and Clarkson so there are about 12,000 college age students in the immediate area. (There is also a cross registration agreement where students can take courses at these other campuses, all included as part of their Potsdam tuition).

Academically, some signature programs at Potsdam include: the Crane school of Music (audition required), theater and studio art, and the school of professional studies which includes both education and business.

The average GPA of an admitted student is an 88, but students with stronger numbers are offered scholarships. Considering the full price is only about $20,000 per year, this makes Potsdam one of the most generous and affordable campuses in the state for ElRo students. For students who do submit testing, the merit scholarship range starts at 24 ACT/1100 SAT. Again, we are talking about a very very high probability of merit aid for ElRo students.

Potsdam isn't just an awesome fit for top students. They also have fantastic options for students that might need additional support to be successful in college. They offer both a traditional EOP program and a Bridges program (without the same household income requirements) to allow for a pathway to college for students who might otherwise have a hard time finding a good fit.

I was pleased with all that we got to hear at the information session and if just made me more eager to make a trip up North. Thank you Potsdam!

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