Visit Day Inspires Enthusiasm in Prospective Students

For students, the event may have felt a little peculiar: masses of tour groups traipsing in and out of Peirce and little wooden signs outside of every building along Middle Path. Last Sunday, Kenyon hosted the Fall Overnight Visit Program, when over 65 prospective students visited the school to get a better feel for campus before applying.

Some were in love even before they set foot on Middle Path. Although it’s only October, Casey from Massachusetts has already declared it her first choice.

“I’ve known about Kenyon since I was in middle school, and it’s a perfect fit for me. It’s my dream school,” Casey said.

Casey is so informed about the College that she already has plans to apply as a writer for the Collegian’s blog, The Thrill, which she says she reads almost religiously at home.

Rose from New York, who had already visited last May, said the overnight visit day cemented her taste for Kenyon, in part because of the camaraderie she experienced with her potential graduating class.

“The campus is really beautiful, and everyone is friendly, the people who go here and actually the prospies too. We’re all making connections with each other already, which is cool,” Rose said. “I came in May and it was really empty. Only seven people were on campus and I talked to all of them, but they were all really nice, and they described … what it was like when people are actually here. I guess I always liked Kenyon, and I still do after visiting now.”

For Andrew from Ohio, it was not only the friendliness of students and fellow prospies that enchanted him of Kenyon, but the kindness of faculty as well.

“Everyone is willing to help and [has] a lot of interest in us, even the teachers. Over the summer when I came, I went to the Science Quad and a few professors talked to me one-on-one, and that was really cool, because they were talking to me, and I was just a prospective student,” Andrew said.

Sarah from Pennsylvania, however, wasn’t sure about Kenyon before she arrived on campus. “I go to a large high school, so I was worried about Kenyon being too small. I thought it wouldn’t be very diverse … not just racially, but in personality. I figured a small liberal arts school would attract the same kind of nice, smart kids, and that would be it.”

But Sarah was pleasantly surprised after spending some time with Kenyon students. “There are good types of people here. And I expected people here to be friendly, but not so friendly. I got lost and everyone was so genuinely ready to help.”

Not all surprises were as gentle as Sarah’s, though. For Julia from California, the size of Gambier was shocking.

“I knew that Gambier is tiny, but it’s actually tiny,” Julia said. “I mean, I think I can work with that, but still, it was a surprise.”

Having prospective students on campus brought back memories of college visits for some current Kenyon students. Russell Levine ’14 only had good things to say about them.

“Spending the night on campus really gives you a good feel for what a college is about. Even if you have a bad host who doesn’t take you anywhere, you can still go out on your own and have your own adventure, which is fun.”

For prospective student Donnie from Maryland, exploring and talking to random students was one of the best parts.

“It’s better than I expected here,” Donnie said. “People are actually a lot funnier than I thought they would be. I mean, this one guy in a beanie was doing this old Jewish grandmother impression and it was really funny.”

However, some students don’t find overnight visits useful. Anna Yukevich ’16 set foot on campus for the first time on move-in day this August, and she doesn’t regret it.

“Visiting Kenyon would have meant spending a lot of extra money,” she said. “I already knew I wanted to go here, so what was the point? I’ve never been so happy in my life, so it all worked out.”