Kenyon college in Gambier, Ohio is well known as a school for writing; perhaps you have heard of the Kenyon Review, where Kenyon students can work reviewing submissions to this prestigious literary magazine. Writing is deeply embedded in all departments, And Kenyon, in fact, publishes many literary magazines, for example, Lyceum, a literary science magazine, which seemed to me the intersection of poetry and science. But the sciences are strong here as well. I had the privilege of speaking with a physics professor and he claimed that the physics department is exceedingly strong at Kenyon, and it's defined not by the courses you take but by the experiences you have. It's an enormously collaborative atmospher. In fact, students in the department have their own desks in offices in the department. Yes, exactly where you would expect to find professors greeting students during their office hours, there are spaces for students pursuing studies in physics. I spoke with an undergraduate who was presenting research at 2 major physics conferences alongside professors and post docs. Opportunities here seem to be enormous. Students live on campus for all four years, and when asked if students ever say that there's nothing to do on campus, the answer was "Never!" The student body is 18% Greek and there are 12 a capella groups. I'm told that students ask not what frat you're in, but what a capella group! 50% of juniors study abroad for at least one semester, and a third of students are athletes. But there is also a very strong music and theater presence. Football is considered a joke here, but lacrosse, soccer and swimming are very strong, and there's a lot of fan support, with an intense Denison/ Kenyon rivalry. Here's something I love: all clubs must have at least one event per year that all students are invited to. Here are some things I don't love: there is no student union, which is a bit odd. Also, while there is only one dining hall, It has 2 dining rooms - I was told by the students that one is filled with athletes and students involved in Greek life and the other is filled with artsy students. And that makes me kind of sad. I was also told that town/gown relations are very tense and that local residents don't like the very wealthy students driving their fancy cars into town. Also, the student panel presented to us during the information session at the end of April was not impressive, I must honestly tell you. There were 2 seniors amongst the 5 and neither had plans after graduation, neither seemed concerned about it, and neither seemed to be looking to rectify it. It could have been an anomaly but it did not reflect well on Kenyon at all. Overall, if a student is looking for a very selective college with a great alumni network, one hour from a major airport but in the middle of nowhere, Kenyon could fit the bill.