Kenyon College is a small liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio with 200 years of history and under 2,000 students. 100% of students live on campus, nurturing a fully-immersive and inclusive residential community. The college has a deep commitment to multi-disciplinary learning and cross-disciplinary mastery, with students layering literature over science, and math over philosophy to gain a deeper understanding of the world. Overarching everything Kenyon offers is a passion for the written word, and Kenyon expects all of their students to graduate as strong writers regardless of their major.
Kenyon is ideal for students who don’t want to be put into a box. They receive over 8,000 applications, and the acceptance rate is just over 30%. Students have access to over 50 majors and courses of study, but there are a few that truly stand out as some of the best programs in the country. In this post, we break down the top 5 majors at Kenyon (in no particular order), with a focus not just on what you get while at Kenyon, but also how the major sets you up for future success.
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What do we mean by best major?
First off, let’s clarify what we mean by ‘best’, because it could be defined in many ways. Here, we’re looking at majors that offer a combination of resources, depth of the program (number of faculty and diversity of courses offered), and the post-graduation results and resources available to students. With that in mind, here are our top five favorite majors at Kenyon College.
Classics
If you’re into classical history (think Greek and Roman mythology, but also so much more than that, the Classics program at Kenyon may be perfect for you. The Classics department at Kenyon is deep, with decades of expertise and research for students to pull on and learn from. Programs in Latin and Greek, including required language study, inform the program, and students have access to amazing off-campus programs like the College Year in Athens and the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome. Classics majors at Kenyon have previously gone on to work as teachers at top private schools, worked with the U.S. Department of Defense, led theater companies, founded a brewery, worked as journalists at top publications, and even become an Assistant attorney general. Basically, the opportunities after Kenyon are endless, and expand far beyond the standard trajectory of a Classics degree.
Modern Languages and Literatures
Ok, so this isn’t a singular major, but it is a really important and unique component of what Kenyon offers students. Not many small liberal arts schools have deep foreign language programs with both majors and minors not just in the most common languages taught in the US (Spanish and French, most notably), but also in languages that are hard to learn here but that can pay massive dividends if you ever want to work overseas or with an international company. Students at Kenyon can major or minor in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. There is also an introductory American Sign Language (ASL) program students can access to augment their language studies. Through a study of language at Kenyon, students gain deep understanding of culture, context, literature, and simple communication, setting a foundation for a lifetime of learning and exploration. Students in the program have gone on to become Fulbright Scholars, educators, lawyers, and CEOs, and to work for top international corporations.
Biology
Students in the biology major at Kenyon are able to conduct research from day 1 — literally. The college boasts a high rate (about 90%) of graduates gaining acceptance to medical school, and Kenyon “ranks eighth in the country (ahead of every Ivy) for the proportion of STEM grads to earn a doctorate in the field.” STEM students at Kenyon also know how to communicate what they study in a way that galvanizes and inspires people, because of the writing focus at the college. Graduates go on to become doctors, ecologists and environmentalists, researchers, lawyers, and even leaders at science museums.
Kenyon is known for writing and the humanities, but the unique STEM experience they can offer students through majors like biology is where we feel they really shine, bringing together a truly unique offering of humanities excellence that runs in conjunction with, not separated from, the STEM fields.
Dance, Drama & Film
Kenyon is a power hitter when it comes to preparing students for careers in the arts. Graduates of the dance, drama, and film program have gone on to lead festivals, produce films and stage productions, and, of course, act and dance themselves. Well-known former students include Josh Radnor, Paul Newman (yes, that Paul Newman), Allison Janney, and many more memorable faces. The college has been producing work for the stage since 1848, and they maintain a small average class size of only 20 students. There are dozens of classes to choose from each year, more than nearly any other small or mid-sized liberal arts school, and seniors complete a capstone project that includes an oral discussion of their work and a written defense.
English
English is far-and-away the major Kenyon is most well-known for, and for good reason. Kenyon is a writing centric college, so obviously this is where it shines. The Kenyon Review is one of the most esteemed and prestigious literary magazines in the country, and students play a key role in the publication. You can also do an emphasis in creative writing, joining a long tradition of accomplished writers at Kenyon like author John Green and Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes. The Kenyon-Exeter program allows English majors to study the origins of English literature in its birthplace, and student can look towards the future by exploring the digital humanities. They can also pair an English major with a STEM focus through the Science and Nature Writing program.
Final Thoughts
Kenyon is a college with deep history, strong roots, and a passion for pushing the education field forward. They created the system of professors systematically and structurally advising students, known as faculty advising, which has spread to colleges and universities globally. They are a top producer of Fulbright Fellows, and encourage students to invent, experiment, and create. If this is exciting to you, sign up to visit campus virtually or in-person to learn more about how you can chart your path at Kenyon.
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