Class of Distinction
From Kenyon News - March 21, 2016
Within five minutes of admission decisions going live Friday, March 18, at 6 p.m., 111 students who had been accepted into the Class of 2020 viewed their purple thumbs-up of approval online. An hour later, more than half of the class learned they were selected to join the Kenyon community this fall.
“As Kenyon works toward the fulfillment of its ambitious strategic plan for 2020, the admitted Class of 2020 represents an important milestone in that direction,” Diane Anci, vice president of enrollment management and dean of admissions and financial aid, said. “Working within the framework provided by institutional goals and priorities, we carefully constructed a class that honors Kenyon's past, reinforces our current strengths and builds for the future.”
Members of the incoming class were chosen from a competitive pool of 6,400 applicants representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, three U.S. territories and 108 countries. Of the 1,688 offers extended, the most were sent to students in California, Ohio and New York. Internationally, Kenyon admitted 92 students from 37 countries, a 4 percent increase from 2015.
“This is a tribute to the hard-working and talented staff in the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid,” Anci said. “The contributions they make to the College’s enrollment are remarkable: logging thousands of miles of travel, personally connecting with hundreds of students, collaborating with high school staff across the country and world, and intensively reading 6,400 applications.”
The academic profile of the class is as impressive as its geographic diversity. Average SAT scores rose 13 points from last year and the average GPA increased to 4.09. Among the accomplished students receiving a thumbs-up from Kenyon are aspiring writers, scientists, entrepreneurs, politicians, artists and educators. They include a scientist conducting graduate-level research on turning algae into biofuels, a champion from “Jeopardy! Kids Week,” a political lobbyist for bills supporting federal block grants for needy families, and a filmmaker whose work was shown at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Admitted students and their families are invited to visit campus throughout April and register for a Thumbs Up overnight program April 10-11 or 17-18. Responses to offers are due to the Office of Admissions by May 1.