Kenyon College

Date: Oct 10 2008
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
Kenyon was the perfect place for me. When I was in High School, I stressed over what the best school was for me. I wanted to act, so I wanted a place with a great network and successful graduates. I liked the grandeur of Harvard, and the atmosphere of Brown and the diversity of Duke… but each new school I visited seemed to have at least something missing. I pointed out that the music department at Brown was a long walk from the dorms… and that the professors at Harvard saw giving lectures as a chore and prevented them from doing their real work… And Duke had a huge party scene…

And I realized why I thought this. The first place I had visited was Kenyon. Nothing else compared to it. Everything at Kenyon is within walking distance, the teachers are accessible and the students are way to interesting to want to forget all of their weekends at college.

My high school guidance counsellor said it was best to revisit before binding yourself to a school so I applied regular decision to Kenyon. I got in everywhere I applied (Duke, Pomona, Cornell, Bowdin, Brown) but it was clear where I wanted to go.

FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN ACTING…

Do not be pulled in by the allure of Juilliard and TISCH for undergraduate. I considered that route for a long time and it is simply not a degree that will prepare you for the world. You need a liberal arts degree to be treated seriously in theater. Performance art undergrads earn the respect of soap operas and broadway shows but past 28 years old, jobs are going to be nearly impossible to find. I played with the idea of these schools before realizing the harsh reality of their worth. GET A DEGREE. Pursue a masters if you must… That's what I'm doing!

Kenyon prepared me immensely for the world of theater, and I am currently at the Tisch School at NYU to get a masters in directing. I've already directed several fringe shows.

It's without a doubt the best place I could have gone. There's nothing like it in the world. It got me to think critically and… I just can't imagine my life without Kenyon. You'll be thinking about Middle Path for the rest of your life.