The other private (exclusive, highly selective, and larger....grad schools) LA school that we looked at and were seriously considering, reeked of entitlement. The school culture was so different from Depauw. My son spent a weekend there. All of us were very turned off by it. The students didn't really seem to take their education seriously. Were they smart....oh yeah! But, not very many that I would like to know personally!

Kenyon is a very fine school. Job placement rate is always a good thing to ask about when deciding to attend a school, and asking how active their alumni association is. You paid for the brand, so you might as well find out if you want to wear it proudly! At a good school, alums will help new students get their foot in the door in their respective careers. We were at Depauw on a weekend where there was major celebrating. My husband, son, and I were rather amused. We were there during the height of partying. The Depauw staff and the coach my son was visiting warned the parents that it would be a party weekend. I have to say...it was very mild (compared to our state universities) and the drunks were very polite. We live in a major university town. That being said, stupid people do stupid things...and that will happen anywhere. I'd much rather have it out in the open, it's easier to monitor. Small colleges in the middle of no where tend to have a very active Greek system. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The Greek system now stresses community service. Usually a college in a small town is a major employer. Many times the locals see it as a "them & us" kind of deal. The Greek systems work hard to bridge the two communities. At Depauw, we meet several students who are not part of the Greek system. I asked if it excluded them in any way. They all replied that it wasn't like high school, it didn't make a difference and that they were all welcome to come party with them (or not:001_smile:), or hang out at the house at any time. The students at Depauw impressed us as being very self assured and very focused. They study hard, they take their classes seriously, and they like hanging out discussing....whatever. The President of the University showed up at the coaches grill-out that evening. My son said he was very engaged and fit right in with the students. He knows most of them by name. We heard all sorts of stories about him that weekend, all good...from faculty, staff, and most of all, the students. He wants everyone to make a difference. Internships are a part of the four year experience, networking with professional alums is encouraged and facilitated. Their job placement rate is very high. Just taking a year off after college and working two minimum wage jobs while living (and eating) at home, can get a student out of debt quickly. It's wrong to encourage our kids to take on the debt without having a plan in place for them to pay it off.

May I ask why he has decided to decline? And, where did he decide on? I realize that every school is not a good fit. And sometimes it just can't be explained. My son's first choice was a school that he had wanted to go to for quite some time. We really didn't think too much about DePauw, but after a visit, it became his number one choice.

oops, "made an appeal"

My son has been accepted to DePauw. It is a little out of our reach because of our EFC. We made and appeal, and were told that all the money had been distributed, and that my son could take out a loan for the difference. He REALLY wants to go there. It is a very good fit for him. Our state university would mean less debt and a very good program. What to do?

Ohh, that's an excellent idea. I can live with that. That is the BEST way of answering the question without being dishonest and still giving my son credit for the massive amount of reading (and yes, very eclectic) that he does. Thank you everyone for your help. Gwen, What is your son studying and is he enjoying his college choice?

Our library does not keep records because of the 911 privacy law. Wouldn't it just be better to admit that you did not keep a list, and perhaps mention authors and genre?

University of Chicago requires that home educated students submit a reading list (all books read for courses and pleasure). We have a record of all the books that we used for high school. But, did not keep records of all books read. This son reads, everything! How do I honestly answer this question? This son has 70 credits at the local community college (dual enrolled) and very high test scores (mensa level). I always wanted my children to read for pleasure, not because we were keeping a list.