Parents’ Weekend at Darling Daughter’s new alma mater, Kenyon College, reminded me of how true it is that college is wasted on the young.
First, the food. When I was in college, we had a stainless steel tub of meat, a tub of vegetables, a tub of starch, and a tub of stale bread. They were labeled but we never believed what they said except for once when the tub of stewed tomatoes bore the label “Biology Experiment”. Amazingly enough it was still full at the end of dinner.
At Kenyon, they choose from a Mongolian barbecue bar, a salad bar, a grill, a special daily entrée, and, most important, a dessert bar. My daughter complains about the lack of variety.
Second, the athletic facitilies. Look at this picture of the Kenyon Athletic Center pool, affectionately known as “the KAC”. Only the varsity athletes had facilities like these when I was in college. Nowadays everyone gets access.
Third, the classes. How’s this for a classroom?
This is where my Darling Daughter’s Shakespeare course is held. I was happy to discover that they still teach the same things in English (my major), and it made me long for the good old days of theme and imagery. I love that stuff and so does D. D., a chip off the old block.
Fourth, study abroad. In my day, you had to sell your firstborn to study off-campus. Now it’s almost expected that students will spend at least a semester out of the country. D. D.’s planning to go to England. I’m in favor of this because I plan to go visit her. Don’t tell her though!
