Denison University
OVERVIEW
Student body size: 2100
One of the “Science 50” – 50 liberal arts colleges that have produced unusually high numbers of scientists (National Research Council)
One of the “Business 50” (Standard and Poor’s data)
One of the “International 50” – preparing students for international service, diplomacy, and scholarship. (US Department of Education)
SAT Optional: This policy allows strong students to apply who feel that standardized tests are not a true reflection of their abilities
Denison offers both need and merit-based financial aid to qualified international students
ABOUT
Denison University, tucked into the quaint, small, and beautiful hamlet of Granville, draws “driven, competitive, and highly involved” students from diverse backgrounds. Thanks to Denison’s small size, there’s ample opportunity to interact (and do research with) professors and to form close relationships with peers as everyone focuses on the liberal arts. Denison’s campus is set atop rolling hills in central Ohio.
Ebaugh Laboratories, home to Denison’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is a new facility that includes several classrooms of varying size, six teaching laboratories, research lab spaces for faculty, and instrumentation rooms on each floor.
Denison’s general education requirements are division-based. Students take two first-year seminars, and then during their four years, two courses each in the fine arts, the sciences (one with lab), the social sciences, the humanities, and a foreign language. Students must also complete an “interdivisional requirement” by selecting a course from one of seven interdisciplinary programs, including black studies, East Asian studies, environmental studies, international studies, Latin American and Caribbean studies, queer studies, and women’s studies.
The environment is more collaborative than competitive and the key to success is effective time management. The PPE major is effectively a triple major in philosophy, political science, and economics. “The modern languages department is excellent and offers great opportunities outside the classroom. Physics is an extremely strong department with some of the best faculty members on campus.
Denison’s 350-acre biological reserve is a boon for environmental studies majors. The school encourages students to pursue independent research or to work with faculty members on their projects, and gives 125 students summer stipends of $3,700 plus housing and research support for supplies and travel each year.
Classes are small, and individual attention is the norm. Professors are highly qualified and always place the emphasis on teaching as opposed to their own research.
As a participant in the Denison Internship Program, formerly known as May Term, students select from more than 250 internships around the country. Twenty-eight percent of Denison’s population is homegrown, and 6 percent come from abroad.
Ninety-nine percent of Denison students live on campus; the only ones allowed to live elsewhere are those commuting from home. Options range from singles to apartments with kitchens. “Some dorms are newer and in better condition than others, but Denison does a fairly good job of regularly renovating and maintaining all of the buildings. Housing is guaranteed for four years.
There are very good scholarships and Need-Based Aid available for International Students and this will be discussed in the presentation.