Kent Main or Kent Trumbull

By Gianna DeMark

“Where are you planning on attending College?” This is a tough question to ask because choosing which university to attend for the next four years of someone’s life is a difficult decision to make. Frequently, it comes down to a few schools that people have a hard time choosing between. If an individual is debating over going to either Kent State University’s main campus or Kent Trumbull, look no further than the Trumbull campus. While both campuses have their pros and cons, in the end, Kent Trumbull is the best option when choosing between these two schools.

Kent Trumbull:

Offers smaller class sizes, which allows for more individualized attention from professors.

There are fewer distractions from things like parties.

It is substantially cheaper than attending Kent’s main campus.

The Kent Trumbull campus has substantially fewer students enrolled than Kent’s main campus. Kent State Trumbull’s website section titled, Facts and Figures, states that Kent Trumbull has 2,100 students enrolled with an average student to faculty ratio of 14:1 (Facts and Figures, n.d.). On the other hand, Kent State’s website section titled, Student Overview, explains that Kent Main has 25,000+ undergraduate and graduate students, and 92% of classes have about 50 students or less (Student Overview, n.d.). These numbers are drastically different from one another which can have a significant impact on students. Having smaller class sizes and teacher to student ratios provides more individualized attention from professors, which can help students perform better in school.

In the article from Freemont University, Benefits of a Smaller Class Size, it states, “It has been proven that students learn faster and perform better in smaller class sizes” (Benefits of a Smaller Class size, para. 1, 2013). The article then goes on to explain the many reasons why this is. One reason is because since smaller class sizes create more individualized attention from professors, the professors have the ability to get to know students better and form a closer relationship. This allows professors to learn things about their students including their learning styles, and tailor their teachings to benefit students in the most effective way. This then helps students succeed in their academics (Benefits of a Smaller Class size, 2013). Kent Trumbull has these smaller classes which allows for students to form these bonds with professors allowing them to succeed. Kent Main has bigger class sizes, which could make achieving these relationships much more difficult.

When I asked Kent Trumbull freshman, Meghan Dewall, if she feels as though Kent Trumbull’s smaller class sizes have allowed her to be more successful, she said, “Yes, because it’s easier to talk to the professor and ask them questions” (M. Dewall, personal communication, February 1, 2023). This once again proves that the smaller class sizes that Kent Trumbull provides allows for students to get more attention from professors allowing them to get more out of their education.

I also interviewd another student, Hayden DeMark. Hayden DeMark is a former student of Kent Trumbull, and currently attends Ohio State University, where he is in his senior year. I asked DeMark to talk about the differences in Kent Trumbull’s and Ohio State’s class sizes. He explained that Ohio State’s class sizes were much larger than Kent Trumbull’s, and he went on to say, “I feel like I can’t communicate with my professors and get to know them as well as I did my professors at Kent Trumbull” (H. DeMark, personal communication, February 10, 2023). Ohio State is a bigger university, just like Kent Main, meaning that it is likely many students at Kent Main are having a similar experience to Hayden DeMarks. Kent Trumbull’s smaller class sizes however, prevent this from happening.

Kent Trumbull allows for fewer distractions to be inflicted upon students as well. When I asked Meghan Dewall about partying being a distraction in her college she explained, “All of the parties are held at Kent Main, not Kent Trumbull” (M. Dewall, personal communication, February 1, 2023). This is a positive because partying in college can be a severe detriment towards students grades. In the article, Party Culture: The Dark Side of College Partying, the author, Noelle Walker states that, “About 25 percent of college students reported having academic consequences due to drinking, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism” (Walker, para. 49, 2019). Since Kent Trumbull’s students are not exposed to these types of parties as often as Kent Main’s students, they will then have a greater chance of success in their academics. Meghan Dewall is a great example of this. Dewall went on in her interview when I asked her about partying at Kent Trumbull. She explained that since all of the parties are held at Kent Main and not at Kent Trumbull, she has the ability to stay more focused and keep track of her assignments since she is not going out partying every weekend. (M. Dewall, personal communication, February 1, 2023). Finally, one last positive of attending Kent Trumbull over Kent Main is the cost.

If one were to compare the cost of Kent Trumbull’s tuition to Kent Main, the numbers would be drastically different. When analyzing the section on Kent State’s website titled, Tuition and Other Costs it is shown that tuition for an undergraduate attending Kent Main is about 12,304 dollars. Kent Trumbull is considered a Regional Campus, and tuition for one of these campuses is about 6,962 dollars (Tuition and other costs, n.d). This is a significant difference, and I asked the Assistant Dean of Kent Trumbull, Dr. Adil Wadia, why this is. When interviewed, Dr. Wadia explained to me that this type of question was not in his field of expertise, so he reached out to his fellow colleague Nicolette Fenlock for assistance (A. Wadia, personal communication, March 6, 2023). Nicolette Fenlock is the Director of Enrollment Management and Student Services at Kent Trumbull. Fenlock explained that “The Regional Campuses are designed to provide access to affordable education within local communities, which is why the tuition rates are lower and the admission is open to all students” (N. Fenlock, personal communication, March 7, 2023). Kent Trumbull, along with the many other regional campuses, is designed to offer affordable costs to students, thus making it less expensive compared to Kent Main.

I questioned Hayden DeMark in his interview if he regrets switching from Kent Trumbull to Ohio State University, regarding cost. He responded saying, “I absolutely regret switching schools when it comes to cost. Ohio State is significantly more expensive than Kent Trumbull was, and I am going to have a lot more debt than I would have if I had just stuck with Trumbull” (H. DeMark, personal communication, February 10, 2023). Ohio State’s website section titled, Basic Costs shows that Ohio State has a tuition price of 12,485 dollars for first year students (Basic Costs, n.d.). As stated previously, the tuition for Kent Main is about 12,304 dollars. This similar cost of tuition between Kent Main and Ohio State University means that there are likely many other Kent Main students that will have similar debt and regrets that DeMark does. Students attending Kent Trumbull, however, do not have to worry about financial struggles nearly as much since they have to pay about half the tuition cost of 6,962 dollars (Tuition and other costs, n.d).

When choosing between Kent Trumbull and Kent Main, the obvious choice is Kent Trumbull. Kent Trumbull offers smaller class sizes, it provides fewer distractions, and it is substantially cheaper. Kent Trumbull students and staff have supported these facts which furthers this argument. It is important to add that Kent Main is an incredible school, and there is nothing wrong with attending the institution. When comparing it with Kent Trumbull, however, it is clear that Trumbull is the better option.

Interviewees –

Nicolette Fenlock

Director of Enrollment 

Management and Student Services

Adil Wadia 

Assistant Dean

Meghan Dewall

Kent Trumbull

Undecided Major

Administration [Photograph]. Kent Trumbull

https://www.kent.edu/trumbull/administration

Admissions and Advising Staff [Photograph]. Kent Trumbull. https://www.kent.edu/trumbull/admissions-enrollment-contacts

5 benefits of smaller classes for online & on campus college students. Fremont University. (2013, February 16). Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://fremont.edu/5-benefits-of-smaller-classes/#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20proven%20that,between%20the%20instructor%20and%20students.

Basic costs. Basic costs include tuition, food and housing. – The Ohio State University. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2023, from http://undergrad.osu.edu/cost-and-aid/basic-costs

Facts & figures. Kent State University. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.kent.edu/trumbull/facts-figures

Student overview. Kent State University. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.kent.edu/facts-figures/student-overview

Tuition and other costs. Kent State University. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.kent.edu/financialaid/tuition-and-other-costs

Walker, N. (2019, August 26). Party culture: The dark side of college partying. The George-Anne Media Group. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://thegeorgeanne.com/1862/reflector/reflector-features/party-culture-the-dark-side-of-college-

partying/#:~:text=Lockhart%20and%20Kiskunes%20both%20said,and%20take%20away%20your%20time.