Oberlin College Visit Report by mamenyu

Visit Activities:

Admissions Interview: Yes - Friendly interview, informative; about half an hour with student and 10 minutes with parents and student.

Information Session: Yes - We attended open house: a panel discussion with some excellent speakers, in question-answer format.

Campus Tour: Yes - Friendly tour guide with an open heart, very informative.

Classroom Visit: Yes - attended a studio class and academic class; visitors can attend most classes on a walk-in basis.

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Campus:

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Students working as tour guides and in restaurants were very friendly; comfortable feel walking around the campus.

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Staff at the open house were very friendly -- the head of admissions greeted everyone personally.

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Attractive campus, with nice open areas, lots of trees. It was surprisingly large, quiet, nice old stone buildings with some newer additions, including library, science building.

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The campus was clean, felt very safe.

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Dorms look nice from outside; lots of types of dorms; visited inside of Russian theme house, which was very attractive.

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Walked through campus at night, including Tappan Square and felt totally safe.

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Lots of students sitting outside in groups; the Conservatory was bustling at all hours.

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Off-Campus:

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Tappan Square is a lovely space, right next to campus; the residential areas around campus have a New Englandy feel.

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Tiny town (though twice the size of Williamstown) with attractive buildings but only one cinema and a couple of funky craft stores; short on clothing/shoe stores and could use a good espresso place.

Campus Visit Notes for Oberlin College

Visit Description:

We spent 3 days in Oberlin visiting the College and Conservatory. It was worth spending the extra time because our first impression was that it was maybe too quiet and rural, but after walking around and all times of day we saw a lot of activity and vibrancy. It is a large campus, flat, with several large green areas, nice old buildings mixed in with modern ones; the Conservatory and King are like origami cutouts and screamed "architect." The library was a nice space, with primary colors that made it look a little like a nursery school in the study areas -- in a fun way. The students were very casually dressed -- jeans, teeshirts for boys, layered tops for girls (there are no clothing stores in town to speak of, so fashion is evidently not a big thing there). Not at all preppy, but not in-your-face counter-cultural either (only one girl with blue hair). Not very racially diverse, though the school aims at diversity as part of its long tradition as part of the underground railroad. Saw students on bikes, sitting on the grass in small groups, a few walking on tight ropes strung between trees. Did not see many professors around, except in the Conservatory. Clearly not for someone wanting an urban setting -- Cleveland is a long drive away and not very appealing when you get there (though we spent very little time exploring) -- the downtown was dead and filled with empty buildings; the area around Case Western and the Art Museum was hectic and congested.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

We stayed at a Holiday Inn (I think) in Elyria (passable) and Oberlin Inn (a little seedy, thin sheets and towels), but unbeatable location.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

Weia Teia, an Asian fusion restaurant -- very good, reasonably priced; The Feve -- good sandwiches, very reasonable; a cafe across the street from the Feve, very good breakfast. Good sandwiches and salads in the student union.

Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):

Amish country about 1.5 hours away; lovely drive through New England-like area; Oberlin art museum and Frank Lloyd Wright usonian house are definitely worth visits.