Oberlin College Visit Report by BassDad

Visit Activities:

Information Session: Yes - Well-organized information sessions with separate tracks for students and parents. The parents session covered a wide range of topics and was led by an impressive array of faculty and staff members.

Campus Tour: Yes - The standard tour with an enthusiastic student walking backwards through the campus leading four prospies and their families. Separate tour of the Conservatory covered less ground in greater detail.

Classroom Visit: Yes - We sat in on an excellent orchestra rehearsal. It was their first look at the score for Alexander Nevsky and the lesson included references to history (both medieval and WWII), cinema and propaganda.

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Campus:

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Quote from a student on move-in day, "Man with box on head has right of way over bicycle." (I'd waited for him to pass as we crossed the street while resting my arms on the last load i

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Exemplary.

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A mix of architectural styles which is interesting to some and off-putting to others. In general the place looks lived-in and comfortable, neither too grungy nor too sterile.

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It was getting toward the end of the school year and some dorms were in need of maintenance that would probably happen over the summer. A few untidy areas outside but nothing all that terrible.

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They run the gamut from typical tiny freshman rooms to some with closets large enough to be singles. New rules keep most students in school housing for 3 years. Interesting coops and theme houses.

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Although there have been a few recent incidents of friction between students and younger townsfolk, I never felt unsafe anywhere or at any time on campus or in the "Downtown Oberlin" area.

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The place has its quirks and is definitely not for everyone. I highly recommend a visit to determine whether it is the right place for you.

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Off-Campus:

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"Downtown Oberlin" has a Keilloresque assortment of local businesses where, "if you can't find it, you can probably do without it." There is a standard-issue mall in Elyria,

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A sleepy little town with a very active college at its center. Expect the standard town/gown friction with some notable areas of cooperation.

Campus Visit Notes for Oberlin College

Visit Description:

For some reason, when I submit this review several of the answers are cut off at less than the 200-character limit. Here are the last sentences of those that have been truncated.

Friendliness/Courtesy of Students: (I'd waited for him to pass as we crossed the street while resting my arms on the last load into the dorms.)

Area Immediately Around Campus: There is a standard-issue mall in Elyria, a 20-minute ride away.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments: A few B&B's nearby.

Apparently daughter liked the place - she is in her second year and is still very happy with her choice. She is getting top notch musical training at the Conservatory and has the resources of the College at her disposal to satisfy her academic side.

If you are looking for 80,000 fans in the football stadium, your choice of frat parties, perfect year-round weather, shopping galore, multiple Starbucks locations and easy access to a major city, then you can cross Oberlin off the list without a second thought. The "middle of a cornfield" image is more of a metaphor than a reality. There are a few farms about, but the corn rows don't start up in "Field of Dreams" fashion everywhere the college ends.

I imagine that, after a few years, the place could start feeling kind of small. With fewer than 3000 undergraduates and only a handful of grad students, you are going to be running into the same people over and over. That is offset by the sheer number of things going on during the school year - check out the calendar on the Oberlin College website for details.

Speaking of the website, it is not very well organized. There is an incredible amount of useful information available, but you have to be patient and persistent to find most of it.

I also suggest having a look at the school newspaper at http://www.oberlin.edu/stupub/ocreview/ It gives you some idea of the student's perspective of the place and, while in no way an unbiased source of information, it is an interesting foil to the official information provided on the rest of the official college web site.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

Oberlin Inn has great location but is expensive for the level of amenities provided. About a dozen chain motels 20 minutes away in Elyria are reasonably priced but a bit seedy. A few B&B's

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

Black River Cafe has very good food but is chronically understaffed. Agave burrito bar serves huge portions and uses fresh ingredients but does not have much variety. The Feve is decent but crowded.

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

The local bus to Cleveland runs 3x per day but the last one returns around 7PM. Not much within walking distance except the college. I have never had problems finding parking, even on move-in day.