Oberlin College Visit Report by smithie13

Visit Activities:

Admissions Interview: Yes - Very relaxed and comfortable, seemed interested in writing background, but very short - 20 min. tops. Strange girl, though (can't place why).

Information Session: Yes - Very informative and friendly almuni but asked a pop quiz question out of no where and put one of the visiting students on the spot who said a completely obvious wrong answer.

Campus Tour: Yes - Very clean spacious modern buildings. Take pride in their environmental awareness. The student tour guide knew his stuff but seemed a little snobby about his academics. VERY small town around campus.

Classroom Visit: Yes - Physics class - very young quirky teacher, interactive with class. Class was quiet and attentive. Very planned out and well organized lessons.

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Campus:

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Cliques present on campus - Music Conserv. students, the athletes, the "nerds," and another group whom a girl referred to as the "really weird" ones (not quite sure what that means

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Very smiley, young, love their job, good directions.

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The buildings are all about taste, not for those who prefer queen anne or gothic architecture like Vassar. Very flat. Nice art pieces on campus. A LOT of bikes. No drugs/alcohol seen or heard of.

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Gym couldn't be better, classrooms and cafeteria very large. Caf. had round tables, a lot of large windows, food was great & lots of choices. Also hard to tell in the dead of winter.

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Rooms are VERY SMALL, almost clostrophobic. Not much space for your own touches. Long hallways, co-ed bathrooms not so perfect.

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No security seen but not much to protect students from in the first place. Buildings require campus card entry.

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Not my style, but if you're not looking for an exceptional place to live in and just want the basics like good food and a nice gym it's decent. School isn't known for its campus.

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Off-Campus:

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Not much to do, but neighborhood is very friendly. A lot of things going on on campus to keep students from getting bored. Great coffee.

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Flat, snowy, city students would get homesick fast.

Campus Visit Notes for Oberlin College

Visit Description:

I stayed over the weekend in one of the dorms with a girl on the tennis team (i'm a recruit). The tennis coach was very welcoming and planned out my day though it seemed overwhelming at first. I had a tour with a young man who was very informative but boasted about how many AP classes he took in high school in a condescending manner (i took more than him but let it slide). We took a basic tour though I would have liked to see more of the insides of buildings and more classrooms. All the teachers I met were very nice, some students had poor social skills and were awkward (i assumed it was b/c they weren't sociable in high school, it seemed like all the Music Conservatory students were like this except for one who was also on the tennis team, i didn't hold it against them). It takes a certain kind of student to enroll at Oberlin, I HIGHLY recommend visiting at least once before you decide to enroll. Don't plan on seeing anything too interesting - it IS in Ohio. Still, a GREAT academic program with students who really enjoy being in the classroom (my interviewer told me something like 70% of graduates join the Peace Corps). They highly prize their art museum on campus and a lot of ppl will push you to visit it (i didn't have time).

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

I stayed at a basic little turquoise motel. I don't remember the name though it was something like the "Sunrise Motel." $70/night, no food, eat at any cafe across from the college.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

I hear the Oberlin Inn has terrible food (a friend visited last year). It's not too easy to find arrangements so plan ahead of time.

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

In the middle of no where, the only attraction is the college itself. Once again, NOT for a city kid. Extremely cold brutal winters (there was 5 ft of shovelled snow). I didn't notice any bus sys