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Oberlin College Visit Report by Keilexandra
Visit to Oberlin College in April 2009 by Keilexandra (Student, HS Class of 2010)
(Member since May 08 2008 with 3115 posts)
6 of 6 people found this visit report helpful
Visit Activities:
Admissions Interview: Yes - Interviewed with an African-American admissions intern; it went well.
Information Session: Yes - Typical spiel; details in visit description.
Campus Tour: Yes - Tour guide spoke a bit too fast and tended to trail off, but otherwise fine.
Campus:
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Campus Visit Notes for Oberlin College
Visit Description:
When asked to describe Oberlin in exactly one word, I received the following responses: "creative," "collaborative" (as a runner-up to creative), "explosive." These words, I think, accurately describe Oberlin's innate energy. The campus architecture is eclectic and the student body quite diverse with a particular passion for social justice--one pamphlet found in the admissions office is titled "White Privilege and Ally-ship." Oberlin definitely tilts liberal, but "liberal" itself extends across a diverse spectrum (and there are conservatives too, a vocal minority). Prior to my interview with a student, I talked with a theater professor who had sent his daughter to Earlham (she applied ED, but had been seriously considering both Yale and her father's alma mater Brown)--the professor said that both he and one of his Yalie friends expressed regret in hindsight in not attending a LAC because they felt a little overwhelmed in the university setting (Yale's residential colleges helps with this). Later, I did hear two professors discussing the impact of the economy with regard to staff cuts--contracts not renewed, tenured professors retiring and not being replaced.
The information session was pretty informative. Students choose Oberlin for five reasons, two "little" reasons and three "big" reasons:
1) size - Oberlin is larger than many of its peers, which means that it has a thicker course catalog and more majors. Still no linguistics, though, and my cynical side points out that larger student-body size also means slightly larger class sizes.
2) location - The speaker, a former economics professor now serving as the international liasion on the admissions staff, talked at length about the opportunities afforded by Oberlin's unique location in a small town bordered by socioeconomically diverse Cleveland suburbs, urban Cleveland itself, Amish farmland, and a depressed rustbelt town.
3) academic excellence - Well, duh. Neuroscience and creative writing are tops. Oberlin produces LOTS of science Ph.Ds; politics/polysci is the largest major at present, with lots of breadth in offerings; psych, classics, art history, environmental studies also cited as strong. Only Yale and Harvard have larger art museums; students can rent art to hang in their dorm rooms for $5/semester. The environmental studies building produces more energy than it uses; Oberlin was one of the first schools to be consciously "green," no surprise there.
And then there's the conservatory, of course--"con" students are well-integrated with the college, sharing housing and dining and classes (lots of offerings in liberal arts for the con students, world-class musical opportunities for talented college students). Supposedly all classes in the con are open to everyone, but I have my doubts about that.
4) progressive - Oberlin was the first college in the U.S. both to admit students of color and women. It also boasts the oldest continuously operating conservatory, the first ecology major (now morphed into environmental studies), the first East Asian Studies department at a LAC, and the first coed residence halls (now complete with gender-neutral bathrooms). Obviously, Oberlin likes to challenge the status quo and welcome change before everyone else.
5) community service - Oberlin is named after John Frederick Oberlin, a French minister who promoted universal elementary education and basic health care. He never donated to the college or even knew of its existence; this demonstrates the idealism of Oberlin's founders, an idealism that continues in its students today. Oberlin also has the highest percentage of students who go into nonprofit work or public service. They want to make the world a better place.
Miscellaneous notes: General education is important because the variance in a liberal arts education will solve the problems of the future--the "big changes." A 4-1-4 calendar allows students to take a break in January and learn something offbeat. ExCo, or Experimental College, courses are also offered by faculty/students/community members for credit. 40% of the student body studies away; 82% go to grad school within 3 years. Dining/housing includes a parallel system of co-ops.
Admissions-wise, first the GPA is recalculated for unweighted core academic courses and rigor is rated 1-5. 2400 SAT was noted as one possible "hook." Over 2/3 of students are on financial aid and the average package is about half of COA.
Overall, I really liked Oberlin--I came away feeling that it was an excellent fit for me personally, and I will certainly apply in the fall. Also, be sure to visit the second floor of the library, which has a boring concrete exterior but rainbow furniture on the inside plus WOMB CHAIRS.
Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:
We stayed in Elyria, about 20 minutes outside Oberlin.
Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:
Tooo Chinoise is an excellent Chinese bistro restaurant. There's also The Mandarin, a seedy-looking takeout place we drove past, and other non-Chinese restaurants I took no notice of.
Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):
Free bus transportation to Cleveland Int'l Airport, which has light rail into downtown Cleveland.