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<li>Oberlin talks about political activism. Is this actually carried out? Are the students active in the community?</li>
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<p>I think this depends on your idea of political activism. Students are generally quite involved in electoral politics (particularly organizing for state level Democratic candidates). Many also pursue projects in areas related to equality in its many forms (though most often related to identity issues). To be honest, I think that the ‘activist’ aura of Oberlin is largely a thing of the past, at least in terms of collective action. In the 80s, students acted en masse to pressure the administration to divest from apartheid Africa–today, students are largely ineffective at pursuing activist projects on the large scale. That said, students are generally very passionate about their own areas of interest, since their academic studies are often linked to real world issues. Students are fairly active in the community, through the Bonner Center for Service and Learning, as well as programs like SITES (Spanish in the Elementary Schools).</p>
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<li>What do you do for fun? My friend told me its mostly just chilling and drinking a few beers. Accurate?</li>
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<p>Study and do work with friends, drink, see movies, play games, take trips around the Cleveland/northeast Ohio area. But this varies tremendously from person to person.</p>
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<li>Is the biology/science department good? What are the class sizes for these classes?</li>
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<p>Never taken any classes in the field, but I have quite a few friends who are Bio majors, and speak glowingly about the department and their professors. Many of them have also had extensive research opportunities, during Winter Term, summers, and the semester. For people interested in medicine, we’re near the Cleveland Clinic, and I know several students who have been able to work there.</p>
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<li>Does legacy count for anything?</li>
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<p>It probably is seen as a positive thing, since it means that students will be better acquainted with Oberlin.</p>
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<li>Kinda a strange question… Are people materialistic? You know, like, do they wear UGGs and love to go shopping? Please be honest.</li>
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<p>It’s a private liberal arts college. Many students come from affluent backgrounds (while many also do not). I wouldn’t say that you see gratuitous displays of wealth, but some students own cars, or fancy electronics, or nice clothes, and don’t see that as an unusual thing. But compared to many other colleges, which is probably the measurement you’re interested in, I would definitely say that people are largely not materialistic.</p>
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<li>How much reading do you get from classes?</li>
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<p>That depends on the department, and level of class. If you’re in an introductory language class, you’re going to be doing textbook exercises, not reading. If you’re in an advanced social science seminar (e.g. History, Politics, Sociology, etc), you may be reading one or two books each week for that class.</p>