<p>That person you knew most likely already knew that the gender of birth wasn’t her true gender before entering Oberlin. However, she probably didn’t let on…especially to you judging by your apparent attitudes towards the issue. </p>
<p>One thing Oberlin does provide is one of the most LGBT-friendly and open campuses in the nation. An environment which enables LGBT students who had to keep their gender/orientation hidden from homophobic/transphobic communities and/or family members to finally have a community in which they can openly be themselves without risking harsh judgmental attitudes like the one you seem to possess or even death from those who’d use violence to voice their busybodying disapproval. </p>
<p>Moreover, this issue of hiding one’s identity wasn’t just limited to gender, sexual orientation, religious leanings/lack thereof, and/or political leanings, but also what most mature adults would regard as silly such as not being a sports fan or liking folk guitar music. </p>
<p>Yes, I’ve had some college classmates who were harassed and sometimes even violently beaten up growing up because of the latter two factors…which were often associated by their more close-minded classmates/their parents with “Nerdiness” and/or even “pinko-commie-ism.” </p>
<p>Speaking here not only as an Oberlin alum, but also as someone who feels the world would be a better place if more people held a “live and let live” attitude and not try to quash anyone trying to march to the beat of their own drum…even if it is at great odds with the conventional majority. </p>
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<p>Well…Oberlin definitely scores well on the first two factors…but loses bigtime on the third. Well…unless the rednecks in question break nearly every stereotype in terms of political leanings, attitudes towards race/gender/sexual orientation, and book-learning based education. </p>
<p>Granted…I’m proceeding on the assumption the above refers to popular stereotypes of each of those three groups.</p>
<p>Moreover…I’ve always regarded being a Nerd/Nerdy as a compliment as that denotes someone who values high academic achievement and intellectualism. :)</p>
<p>I’m another Oberlin grad who remained the same sex and does not believe that such things are contagious (or fostered in educational institution). Really. Most of the people I know from there are actually pretty mainstream, albeit tolerant.</p>
<p>I had to put in a good word about UC Santa Barbara that was slammed a few pages back. Yes, many people won’t send their kids there, and Isla Vista can be a bit scary on a Saturday night. But I swear that’s what makes it one of the best kept secrets for kids who want academic quality in a laid-back environment. D, and all her friends, wouldn’t have wanted to go any place else (and many got into more “prestigious” schools). They are not big partiers, and, in fact, the big partiers are just the noticeable minority. But the place happens to work for most everyone else too. It helps that those with the most judgmental attitudes never enter the door.</p>
<p>@ redpoint , haha, ivies will not even be on the radar for my youngest , but I see your point. I will not name the schools I have in mind in order to not offend those who have love for them and will vehemently defend them;)</p>
<p>I should make an exception to the state school rule…in the cases of getting in state rates to attend a school that has a unique program that the schools in your resident state do not offer ( i.e. Mass Maritime for NJ resident )</p>
<p>Cobrat, thank you for your post. I agree 100%.</p>
<p>After speaking with my trangendered friend last night about this thread, she would like everyone to know that before she came out at the age of 35, she was immersed in conservative culture. She listened to Rush Limbaugh everyday, joined the Marines. All this in a grand effort to fix herself until her life was intolerable. And she came out in the most conservative county in Ohio. What is even better, is that she is loved completely by what many would call “rednecks.” And they protect her from a$$h00les. </p>
<p>These silly stereotypes just serve to provoke us by instilling fear and anger. I come from this small bastion of conservatism and it isn’t black or white. There are layers to all of us. My friend is a very special girl. Makes me sad when I hear such ignorant remarks…</p>
<p>My daughter received a letter telling her how she could convert to Catholicism while a student, from a school that had just accepted her. She rejected them pretty quickly. She’s attending mass twice a week at the school she attends because she enjoys it and is great friends with the priest, but is strongly attached to her Protestant faith.</p>
<p>They also left off UNC-CH. D1 sent me phone video of the annual nude streak through the main library during finals. Looked pretty harmless to me. Then again, I’m a nurse who was long ago desensitized to the nude human body.</p>
<p>True, but one can easily get out of that by mucking up the homecoming parade, crashing a car into the reviewing stand where the Dean is, and having one of your buddies date the Mayor’s kid. :D</p>
<p>I would not want my kid to go to a college where the gender ratio was any more unequal than 60-40, especially if my kid were on the majority side. I think it creates additional stress if the environment is already competitive.</p>
<p>I bet that would be a list of pretty impressive schools. I know Yale has one. </p>
<p>My list originally included any Christian-affiliated colleges but PMKjr loved American, nearly attended and I would have been fine with that. I really would not have been fine with a Christian fundamentalist school but I seriously doubt they wanted my liberal, gay son!</p>
<p>I had no idea American had a religious affiliation!</p>
<p>The only schools I would reject categorically for my child would be ones where pugmadkate’s son (or anyone else’s gay son or daughter) wasn’t welcome just on the basis of being gay. Or bi. Or transgender. Or wondering about his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. There may be other deal-breakers for me, but I can’t think of any right now.</p>
<p>Oh, wait! I did stop pushing one school when I saw the author’s name spelled “Austin” instead of “Austen” in an English department course description.</p>
<p>Any school with weak academics, especially in a program she was interested in. Inadquate course offerings or too difficult to get into classes. Unsafe urban areas. Dominated by faculty and students with conservative religious or political views. For profit schools. Huge research universities where undergrads are second class. Schools with bad records of policing and handling sexual assault. Overly druggy or drunk (party) schools. Ugly campus. Inadequate, poorly maintained buildings. Financial problems. Low graduation rate. Low second year retention rate. Commuter school.</p>
<p>I think that’s about it. My daughter is applying to small LAC’s with good reputations and I’d be happy with any on her list.</p>
<p>My parents forbade me from attending Harvard or Columbia after the Occupy movements there. Columbia gave students college credit for protesting institutions and people who make a lot of money (who coincidentally happen to be the people paying for their college education, either from taxes or their parents). I have no resentment towards these restrictions!!</p>
<p>No offense to any Columbia or Harvard alumni, of course. Amazing schools but too liberal for me! I don’t mind defending my views against a majority, but I’d like to not be in an environment where I feel like I’d be prosecuted for them.</p>
Yes, I hear you can be put on “double secret probation” for the smallest of offenses. Way too strict. ;)</p>