I've heard doing away with need-blind aid & admission really changed Oberlin

BanjoDad
Tue, 06 Mar 2007 18:59:54 +0000

Fear not. I graduated from Oberlin more than 20 years ago (ouch). At that time, it was not particularly diverse from an economic perspective. Though there were lots of people who had work-study obligations, most students were from fairly wealthy families. Despite this, it was a very politically-active place. Perhaps more importantly, it was a vibrant place to learn about everything from physical chemistry to music theory to theology to geology to literature.

A visit to the campus last fall convinced me that Oberlin is no less politically/socially conscious than it was in the early eighties. The main difference seems to be that the current students are generally smarter and nicer than they were ‘back then,’ yet they have retained their ‘quirkiness.’

The college now seems to have its act together from an administrative standpoint. The anarchic approach of the 1970s and 1980s (e.g., no distribution requirements, pass/fail grading, etc.) has been tightened up a bit, but no one seems to have suffered. Even in the ‘old days,’ people worked hard and competed, if only quietly and with themselves.

The college now has a good advising system, and it doesn’t ignore the need to look into the future (i.e., careers) as it once did. Though Oberlin cranks out huge numbers of grads who get graduate degrees, a lot of Oberlin grads go into non-academic careers so it’s critical that Obies have some decent guidance. Not all Obies can, or want to, become professors.

There is still the usual and customary griping about there being “more conservative” students on campus, but Oberlin’s definition of “conservative” is rather different from that which prevails in the rest of the world. (I remember the uproar when John Anderson (an independent candidate in the '80 presidential election) was brought to campus by the ‘moderate caucus.’) It would be hard to find a school that has more political activity (and more liberal-leaning activity) per square mile.

There is also the ongoing struggle (such as it is) between the faculty and the administration. However, some of the faculty who were wild radicals 25 years ago are now the landed gentry. The food coops are still there, and they still have their individual identities, causes, and the like. Oberlin people still talk about the ideal of tolerance, but now they seem to put it into practice more than was the case a couple of decades ago.

At its core, Oberlin is a great place where you will work hard, learn a lot, and meet plenty of interesting people. There is great potential for establishment of life-long friendships, along with a chance for an excellent education. Oberlin is what you make of it – and a great deal can be made of it indeed. Whereas I was a little wary about my son applying to Oberlin, I now would be very happy if he were to enroll there.

If the idea of ‘school’ as a structure for learning or community is repugnant, then maybe Oberlin isn’t the place for you. But as long as you can accept the fact that Oberlin is an institution, and can live within its rather unrestrictive confines, you should be very happy.

Hope these comments help.