<p>I chose Oberlin over Grinnell! (I realize I work for Oberlin now, so I may not be your best unbiased source of information, but 8 years ago I was choosing directly between the two.) I had a friend attending Grinnell at the time who felt like the professors tended to assign an excessive amount of work, more than what was really needed to teach and learn the subject matter. Ultimately, I chose Oberlin because I got the impression that Oberlin students (while still academically focused) were better at finding a good work/life balance. Also, I really liked the idea of the housing/dining co-ops. And Oberlin gave me slightly more financial aid.</p>