<p>I’m not familiar enough with Grinnell to answer your question in detail, but my general sense is that academically the schools are quite similar in terms of workload, academic excellence, etc. There is no required core curriculum at Oberlin, just a broad set of academic requirements that can be satisfied by choosing from a variety of courses in different departments. Oberlin is very easy to reach: half an hour from the Cleveland airport. I think Grinnell feels a good deal more remote–it’s an hour from Des Moines and 3 hours from Omaha. I recommend a visit to both schools if you can possibly manage it, which would clarify the cultural differences between the two schools. Otherwise, spend some time browsing around on the Oberlin blogs, which will give you a good sense of what the students are like: [Oberlin</a> Blogs](<a href=“http://blogs.oberlin.edu/]Oberlin”>http://blogs.oberlin.edu/).</p>