I’m with everyone who says to give it a fair try, and here’s why: I ED’d a top LAC (many years ago) without really knowing why I did. I made some amazing friends that I still have, but it wasn’t the right place for me, and I transferred to a state school that was a better fit. No problem with that except I racked up a lot of debt in only two years at the LAC. It sounds like you have a great financial package that makes this a low-risk option for you. It doesn’t sound to me like you have a. lot to lose to try this out!
When considered by faculty scholarship in economics, you are in position to attend the LAC ranked 18th in the nation.
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you made your bed. now you have to sleep in it.
you will probably love it and finish your 4 years there but if you don’t then you can transfer.
I seriously can’t believe how many stories I hear of people breaking their ED “contract.” it’s really not fair to the kids and families who play the game by the rules.
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I see. Yes, those are good points. I realize I am being overly negative about Oberlin as a whole. The sentiment I researched online was that Oberlin is a hardly known, non career-focused school and heavily lacks in many fields aside from ones which are hard to make money off of (music, creative writing) but fortunately it seems I have the wrong impression. It is reassuring to know I didn’t screw myself over future-wise with this poor decision of mine.
The demographics still largely worry me, and that reason is not a lack of romantic prospects or similar individuals – and I’m also 100% fine with liberal ideas. Rather, it is more that if the bulk of the students are quirky far-left LGBT people frustrated with many norms of our society, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m trying to enter a unique space that isn’t really meant for someone like me. It just feels like any other college, any other LAC, would be actually normal and better offer me a balanced social life where I will have an easier time connecting to others.
But, you and everyone else have convinced me. Oberlin is evidently my clearest option and I will attend there as opposed to CC — and I’ll give it an honest shot. But, even so, I feel like for the reason I mentioned and maybe to find better schools, it’d make sense for me to send out transfer applications during my 1st and 2nd years and see what happens?
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I hope you have such a wonderful experience your first months that the T word disappears out of your mind.
But if you go that route - you’ll need to make sure that you can afford the other schools. There will be less money avail to you than you got now - at many. So pick wisely.
Oberlin is definitely not unknown (some LACs are but not Oberlin) and I wish you fantastic success.
Let us know how your first semester goes.
I am no expert on colleges but I have always thought as Oberlin as a top college with prestige and smart students. it won’t be ALL leftist non-conformists. you will find your people. and the $ savings…man, that’s nice. you might look into transferring but you really might decide not to. In no way will Oberlin be a barrier to you in the future.
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The people who will matter to your future (grad schools, employers) will know of Oberlin.
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Most schools have social sites where you can connect with students before arriving on campus. How about searching for kids like you and making the connections now so you will feel more comfortable once you get on campus? You can also scope out roommates on most sites.
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It might be interesting for you to understand Oberlin historically. Based on this Life article, its academic peers included Brandeis, Brown, Chicago, Cornell, Dartmouth, Hamilton, Johns Hopkins, Lehigh, Rochester and Stanford:
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That’s an option, and I suspect knowing that will make you feel more at ease. Just start out planning to make it work.
Also, there will likely be groups that are mostly people like you. It could be a business-related club or a volunteer organization. It could be folks in your econ classes. You can help manage a sports team or do stats for them. Or help run intramural sports. Fwiw, my mainstream kid (who also applied to Oberlin) applied to Bard, which is arguably funkier than Oberlin. He attended a lax game at a revisit day and found that most of the team were kids “like him”. Make finding your tribe a goal. They are there. Make a point of attending the club fair and signing up for everything that interests you.
I’m probably more confident than you that this can work, and work well…
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First off, please don’t say you made a poor choice. Many people have assured you that it isn’t a poor choice to attend a well regarded and known college such as Oberlin. I’m glad to hear you’re planning to give it a shot. Invest yourself in it from the start.
If you begin with the mindset of immediately trying to transfer, it is going to be more difficult for you to settle into college. Be aware that transfer students don’t typically receive much funding. If the goal is more highly ranked colleges, you’re going to need good professor recommendations, which tend to come as a result of putting forth effort and getting to know profs. You’ll still need to be involved in activities. And you will need solid reasons for transferring, beyond feeling you aren’t like other people at your school.
If you truly feel that Oberlin isn’t right for you, take a year off and work or volunteer. Try again next year. Look for colleges that offer great merit scholarships and/or great merit aid. If money is a significant factor for you, you probably aren’t going to get what you need as a transfer student.
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This is what I would do.
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Wait and see how it goes. You are getting WAAAY ahead of yourself. And schools are unlikely to give transfer students anywhere near the financial support that you got from Oberlin. Take a deep breath and relax! Congrats on a great admission!
OP: It appears that some posters are placing more importance on finances than on fit. This is a reality of today due to the soaring cost of higher education and the disgraceful student loan crisis in America.
FWIW Oberlin is a need aware school so you were chosen by the admissions’ folks as a preferred admit. It may be because you offer much needed diversity to the student body. Could be viewed as a trade-off between personal fit & comfort level versus financial peace of mind.
In all fairness, OP spent a night before deciding to ED - and thought it was fine.
Subsequently, I visited Oberlin for an overnight, figured it was the environment I wanted
Not sure who was included in OP’s search (other schools) but stated this:
I was grinding for the college process for a whole year from the moment I learned about it, and really wanted to end up somewhere good.
It just seems OP has read some things afterward that gave them some buyer’s remorse. But OP did do what was set out to accomplish - getting into a somewhere good, in fact most would say somewhere great school.
Nothing replaces being on campus (which OP did) and what’s on paper is just that - on a piece of paper but necessarily reflective of everyone’s reality.
And finances are a huge part of fit - not all of fit - but a huge part because if you can’t afford a school, then it’s in no way a fit.
But in this case, OP appeared to think it was a fit based on an experience…before they started doing some reading.
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Its more than just fit vs finances. He applied ED and was apparently given a very generous FA package. If he declines it and chooses to try to submit last minute apps elsewhere, there could be repercussions with his school counselor (who may/may not be willing to submit the needed info given the circumstances), so the OP’s other option would be to take a gap year and reapply next year, which they said they prefer not to do.
Thank you. I do understand all of the above. My suspicion is that something else has occurred since OP’s acceptance and financial award that is not a comfortable topic for a public online discussion. Regardless, OP has choices among work for a year, CC, or attend Oberlin.
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I attended Vassar and my son is a Brown alum. Both schools are reputed to have a similar “left wing protest culture” similar to what you anticipate at Oberlin. Both of us are “straight white men” who tend not to be “extremely liberal”.
The two of us both played sports and made plenty of friends and had very active social lives and forged long lasting friendships. I am confident you will find “your people” on any campus, but the fun and personal growth of college will be extending who you define as “your people”.
My son and I often discuss how attending schools where our prior experiences and biases were in the minority both enlightened and informed us. Being challenged intellectually in the classroom and often having to defend views socially will make you stronger and well prepared for real life.
I know it is tough as a high school student not to try and define people using general terms but the great thing about schools like Oberlin is that you will realize people are extremely hard to define. Your capacity to get comfortable viewing people as blank slates versus predefined will be enhanced if you open yourself up to an experience outside your comfort zone.
I totally get it if it’s not for you, and it’s personal. Congratulations on your acceptance.
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The OP post # 84 sounds clear that is he going to attend Oberlin next year.
Wishing him well and as mentioned previously, I know he will also have amazing study abroad options for junior year and could be of interest to explore a new area since he mentioned that he grew up in a rural area too.
All the best to OP!
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